February 12, 2025

A message to SLCPD and our Salt Lake City community

All:

After more than three decades of service, February 28, 2025 will be my last day of service as your chief to Salt Lake City and the Salt Lake City Police Department. There is never a perfect time to step away from a career that has defined you, challenged you, and given you a profound sense of purpose. Policing has never been just a job for me—it has been a calling and a lifelong commitment to public service.

From my first day at the Salt Lake City Police Department on May 31, 1991, to the past nine years as chief of one of our nation’s oldest police departments, my focus has remained clear: serving the people of this city. Our officers, detectives, professional staff, and the resilient and committed residents of Salt Lake City have been at the center of my career. Leading and growing with this city has truly been the greatest privilege of my life.

Over the years, I have seen policing evolve at an unprecedented pace, and I have worked to make sure we remained a leader in crime reduction, community outreach, and innovation. Whether it was responding to dynamic and emotional calls early in my career, being part of the first generation of SWAT snipers, or leading the effort to establish Salt Lake City’s first-ever POST-certified training satellite academy, I have always known that progress comes from leadership, vision, and a constant commitment to service.

As I moved through our ranks, I have had the privilege of working alongside the most dedicated, selfless, and courageous people in law enforcement. Together, we lowered overall crime to a 16-year low, developed one of the first Homeless Outreach Services Team in the country, enhanced community engagement, developed culturally specific training, became one of the first sensory inclusive police departments, and modernized SLCPD into a data-driven, technology-led department focused on results. We implemented our Police Community Response Team (PCRT) and expanded call diversion programs—allowing our officers to focus on higher-priority calls for service while non-sworn specialists handled lower-level calls. Many of these transformations, along with our social worker program, earned national recognition and became best practices for law enforcement agencies across the country.

I have led through some of the toughest moments law enforcement has ever faced, none more defining than the events of 2020. That year tested us in ways we never could have anticipated—testing our profession, challenging our resilience, and pushing me personally as a leader. But, through adversity comes growth, and I believe those trials made us a stronger, more accountable, and a more adaptive organization, better prepared to serve our community with integrity and purpose. Scrutiny and change are always constants in this profession, but I have believed in meeting them head-on, leading with honesty, and making our department stronger.

To the women and men of SLCPD, I have one message: Never lose sight of your purpose. The work you do is not easy. It is often misunderstood, but it is deeply essential to protecting and preserving our way of life. Stay committed to excellence, support one another, and never let the critics or skepticism define your mission. The strength of this department truly lies in its people, its resilience, and its commitment to service.

To our Salt Lake community, your support has meant everything to me. Your voices, your trust, and your willingness to work alongside me and this police department have been instrumental in shaping the future of public safety. Your engagement with our police department has brought forward significant changes, making this department better, more responsive, and more connected to the people we serve. I leave knowing this department, this city, and its people are capable, prepared, and committed to what comes next.

Being chief has been the greatest honor of my career, and I will always be grateful for the opportunity to lead, to serve, and to make a difference. Now, it’s time for me to focus on my family—my three boys, who have grown up with this department, from Halloween Fun Fests to parades and community events. I look forward to spending more time with them, and vacationing, but I will never stop supporting this department, you, and this great city.

As I look back on more than three decades of public service, I am filled with gratitude and immense pride. Together, we have worked—often without recognition—to seek justice for crime victims, strengthen our community, and to uphold the principles of fairness and accountability. Our achievements, both big and small, will always remain with me. More than anything, the greatest privilege of my career has been watching this department evolve, witnessing your dedication firsthand, celebrating your victories and mourning with you in times of grief. Getting to know each of you and your families has been an honor, and it is those relationships and moments of growth that I will cherish most.

I will leave the Salt Lake City Police Department with pride, gratitude, and a commitment to lasting public service. As Robert Frost once said, “In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on.”

My heart and love will always be with you.

Take care, stay safe…and never stop pushing forward.

Respectfully,

Mike

Chief Mike Brown

Salt Lake City Police Department