Mayor Erin Mendenhall wants state leaders to know Salt Lake City stands ready to do its part to address homelessness and public safety concerns in Utah’s capital, but they must do theirs as well.
For instance, Mendenhall is offering city property for a 1,000-bed temporary shelter and vowing to beef up police patrols in problem areas.
On Thursday, the mayor sent a letter and an attached plan to state leaders in response to a Dec. 13 request from Gov. Spencer Cox, House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, and Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, outlining how the city will “restore public safety.”
“This is a systemwide approach to improve safety and lessen the humanitarian crisis and public costs our city, state, and residents in need are suffering each and every day,” she wrote in a draft letter obtained Wednesday by The Salt Lake Tribune. “To select some recommendations and disregard or only partially implement strategies will not result in the success you expect and all Utahns deserve. We must embark with collective momentum to effectively address this crisis.”
Mendenhall’s answer is the latest in a long-running tussle between the city and state leaders over how to address unsheltered homelessness, drug activity and perceived safety issues in Utah’s largest city. Despite the ongoing discussion, the number of people experiencing homelessness in the state has risen by 31.8% since 2019.
Mendenhall’s proposals don’t just concern changes to shelter, services and policing under the city’s control. They also include improvements to statewide homeless services and criminal justice systems.
Utah leaders required Mendenhall to send the plan in advance of the Legislature’s Jan. 21 general session. The document’s recommendations look to address four related issues: housing gaps; supportive service deficiencies; poor coordination among government agencies; and public safety fears.
Here are some of the mayor’s recommendations for getting those experiencing homelessness off the street:
• Offer up city-owned property for a temporary shelter capable of hosting more than 1,000 beds in advance of state leaders opening a permanent large campus. While the Utah Homeless Services Board would hammer out the specifics of the facility, the city’s idea is that it would operate similarly to the eventual campus with indoor beds and services. City leaders also plan to include space at the temporary site for people sleeping in their cars or recreational vehicles.
• Expand treatment options for health issues and substance abuse.
• Invest in further affordable and supportive housing.
• Open more interim housing options for those exiting treatment programs.
• Establish how government agencies, nonprofits and philanthropy groups can work together.
Salt Lake City Public Safety Plan by Jeff Parrott on Scribd
Other parts of the plan look to address concerns about crime in Salt Lake City. Those proposals include:
• Pursue enhanced penalties for repeat offenders. This includes flagging crimes that happen downtown for additional scrutiny by prosecutors. Mendenhall also suggested, in a meeting with The Salt Lake Tribune’s editorial board Wednesday, holding people in jail who’ve been arrested five times or more for up to 45 days.
• Provide specific guidelines to enforce the city’s anti-camping ordinance, while prioritizing the removal of encampments near shelters, schools, homes and the Jordan River.
• Increase foot and bike patrols downtown, along the Jordan River and in the Ballpark neighborhood.
• Place more police cameras in public spaces. The plan calls for 10 new security cameras in high-traffic areas and developing a new camera program dedicated to city parks.
• Organize a police unit dedicated to illegal drug and gun activity.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jack Overfeld reacts as a Salt Lake City police officer tells him he has to pack up all of his things and move to another spot in 2023.
The plan emerges even as overall crime and property offenses in Utah’s capital fell by 5.4% and 6.3%, respectively, from 2023 to 2024, according to the city. In the past three years, the drop has been more precipitous with overall crime down 15% and property crime down 16.2%.
There were, however, 2.1% more violent crimes, like robberies and assaults, in 2024 than in 2023.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall speaks about a new public safety plan at City Hall in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.
“Perception is reality, and I’ve long said that we recognize that despite the data,” Mendenhall said. “... If you experience crime or you feel unsafe, that is what the situation is for you in the city, I recognize that.”
On Thursday, Cox, Schultz and Adams issued a joint news release in response to the mayor’s letter.
“The safety and well-being of all Utahns is and will continue to be our common goal,” it stated. “We are eager to see decisive steps taken to achieve that goal. We look forward to collaborating with Mayor Mendenhall, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County and all stakeholders to take meaningful action, implement the plan, and restore public safety and confidence in our capital city.”
Earlier on Thursday, Cox briefly addressed the city’s proposal during his monthly news conference.
“Of course, the plan is nothing more than the paper it’s written on,” the governor said. “It’s the execution of the plan that’s going to really matter, and we look forward to collaborating on that execution.”
It was not immediately clear what state legislators will do with the plan, but some aspects of the document dovetail with lawmakers’ goals. For example, Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, aims to break down walls between government agencies and tighten security in and around existing homeless resource centers.
For her part, Mendenhall wants each agency, nonprofit and group with a role in addressing homelessness in Utah to take responsibility and accountability — including her own city.
“We will do everything in our power, in our jurisdiction to make sure that the system has better outcomes for everyone,” she said. “I want to be held accountable for every role that we have in this system, and I want every other partner to be held accountable in the system. And I don’t do that in an aggressive, combative stance.”
This story will be updated.
