Utah
Utah counties are spending opioid settlement cash on policing. Is that the best use?
The following story was reported by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project in partnership with KUER and the Daily Herald.
Firearms, ballistic vests, breathalyzers, police vehicles, wages for law enforcement officers — these are some of the ways counties are using the money they received to combat the opioid crisis.
Utah counties have taken a combined $56 million from national legal settlements, with additional money expected in coming years.
Only a small portion of the money has been spent, but the uses are almost as diverse as the counties themselves, ranging from housing and wellness programs to treatment for inmates and Naloxone.
A handful of counties — namely Salt Lake, Utah and Sevier — have also prioritized some of their funds for law enforcement, according to public records obtained by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project.
Some experts worry pumping more money into traditional policing isn’t effective. Brandon del Pozo, a retired police chief and Brown University professor who studies the intersection of law enforcement and public health, said many of those traditional tactics have either not worked or made situations worse.
“To say we’re just going to do those things harder and with more funding might not be the best use of funds,” he said. “It definitely makes sense to invest in policing responses to the opioid crisis — but it’s not like if we just enforce that much harder or that much more vigorously or with that many more weapons or vehicles that we could have stopped this from happening.”
‘A really important role’
Law enforcement officers have been on the front lines of the opioid crisis for decades. They’re the first to respond to countless overdoses and are often tasked with handling the consequences of substance misuse.
Not all police responses to the opioid crisis, however, are created equal. Research suggests that some tactics have exacerbated the problem.
A 2023 study, for example, found police seizures were associated with an increase in overdoses in nearby areas. A Canadian study found that increased policing often discouraged those with addiction from accessing life-saving services like supervised consumption, also known as overdose prevention sites. Previous negative interactions with police can also discourage individuals from calling 911 in the case of an overdose. And a 2022 study from Penn State College of Medicine found that traditional policing was associated with a risk of future overdose deaths and did not reduce future arrests or jail time.
“Traditional criminal justice pathways of arrest, prosecution, and incarceration with enforced abstinence have not been effective in slowing the opioid epidemic,” reads the 2022 study.
Del Pozo stressed, though, that cutting out law enforcement entirely won’t solve the opioid crisis. Instead, it’s a matter of homing in on more effective tactics, like training officers on the science of addiction and creating bridges between the criminal justice system and treatment.
“Police in the United States have a really important role in the overdose crisis,” del Pozo said. “Treatment is a form of crime reduction. And as police grow to understand that, they see a lot of these alternatives to just ‘the business as usual’ policing as more feasible.”
Every interaction police have with someone experiencing addiction is a chance to link that person with treatment and recovery options, said del Pozo.
A holistic approach?
Officials in Salt Lake and Utah counties – the two largest in the state – opted to fund a variety of programs beyond law enforcement.
On the other hand, while Sevier County has spent just 18% of its settlement funds so far, all of that $72,000 has been allocated to the Sheriff’s Office. The county does not track the funds once they’ve been transferred into the sheriff’s budget, and Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Curtis said he hadn’t previously tracked the funds in one place prior to a request from the Utah Investigative Journalism Project.
A spreadsheet Curtis compiled shows expenses between July 2023 and June 2024 mostly went to wages for deputies assigned to drug court and pretrial services, with smaller portions spent on training, Naloxone and drug testing supplies. Curtis noted the data “did not include the cost of any of the equipment the employees use as it is not as easily broken down.”
Salt Lake County has used its opioid money to award several grants for projects like expanding a recovery center, hiring a health data specialist to collect and analyze opioid-related data and kickstarting a substance use program for pregnant and postpartum mothers.
“We’re looking at the full spectrum,“ said Kelly Colopy, the county’s Human Services director.
The second largest of the grants the county approved went to fund two sheriff officer positions to work in partnership with a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration task force. That grant was $780,000, or 18%, of the county’s approved settlement budget. The county also gave the Sheriff’s Office a smaller grant of $46,000 to expand treatment in the jail.
A letter of understanding for the county’s grant to fund DEA officers states their duties include providing agencies with technical assistance and training relating to opioid trends and overdose death investigations.
Colopy said the officers’ focus is not on cracking down on crime but on training, partnership building and regional coordination. Documents the county provided in response to a records request did not include any breakdown of how the grant money has been used, but Colopy said the grant only covers the officers’ salaries.
Although Utah County’s opioid overdose rate is lower than the state average, county administrator Ezra Nair said the impact is much larger than most people realize.
“Unfortunately, the needs are going to continue for the foreseeable future. This isn’t like, ‘Oh yeah, we’ll just pay you a billion dollars, and the opioid problem is gone,’” Nair said. “This is now completely integrated in our communities. It is a problem that affects all facets of our society and our county government.”
