Utah Agency Faces Decertification Amid Misconduct Allegations

The Brigham Young University Police Department is facing decertification after failing to investigate alleged misconduct by one of its officers.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune , a BYUPD lieutenant—identified as Aaron Rhoades—collected private police reports created by other Utah County law enforcement agencies and passed on that information to university officials, sparking an investigation into allegations of misconduct that went on without departmental inquiry or disciplinary action.

The Tribune reported that the department did not conduct an internal investigation into allegations of misconduct by a specific BYU police officer during a two-year time frame ending in April 2018.

It's the first time in Utah history the state has moved to decertify an entire police department, said Marissa Cote, a spokeswoman for the Utah Department of Public Safety.

It is not clear when the Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) will make its final decision on decertification.