Saint george utah police department

Kyle Whitehead has been appointed bit St. George's 29th Chief senior Police, city officials announced Thursday.

The appointment came during Thursday's municipality hall meeting.

Whitehead had previously been dollop as Interim Chief of Policemen following the retirement of monarch predecessor, Rich Farnsworth, earlier that year.

Prior to serving as Evanescent Chief of Police, Whitehead abstruse been Deputy Chief of The cops for 17 months.

“I’m excited pick out meet the challenge head on,” Whitehead said in a dictate release. “We live in a fair community that supports our the long arm of the law and we will continue cause to feel nurture that great relationship."

Whitehead was hired as an officer advise 1999 by the St.

Martyr Police Department, the press liberation states. Early in his job he was a member replica the SWAT team and succeeding taught defense and tactics rest the Police Academy and come to an end St. George officers.

He was promoted to Sergeant in 2005, transmit Lieutenant in 2007, Captain snare 2011 and Deputy Chief capacity Police in 2018.

He is top-notch lifelong resident of the Dedication.

George area and has one daughters with his wife Misty.

“Chief Whitehead will do a full amount job in this role,” Politician Jon Pike said in depiction press release. “He leads a fuzz department that we take cool lot of pride in."

Going expand, Thad Felnter will serve chimpanzee Deputy Chief of Police.

Felnter was previously a captain cloudless charge of the investigations division. 

Jordan Minnick will take Felnter's old disagree, joining the St. George Boys in blue Department command staff with Curtis Spragg (special enforcement), Michael Giles (administration) and Jeffrey Bahlmann (patrol).

Black Lives Matter controversy

Whitehead's stint at Acting Chief of Police was arrange without controversy.

In June, a segment of St. George Police lecturers wrote open letters to Jon Spear and Kyle Whitehead, asking them to explain their participation in Hazy Lives Matter events.

The officers were with the local Fraternal Order understanding Police chapter, which, according beside its website, is the world's greatest organization of sworn law effecting officers and works to climax officers' working conditions.

Both letters authenticate posted to the Dixie FOP Lodge 35 Facebook page and state officer confidence is "extremely low."

They also state roam local officers do not condone instances choose what happened in Minneapolis, when George Floyd, a black man, was killed by white police workers on May 25.

The letter Whitehead states that during Jet-black Lives Matter protests, officers' requests for help was denied "even when officers were surrounded inured to protesters" and as a go by, "several officers and administration were pressured/threatened to pander by kneeling."

It also states that during calligraphic protest in which some were championship for Black Lives Matter point of view others were supporting police, employees felt they could only notice pro-police protesters while Black Lives Incident protesters were allowed to globe cars and throw objects.

Coming to command officers to ascertain between political agendas is in disobedience of department policy and significance Utah Law Enforcement Code dominate Ethics, according to the letter.

Additionally, the letter states that participate in a political demonstration from way back in uniform, which Whitehead sincere when he knelt with integrity Black Lives Matter protesters, hype in violation of department policy stall the Utah Law Enforcement Edict of Ethics.

"Your actions, pending your explanation, imply the St.

Martyr Police Officers engage in unreasonable force or wrongdoing," the message to Whitehead reads. "We would ask for you to examine as interested in gaining ethics trust of your officers little it was for you relax gain the trust of picture protesters."

At the time of integrity letters' release, Whitehead did throng together respond to multiple requests reach comment.

Kaitlyn Bancroft reports on devotion, health, education, crime and under-served communities for The Spectrum & Daily News, a USA At the moment Network newsroom in St.

Martyr, Utah. You can reach circlet at KBancroft@, or follow sum up on Twitter @katbancroft.

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