Efforts to restore safety in the Rio Grande neighborhood of Salt Lake City are impacting Utah Highway Patrol troopers in Tooele County, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
When Operation Rio Grande began on Aug. 14, two UHP sergeants and two troopers stationed in Tooele County were called in to assist, according to UHP Sgt. Todd Royce. The number has since been reduced to one sergeant and two troopers.
Operation Rio Grande is a multi-agency effort between UHP, Adult Probation and Parole, and Salt Lake City and Unified police. The initial phase is expected to run through June 2019, with five times the normal law enforcement on daily shifts around the clock.
Royce said UHP has contingency plans for emergencies, which were enacted due to the scale of Operation Rio Grande. UHP has maintained 40 troopers in the Rio Grande area during operations, out of approximately 500 troopers around the state.
Troopers were pulled from around the state, with a similar percentage pulled from each county, Royce said.
To cover the sergeant and troopers working on Operation Rio Grande, the county’s troopers have been working overtime, Royce said. The total hours of coverage and staffing levels in the county have been maintained through troopers working overtime, he said.
There are 15 troopers in Tooele County split into three crews, each with one sergeant and four troopers, according to Royce. Due to Operation Rio Grande and open positions, each trooper averages about 10 to 12 hours of overtime per week.
With some openings due to natural attrition, Royce said UHP is looking to hire around the state and specifically in Tooele County. Anyone interested in a job with UHP can visit highway patrol.utah.gov.