The county allocated nearly half of its settlement funds to Wasatch Behavioral Health — far more than any other department. Smaller portions went to the health department and to funding a nurse focused on opioid treatment in the jail. Previous reporting by The Investigative Project shows the county did not have medically-assisted treatment for opioid addiction using methadone available in the jail, although it did provide some medications to help with withdrawal. Methadone use is still limited in the jail, but county spokesperson Richard Piatt said the jail nurse can and does administer it.
Twelve percent of the county’s opioid spending went to the Sheriff’s Office. It was used to bolster the probation program, training, funding undercover positions and equipping officers with Naloxone, according to spokesperson Sgt. Raymond Ormond.
An analysis of the county’s opioid settlement records found the Sheriff’s Office spent $414,091 on officers’ wages and benefits, $186,245 on police vehicles, $24,672 on police equipment like ballistic vests, firearm optic sights and radios, $2,800 on uniforms and $2,568 on firearms.
Utah County officials said those purchases went directly to the officer positions funded by the settlement money and that any equipment replacements would come out of the county’s general fund.
“To be able to have those positions, we’ve got to have the equipment,” Ormond said. “Those positions are ones that are, especially our task force positions, are a dangerous position … that’s the unfortunate aspect of our job as law enforcement, is we do need those tools, that equipment and that training.”
Ormond understands where critics of traditional policing are coming from, especially as someone who’s seen both overdoses and opioid addictions firsthand among family members. It’s one of the reasons he got into law enforcement two decades ago.
“I wish there was a way that we could convince people to not use drugs, if the world didn’t need cops, I’d be all for it,” he said. “But (by) the same token, until we can get to that point as a community, we’re going to need law enforcement that’s going to have to try to combat the drugs.”
Del Pozo said while officers need to be prepared, more investment in policing misses the mark.
“The idea of using opioid settlement money to buy tactical gear and weapons doesn’t seem like it’s in the spirit of what’s going to reduce the overdose crisis in America,” he said.
Last year, a Reddit thread circulated asking the question, “Who is the worst Canadian?” To little surprise, Ted Cruz was among those who were named.
You know Ted, right? That unctuous Texas Senator who revels in appearing smart but who gives off spider vibes? His name being on the list was not a surprise.
Neither was Elon Musk who, while not born in Canada, does bear a Canadian passport since his mother was born there. You know, birthright stuff.
At the time, Elon was dismantling much of the United States infrastructure in the name of DOGE. (Did you ever get your $2,000 check? Do we currently miss USAID in the emerging Ebola zones?) It’s little wonder that Elon scored so well on the dishonor list, never mind that he wasn’t even living in Canada during the polling.
Other prominent names included hockey legend Wayne Gretzky (a living example of the motif ETTD—Everything Trump Touches Dies—if there ever was one), politician and philosopher Jordan Peterson, who affirms that masculinity is under assault while he assaults everything, plus Gavin McInnes, a Proud Boys founder who had relocated to the good ole USA.
The list morphed into an NCAA playoff structure, with brackets that culled the field down to a final winner. I’m going to ask the editors at City Weekly to create a similar bracket that our readers can vote in to find this year’s Worst Utahn.
Can you imagine a showdown between Mike Lee and Trevor Lee in the finals? I can. Or maybe it could be 2024 Spencer Cox against 2026 Spencer Cox—one cusping on bad, the other embracing it.
Utah’s new favorite authority, Kevin O’Leary, might also be on the Worst Utahn list, due to his proximity to all things powerful and secret at the state government level. If Kevin gets his way with the proposed giant data center in Box Elder County, he might even be a full-fledged Utah resident by then. That means, woefully, I’ll have to boycott Box Elder County.
I’m no good at boycotts. I’m weak—so yeah, I lied. I’ll still eat the great peaches and I’ll still eat at Maddox Steak House in Perry. But only when Kevin isn’t around.
We’ve been warned, you know. Along with the other worst Canadians on the Canada list was “Mr. Wonderful” himself, Kevin O’Leary. What kind of snipe would embrace calling himself Mr. Wonderful? Especially one as handsome-reverse as Kevin O’Leary? Well, there’s one, and it’s more apropos—the late, great Paul Orndorff of World Wrestling Federation fame. He had a better run at being Mr. Wonderful than O’Leary ever will.
O’Leary didn’t give himself the name. One of his fellow billionaire panelists on Shark Tank provided that moniker after he tried to mind-wrassle an inventor out of a money-making idea. He even trademarked the name. If that sounds Trumpian, it is.
Among the many dubious qualities that are associated with O’Leary is the recurring one that he often emulates president—and fellow self-proclaimed brilliant businessman—Donald Trump. He does sound like him here and there, in both brashness and bullshit.
