In November Danielle Willard was murdered by a police employee(s) of West Valley City, Utah. Kelly Patterson, who covered this situation at Nevada Cop Block, noted:
The bottom line is Danielle Willard should never have been killed in the first place and those who care about her deserve answers for why she was murdered in spite of being unarmed and, by all accounts, not acting in any aggressive manner at all. Unfortunately, police are in no hurry to provide those answers.
The bottom line is Danielle Willard should never have been killed in the first place and those who care about her deserve answers for why she was murdered in spite of being unarmed and, by all accounts, not acting in any aggressive manner at all. Unfortunately, police are in no hurry to provide those answers.
There’s been three vigils held to call for accountability in the killing of Danielle Willard yet the police employees remain mute. One of the more-recent updates made to the Facebook page Justice for Danielle Willard notes:
Ok, Here we are exactly 5 months later. What do know know. We know the names of the ____ that shot Danielle. We know that 19 cases have been dropped because of something that one of these guys did. Not sure what that is. We have a retired Police Chief, A dead police offices ( mysterious by the way). We know that the ___ have attorneys. We know quite a bit about them but we still don`t really know what happened to Danielle. If you want to believe what was put out by the WVPD, Well good for you, you, you have your answer. Well I was told so many different stories by the WVPD detectives that I don`t believe one word of it. If you have lied to me once you have lost all of my faith of anything you (they) say. I know Danielle.
Who, employed at the West Valley City police will be the first to speak out? Or to share information with those related to Willard?
West Valley City Police Department
- (801) 963-3300
- 3600 S. Constitution Blvd.
West Valley City, UT 84119 - http://www.wvc-ut.gov/index.aspx?NID=24
- West Valley City on Facebook
- West Valley City on Twitter
- West Valley City on TV
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EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Full interview with WVC Det. Shaun Cowley
by Brittany Green-Miner at Fox13now.com
FOX 13′s Ben Winslow talked exclusively with West Valley City Police Det. Shaun Cowley about the Nov. 2011 officer-involved shooting death of Danielle Willard and about nineteen of his cases being dropped by the Salt Lake County District Attorney.
Click to Watch Video
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Update: Third “Justice for Danielle Willard” Protest Planned for Jan. 22nd
by NVCopBlock.org
For a third time since she was killed almost three months ago, friends, family, and concerned residents will be gathering outside the West Valley, Utah police station to demand answers. This protest is scheduled for January 22nd, which would have been Danielle’s 22nd birthday. Instead it has become a grim reminder of death November 2nd 2012 at the hands of detectives working for the West Valley Police Department, which is located in the Salt Lake City area.
Details from the Facebook event invite:
Please join us on 1/22 at 3:00 pm as we gather together in honor of Danielle Willard and celebrate her birthday she would have been 22. West Valley Police shot and killed Danielle on Nov 2nd while she sat in her car unarmed and still have refused to give any sort of explanation as to why.
In spite of the two previous protests and considerable questions being raised about why a physically small, unarmed young woman was shot, police have been extremely secretive about any of the reasons or justifications behind the case. More information regarding the circumstances surrounding her death can be found in this previous post here on NVCopBlock.org: Why was Danielle Willard Murdered by Utah Police?
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Why was Danielle Willard Murdered by Utah Police?
by Kelly Patterson at NVCopBlock.org
Danielle Willard, a small, unarmed young woman, was shot and killed Nov. 2, 2012 by West Valley, Ut. police
A rally will be held Saturday, December 1st at the West Valley Police station, which is located within the Salt Lake City area (see end of post for a map), to demand justice for Danielle Willard. Also, a second protest and candlelight vigil be held at the same location Sunday, December 16th. Danielle’s death and the many unanswered questions surrounding it have left her family, friends, and supporters frustrated, saddened and angry.
In addition, the handling of it all by local police has made many people not just in Utah, but all across the country, question how and why such a small, unarmed woman barely out of her teens with no known history of violent behavior ended up becoming the latest in a growing list of “collateral damage” from the government’s disastrous War on Drugs.
Almost a month ago, on Nov. 2, 2012, Danielle Willard was shot and killed by undercover police working for the West Valley, Utah police department. Apparently, she was killed during an attempted drug bust, although even that is a bit speculative at this point because police have yet to confirm much of anything about what happened that day.
“The family of a 21-year-old woman killed in an officer-involved shooting yesterday await answers in her death. So far, there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the shooting at this apartment complex.
We still don’t know why officers shot and killed Danielle Willard. Her family says, she wasn’t a violent person but drugs may have been her downfall.
Willard’s mother, who lives in Vancouver, Washington, is anxious for information to come out.
“Everything that keeps going through my mind is speculation,” said Melissa Kennedy. “Did she get back on drugs? Was she really clean? Was it the wrong place at the wrong time?”
