By Bill Hardesty | [email protected]

Forty people were honored at the Holladay City Council meeting on April 21. They all took part in investigating and bringing down a major burglary ring along the Wasatch Front.

Unified Police Officers and other support staff were honored with a Letter of Commendation and the Division Commander Ribbon.

"There was so much work that went into this," Justin Hoyal, the precinct chief of Unified Police Department, said. "Honestly, it paid off huge dividends because these individuals were plaguing not only Holladay but all across the Wasatch Front. We have cases from a guy in Utah County and another up in Davis County. These guys really were busy doing burglaries, and we're seeing the fruits of that pay off now."

County Sheriff Rosie Rivera, who is also Chief of the Unified Police Department, joined Hoyal in recognizing the individuals.

"I'm so proud of everybody, but they make me proud every single day," Rivera said. "I know that I said it multiple times because they constantly make us proud."

UPD

Rivera explained an advantage of the UPD model, which is shared resources.

"One of the unique pieces of UPD is, as you can see, you have a Holladay chief and a pair of chiefs from Midvale and Kearns, who got together to allow folks to participate. That's the benefit. We get to do that. We get to support each other, and all these officers get to support each other, and that's why they are the best of the best because we have these types of resources."

Letter of Commendation

The Letter of Commendation reads:

"On January 29, 2022, several burglaries were reported at The Station condos in Holladay. The Unified Police Department (UPD) was called to investigate the cases. Detectives from the UPD's Holladay Precinct began sifting through the evidence that was left behind by the suspect(s), including reviewing hours of video surveillance. Detectives worked tirelessly for two weeks on the case.  With the assistance of other units at the UPD to include Forensics, Property and Evidence, Mental Health Unit, Major Investigations Unit, Midvale Precinct, and the Kearns Precinct, they were able to identify a primary suspect in the case, including 10 others who are involved. 

Detectives served a search warrant at the suspect's home in West Jordan. They also served a simultaneous search warrant at a storage unit owned by the same suspect in West Jordan. During those search warrants, detectives recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen property. This property included bicycles, power tools, ski equipment, firearms, sports memorabilia, dental equipment, construction equipment, and dozens of other types of items.  

Detectives have spent many hours going through all the evidence collected and believe it has come from burglaries not only at The Station but all across Salt Lake County and beyond. Detectives identified several individuals who were victims of burglary by this suspect. We have been able to return a lot of property to these victims, but there was a large portion still outstanding. A phone line was set for the public to call and see if we had their belongings. Hundreds of phone calls were received at the Holladay Precinct.  

The investigation continued, and another storage unit was identified, and more stolen property was recovered. Ultimately, the primary suspects were located in a stolen truck that was also full of stolen property. They were booked into jail, and coordination with the District Attorney's Office has been ongoing.

The team effort by UPD Precincts, Divisions, Shared Services, and others across UPD made this case successful. The incredible work put into this case stopped a very large theft/burglary ring all across the Wasatch Front. All these members are to be commended for their countless hours, at all hours of the day and night, of dedicated service to the citizens of our great communities in this case."

The result

A burglary victim who received a priceless item back wrote an email to Hoyal. The email read in part:

"The outcome of eight or more arrests and the recovery of millions of dollars of individual property certainly indicates the magnitude of what was accomplished, but it is only a part of what was accomplished. For me, it meant restoring faith, goodness, and kindness in the face of loss. To have my dad's stamp collection returned means more than I can adequately express. Detective Laycock and his team restored a sense of peace, safety and well-being to me. A team with this level of commitment to protecting our life and property makes our community, state, and the world a better place."