Utahns don’t need reminding that one day, we were blissfully unaware that anyone was even purchasing land in Box Elder County, only to awaken the next day to find that an O’Leary-led cabal of Utah political sad sacks had quietly compiled a 40,000-acre aggregation destined to become the largest water and land-use boondoggle known to modern man. We Utah historians correctly note that the floods that floated Noah were of grander scale, but this one is right up there.
The hue and cry from all corners were loud and clear: Utah does not welcome the idea of an interloper coming in with paid-off politicians in arms, selling the prospect of a massive data center and arriving without so much as a local hearing. Utah was blindsided.
When locals protested, O’Leary again donned his Donald Trump costume, marched into the friendly studios of Fox News and spouted off the lies that protesters were bussed in, that we must love our country in this critical time and that China can’t win the data center wars.
The USA has 40% of all data centers worldwide, with more coming. But such information cannot dissuade the average Fox viewer, who is over 65 years old and will be dead when the data center begins siphoning Utah water and cooking the remaining residents of Box Elder County inside their very own Air Fryer.
But O’Leary’s biggest lie was saved for two women—also a Trumpian move. He accused Utah-born Gabi Finlayson and Jackie Morgan (both of Elevate Utah, which is indeed politically aligned toward the Democratic party) as being paid agents of China. Their crime? Exposing O’Leary, Cox and the rest as being as useless as teats on a Box Elder bull.
Finlayson and Morgan took to their own social media, delivering a master class in mockery that accelerated them to social media stardom and exposed O’Leary as a bumbling asshole. Not dissuaded, O’Leary also stupidly punched at Senate candidate Caroline Gleich, who similarly punched back with the reminder that while she has no foreign ties, O’Leary himself is not only Canadian by birth, but is also a citizen of the UAE—who is the foreigner again?
I’m thrilled to no end to see these “masculine” men kneecapped by stronger women.
If they see this, I’ll buy tequila shooters for Gabi, Jackie and Caroline. By the looks of things, all across the entire political spectrum, it will be women who save us from ourselves and from unwelcome political grabs.
We may need data centers. We don’t need Mr. Not-So-Wonderful.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah football’s first official visit weekend of the 2027 recruiting cycle has already produced a payoff, as Morgan Scalley has landed the commitment of three-star offensive lineman Sire Stewart.
Stewart, a 6-foot-5, 255-pound offensive tackle out of Chandler High School in Arizona, became one of the key names to watch coming into the weekend.
Utah hosted several offensive line targets as part of its first official visit group, and Stewart leaving Salt Lake City committed gives the Utes a tangible recruiting win at a priority position.
A Fast Win For Utah’s New Recruiting Operation
Utah’s first official visit weekend under Scalley was always going to be about more than hosting prospects. It was the first major chance for the new regime to show recruits and families what the program looks like with Scalley as head coach and D’Orazio helping guide the roster-building operation.
Stewart’s commitment gives Utah an early return from that effort.
The Utes need momentum in the 2027 class, and official visit weekends are where that momentum often starts. Landing an offensive lineman from Arizona also reinforces one of Utah’s most important recruiting priorities: continuing to build regionally while identifying prospects who fit the program’s developmental model.
Stewart had official visits scheduled to Washington State and Boise State but elected to give his pledge to the Utes instead.
Utah Got In Early
Utah’s pursuit of Stewart did not begin this weekend. Offensive line coach Jordan Gross offered Stewart in early February, with the Utes becoming his 10th offer and third Power Four opportunity behind Duke and Arizona. Since then, Stewart has added offers from Oklahoma State, Baylor and Cal, while also making an unofficial visit to Arizona State.
Utah was not late to the evaluation. The Utes identified Stewart early, prioritized him and then got him on campus for the first official visit weekend of the cycle. In modern recruiting, that kind of early relationship-building is important.
Gross may be new to college coaching, but this is a good first recruiting win. He gives Utah a unique offensive line pitch. He played at Utah, became one of the program’s best examples of development translating to the NFL, and now gets to sell that same path to recruits. For a prospect like Stewart, Utah can offer both a developmental plan and a real example of what that plan can become.
Building The Class Up Front
Stewart’s commitment also continues a clear early theme for Utah. The Utes are prioritizing the trenches, particularly from the high school ranks.
Utah has long built its program around line-of-scrimmage play, and that identity is not expected to change under Scalley. If anything, it appears to be one of the first pieces of the roster construction plan being emphasized in the 2027 class.
Stewart gives Utah a developmental offensive line prospect with the frame to grow into a Big 12 lineman. Listed by 247Sports at 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, he still has room to add strength and mass, but the foundation is there.
