—The Salt Lake City police association said they are ‘extremely concerned and dismayed’ by how the investigation was handled.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake Police Association on Monday broke its silence regarding the widely publicized arrest of a University Hospital nurse by two police officers.
The Salt Lake Police Association said in a letter to the mayor and police chief that it is “extremely concerned and dismayed” about handling that has “corrupted” the high-profile investigation, according to The Deseret News.
“The premature release of body cam footage is particularly demoralizing as it allows the public who have not trained as police officers to make what often amounts to biased and ill-informed judgments of the police,” association president Stephen Hartney said in a letter.
The mayor and police chief have apologized to nurse Alex Wubbels.
Nurse Wubbels was handcuffed and dragged from a hospital after she explained she couldn’t allow a blood draw on an unconscious patient under hospital policy.
Dramatic body-camera video of the July 26 incident turned into a national debate on police use of force. The video was released by Wubbels and her lawyer, who obtained it through a public records request.
Police Chief Mike Brown declined comment on the letter, though spokeswoman Christina Judd told The Associated Press that Brown recognizes the union works diligently on behalf of officers.
Brown is weighing possible discipline for the officers that could include firing.
More details about the on-going investigation here.
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