Sandy mayor fires police chief over accusations of inappropriate touching
Apr 24, 2018, 4:23 PM | Updated: 4:53 pm
Sandy City Chief of Police, Kevin Thacker, speaks at a press conference on June 20, 2017. (Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
SANDY — Claims of inappropriate touching involving Sandy police Chief Kevin Thacker led to his firing on Tuesday afternoon.
Mayor Kurt Bradburn said an outside investigation had confirmed Thacker was involved in unprofessional conduct involving multiple department staffers over the course of several years.
“There were multiple corroborating individuals who witnessed Chief Thacker engage in inappropriate touching and unprofessional conduct with employees,” Bradburn said. “We discovered that the chief had been cautioned about this behavior on previous occasions.”
As a result, Bradburn said he had no choice but to terminate Thacker’s employment, effective immediately.
NOW: POLICE CHIEF FIRED: Sandy Mayor Kurt Bradburn says Sandy Police Chief Thacker was under investigation for inappropriately touching employees on several occasions. @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/s8CwPAdqUL
— Nicole Vowell (@NicoleVowellKSL) April 24, 2018
“I believe this is the right decision for the police department and for the citizens of Sandy,” Bradburn said. “By swiftly dealing with this issue I hope we have upheld public trust and sent the message that this behavior will not be tolerated by my administration.”
Bradburn declined to discuss the nature of the touching, saying the investigation was not criminal in nature. He refused to answer specific questions about the timeline of the conduct, including whether any of it occurred before Thacker became chief in 2014.
Thacker was placed on leave on April 4. At the time, the police department issued only a brief statement saying it takes all personnel issues seriously.
