Opinion: Allegation and accountability

In February 2019, a police officer working for the University of Utah police department was sent out on a call to speak with a woman who called for information on how to report abuse. As the Salt Lake Tribune reported, he did not follow proper procedure when he arrived. The suspect of the report was present upon his arrival, and the officer allowed the suspect to remain for the duration of his interview with the concerned woman. In his official file, a warning states that he placed the woman’s life in danger, and that his “improvement must be immediate and sustained” — otherwise, he would be facing termination.

The year before, this officer was the primary officer on Lauren McCluskey’s case. His alleged mishandling of McCluskey’s case has recently been the focus of many articles at both the state and national level, but it appears to be one of multiple instances that he fell short of following through with his responsibility as a police officer.

He now works for the Logan police force.

I don’t believe this record says anything about this officer’s inherent character. I’ve never met him and can’t speak to who he is or may be. However, I do think that his history of inadequate police work and allegations that he shared explicit photos of McCluskey before her death to be alarming. When I think about the circumstances in which I would need to call the police, the last thing I want to worry about in those moments is whether or not the officer responding to my call has a sense of urgency or respect.

Now that the Logan City Police Department has launched their own investigation to determine whether or not the officer did share explicit photos of McCluskey, I am able to put some of my worry to rest. But in thinking about the structure, within which these instances occurred, my concern reaches much further than the behavior of an individual officer. What we grapple with now is accountability and transparency, on a structural scale.

Ultimately, accountability is the cornerstone of community. In professional environments, our coworkers, our superiors and (depending on your job title) the public wants to know they can trust you to follow through with what you’ve been tasked with. Especially in our personal lives, with our friends and family, following through strengthens our relationships with people we care about.

If our schools, our police or our elected representatives are flippant about the need for checks and balances within their own bodies ⁠— seemingly linking rank or office or job title to infallibility ⁠— then what faith can we have in them to follow through when it matters most? Individuals who work to protect and police the public should be the least exempt from discipline or accountability because they’re an example being set for the rest of us.

It would be unreasonable to believe that these institutions, created and constructed by human beings, could escape the long shadow of imperfection humanity casts. But it is not unreasonable in the slightest to expect that they should learn, adapt and grow as we all try to. This is especially important when we consider institutions such as the police force, quite literally tasked with policing the mistakes and wrongdoings in their districts. If they aren’t held accountable for their own transgressions, can we trust them to know when and how to act in their communities?

Logan City Police Department’s announcement of an investigation is a positive step in the direction of community accountability. Their choice to take the allegation seriously when they were made aware means they are making themselves, the officer and others aware and complicit in the mishandling of the McCluskey case accountable.

But this is a small step in a larger quest for sustainable and reliable public institutions. An investigation is necessary, but the public deserves to be made aware of how an internal investigation is being handled. Transparency is crucial to accountability, and in the coming days and weeks, the Logan community will play a critical role in assuring that the LCPD are held to the same standard they have sworn to uphold.

When allegations such as these are not only taken seriously, but handled transparently within their communities, it prevents the collective trust we hold in our public institutions from decay. Time will tell if LCPD procedures can prevent mutual respect and trust from becoming artifacts of our past, instead reinforcing them as tenants of our present.