PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT

September 5, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact Information: PolicePRUnit@slcgov.com

Media Request Form: https://police.slc.gov/mediarequest/ 

SLCPD Central Patrol Division HRC Squad Conducts Enforcement Operation at Taufer Park 

SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City Police Department’s Central Patrol Division Homeless Resource Center (HRC) Squad recently conducted a safety and drug interdiction operation in the Central City neighborhood. 

On Wednesday, September 4, 2024, HRC officers conducted an operation to observe, identify, and arrest people engaged in illegal conduct inside and around Taufer Park. 

HRC officers developed important information that will benefit them in future operations and with general investigations. 

SLCPD officers conduct patrols in and around Taufer park to disrupt criminal activity, make arrests, and reduce victimization. 

Future operations are expected. 

The Salt Lake City Police Department’s Homeless Resource Center Squads are designed to enhance the safety and well-being of both the unsheltered population and the surrounding communities at, and around, the Gail Miller Resource Center and the Geraldine E. King Women’s Resource Center. 

The department aims to balance its duties of enforcing the law, prioritizing public safety, and reducing victimization while showing compassion and empathy for the city’s unsheltered community. 

Each homeless resource center is staffed with a squad consisting of one SLCPD sergeant and five SLCPD officers. These officers respond to service calls in the areas surrounding the resource centers to assist patrol officers, connect individuals with essential services such as healthcare, mental health support, and substance abuse treatment, and help foster positive relationships between law enforcement and the unsheltered community. 

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

Photo: Items seized during an operation at Taufer Park (SLCPD photo – September 4, 2024). 

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