This commitment gives Utah momentum, but particularly with the offensive linemen they’re in pursuit of. Utah will continue to push for fellow offensive linemen Lincoln Mageo, Ian Aloisio, Tye Kennedy, Damian Anyasodo, Gecova Doyal, and Amaziah Siale.
Mageo and Doyal were also part of the visit with Stewart, giving Utah an added presence to recruit those two. Kennedy and Anyasodo will officially visit the Salt Lake City this weeend, while Siale has been a big priority for Utah and will visit at the end of the month.
The Bottom Line
Sire Stewart’s commitment is not just another name on Utah’s 2027 board. It is the first real proof point from the Utes’ opening official visit weekend under Scalley.
Utah identified him early, got him to campus and closed. That is what good recruiting operations are supposed to do.
For Stewart, the commitment gives him a clear developmental home in a program that has long valued offensive line play. For Utah, it adds another piece to a 2027 class that needs to reflect the new regime’s roster-building vision.
The Utes have always believed in winning up front. Stewart’s commitment shows that message is still central to how Utah plans to build.
Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.
Take us with you, wherever you go. Download the new & improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. You can stream live radio, video and stay up to date on all of your favorite teams.
SALT LAKE CITY — Lucas Horns points over a fence on Main Street toward an empty lot with a blue shipping container on it, tucked between downtown Salt Lake City’s tallest buildings.
That container, he explains, will serve as a makeshift bar on Thursdays and Fridays through the remainder of summer, set up next to a live music stage and a space that will be dedicated to various lawn games for people of all ages. The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art will provide some art as part of an outdoor sculpture and food and drink venue combination aimed to liven up an otherwise dead space.
“Our hope is just to add to the ecosystem,” said Horns, program director for the Blocks, a joint venture between Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County to develop arts and culture programs within the downtown area.
The Blocks is launching what it calls the “Art Garten” in the lot of the old Utah Pantages Theater, 144 S. Main, beginning this week. It’s a free event that blends a beer garden with live music, art and games for all ages.
A DJ will be spinning hits from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, while live music from the steps of the Eccles Theater across the street will fill the air during the same hours on Friday. A rotating list of DJs and live bands will fill in the space during the same hours twice a week for the next few months.
The event will include a rotating food truck lineup, along with cornhole, giant chess and other lawn games for people of all ages. The Blocks didn’t want to compete with bars and restaurants, so the hours hit around happy hour, while also being friendly for people with families, Horns said.
“We were interested in adding something new to downtown,” he told KSL. “There aren’t a lot of spaces where families can go, and the parents can grab a beer and hang out while their kids play lawn games. That’s kind of a rarity in Utah, and especially downtown, so I think we’re filling an important niche.”
At the same time, it livens up a piece of Main Street that’s been lifeless for years.
The Utah Pantages Theater was demolished in 2022, amid a last-second effort to preserve the century-old building. Salt Lake leaders approved a $0 sale of the building to international real estate firm Hines and local developer Joel LaSalle in 2019, setting the stage for a proposed 31-story residential high-rise on Main Street.
However, the project stalled with the market. “Unprecedented market changes,” such as record inflation, emerged at approximately the same time as the theater was demolished, making it difficult to secure financing for the project off the ground, a spokesperson for Hines told KSL in 2024.
The situation hasn’t changed much since then, leaving Main Street with a vacant lot blocked off by a large wooden board for years. Some of the lessons from “Open Streets” and other downtown activation events helped piece together an event to use the space while it remains vacant.
“We’re excited just to be able to do a pop-up park like that in that location on Main Street, with programming unlike anything else we’ve done on Main Street,” said Dee Brewer, director of the Salt Lake City Downtown Alliance. “I’m really excited to see how the public responds.”
Hines cleared the space for the event, which will continue on Thursdays and Fridays through the end of September. Horns and Brewer say they expect the venue to return next year and potentially longer, depending on how long the tower project remains on pause.
It may not be the perfect solution to a development holdup, but they believe it’s an upgrade from the current situation.
“A blank, empty wall is never good for walkability or for the urban environment,” Horns said.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
-
Los Angeles, Ca1 hour agoPolice investigate deadly stabbing in Tarzana; suspect in custody
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoDetroit Tigers sweep Tampa Bay Rays in win as Dillon Dingler stays hot
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoRetired San Francisco firefighter dies from lung cancer after Blue Shield denies treatment claims
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoTrackdown: Dallas 7-Eleven robbery suspect wanted
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoThis new Italian restaurant in Brickell only has 10 items on the menu
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoVisiting Boston this summer? Here are 8 navigation tips you need to know.
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDenver-ish Central Market? RiNo food hall vendors claim they’ve been pushed out
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoNew Ben & Jerry’s location opening at Seattle waterfront’s Pier 54
