PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT

August 5, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact Information: PolicePRUnit@slcgov.com

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SLCPD Liberty HRC Squad Seize 600+ Fentanyl Pills During Traffic Stop

SALT LAKE CITY — Officers with the Salt Lake City Police Department’s Liberty Patrol Division’s Homeless Resource Center (HRC) Squad seized more than 600 fentanyl pills during a traffic stop in the Central 9^th neighborhood.

This investigation started at 5:12 p.m. on Friday, August 2, 2024, when an HRC officer stopped a vehicle for a moving violation at 870 South Main Street.

During the investigation, officers found cash, fentanyl pills, methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia inside the car.

Officers cited the driver and arrested the passenger, 41-year-old William Binkard on charges of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

The Salt Lake City Police Department’s HRC squads help to enhance the safety and well-being for both the unsheltered and the surrounding community at the Gail Miller Resource Center and the Geraldine E. King Women’s Resource Center.

Balancing law enforcement duties with compassion, these squads aim to reduce victimization and prioritize public safety. Each HRC has a dedicated squad, comprising one sergeant and five officers, who respond to service calls, connect individuals with essential services, and build positive relationships with the unsheltered community.

The squads became fully operational on July 9, 2023, funded through a grant from the State of Utah.

Charges are only allegations, and every arrested person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Salt Lake City Police Department is not the custodian of record for jail booking photos. Utah Code 17-22-30 mostly prohibits the release of jail booking photos. Generally, a jail booking photo can only be released by the custodian of record after a conviction or when law enforcement determines the person is a fugitive or an imminent threat to a person or public safety. In Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office is the custodian of record for jail booking photos.

No photos are available for release.

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