Majority of Utah law enforcement agencies have not complied with sexual assault data collection law

SALT LAKE CITY — A majority of Utah law enforcement agencies have not complied with a new law requiring them to provide sexual assault data to the state.

“This is a really important issue,” said Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City.

Unlike other types of violent crime in Utah, rape is consistently recorded at higher rates than the national average.

“In Utah, we’re in the top 10,” Romero said. “We moved from number nine to number seven when it comes to sexual assault, and that’s very alarming to me.”

The KSL Investigators have reported extensively on challenges in Utah when it comes to addressing sexual assault, finding in 2021 that sexual assault cases here are poorly tracked and under-prosecuted.

Romero sponsored what she hopes is part of the solution to Utah’s sexual assault problem — legislation aimed at collecting uniform data from each law enforcement agency, such as how many sexual assaults were reported to them and how many of those were referred for prosecution.

Her bill, which became law in 2024, requires law enforcement agencies to submit data on sexual assault cases from the prior calendar year to the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice each year by April 30, starting in 2025. The commission is then tasked with creating and releasing a report on the data for lawmakers and the public.

“The data will kind of help provide that story and help us as policy makers as we move forward in addressing sexual assault,” Romero said.

But as of now, that story is looking incomplete. According to the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, only 25 agencies had submitted the required data as of Thursday, May 29.

“There’s over 100 agencies in the state, so this is a fairly low reporting rate,” said Dan Strong, Director of Utah’s Sentencing Commission. “It is a newer statute and these things ramp up over time.”

Strong said the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice is reaching out to agencies that did not submit data and has worked to make the process as easy as possible.

“We’re hoping that by bringing some attention to this issue, we can see more agencies report and if anyone has any questions about how to report or needs assistance, we’re here to help,” he said.

Romero said she understands it’s a new requirement and believes the deadline might have snuck up on some agencies.

“This is a new law and sometimes you have shifts in who’s in charge of things and so I’m going to give them that grace,” Romero said. “I’m happy those 25 agencies complied and I look forward to seeing the other agencies comply.”

The commission did not share which agencies have reported thus far. The public report on the data is due in August.

Related: BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff accused of rape