Willard was shot Friday and killed by undercover officers in the parking lot of an apartment complex in West Valley. Police used white sheets to cover her body from public view. Authorities aren’t saying what led to the shooting.”
Those family and friends are understandably questioning that silence, especially since police normally have no problem releasing information that supports their officers’ version of events. Without any of that information, they are left to try and make sense of why police would need to kill Danielle, which is hard to reconcile with their own memories of her:
“Melissa Kennedy knows her daughter wasn’t perfect.
But she doesn’t understand what it is that her daughter did so wrong that prompted West Valley police to shoot and kill her…
‘…Danielle is a sweetheart. She’s got a big heart. She would give the clothes off her back for anybody. I used to get mad at her because she would use so much gas in our car because someone would want a ride home. She couldn’t tell them no,’ Kennedy said…
‘…She’s never been known to be a violent person. She’s 100 pounds soaking wet. She’s only 21 years old. She’s a tiny little thing. What could she possibly have done, other than having a gun, what could she have done to provoke them to shoot her?…I’ve never ever known her to keep a gun with her or anywhere around here,’ Kennedy said…
‘…Kayleen (Willard) said she admired her older sister.’I always wanted to be like her. She always inspired me, because she was always so happy. She always seemed to be the crowd pleaser. She always seemed to brighten up a room,’ Willard said. ‘She was an inspiration to me, she made me be the person I am today. She made me want to be a better person growing up. She will always be in my thoughts and my heart, and she’s in a better place right now and I’ll see her again some day.’”
In spite of the silent treatment from West Valley police, some details about that day have gotten out. As might be expected, those details don’t paint the undercover cops that killed Danielle in a very good light. Based on independent witnesses that have come forward and the limited admissions that detectives assigned to the case have made themselves several things have been established:
- Danielle was not armed, nor were there any guns found within the vehicle where she was killed. (As confirmed by detectives)
- Danielle was actually a passenger in her own vehicle and was attempting to seek cover by ducking down within the car at the time of the shooting.
- It’s unlikely that Danielle was the target of the ill-fated drug bust. Whether she was in some way involved with drugs again or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time is unknown. However, even if she was that by itself would in no way justify her death.
- An unidentified male, who fled the scene and was probably the one being targeted by the undercover cops, was driving the car. (Detectives Danielle’s mother spoke to actually denied that this person was present, which only raises more questions about why deadly force was necessary.)
- According to the autopsy, Danielle was shot first in the cheek and then fatally in the top of her skull, which supports the witness accounts that she was ducking down at the time she was shot.
The every day abuses and unintended negative consequences of the War on Drugs, as well as the selective nature of that war, should be enough to cause outrage at the unnecessary death of yet another person whose only real “crime” was an act which by itself only harms the person committing that act. No matter what your stance on drug use and its effect on those who become addicted, it should be apparent that the harm caused by drug prohibitions far outweigh any positive effects of such policies.
The bottom line is Danielle Willard should never have been killed in the first place and those who care about her deserve answers for why she was murdered in spite of being unarmed and, by all accounts, not acting in any aggressive manner at all. Unfortunately, police are in no hurry to provide those answers.
There are several ways that you can help seek justice for Danielle:
If you are in or have the ability to travel to West Valley, Ut., join those who will be there at the rallies to support them as they demand that justice in person. Other options to contribute from a distance include donating funds to offset funeral costs and the costs of traveling from Washington, where her family lives, to Utah. This is the link to do that via an online fundraiser. Yet another option is to call the West Valley Police Department at (801) 963-3300 or (801) 965-5155 and let them know that you want justice for Danielle.
Related Posts via Taxonomies
Kelly is a lifelong resident of Las Vegas, who’s been very active in local grassroots activism, as well as on a national level during his extensive travels. He’s also the founder/main contributor of Nevada Cop Block, served as editor/contributor at CopBlock.org and designed the Official Cop Block Press Passes.
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Connect with Kelly at these social networks; Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
They kill who they want, when they want, and as long as the rest of us allow them to “investigate” each other, we’re fucked.
Don’t know, the FBI jumped in. Someone will take a hit on something. Whether the shooting itself, or something else.
Someone will be the fall guy. Just depends on who and for what.
Time will tell. Give it another 5-6 months.
@common
I assume you understand the idea of a fall guy isn’t any better than a cover up.That said, she died by a police gun, had no weapon and apparently wasn’t a threat. Someone screwed up.
I heard that the police did it because of her pouty lip pictures.
I’m just saying, some people can’t stand those pics…
So drug use and sales leads to death. Sad but true.
Actually, it was murderous and cowardly criminal thugs with badges that caused her death.
She probably could have smoked and sold dope her whole life and never got so much as a scratch.
But, just like the cops in Torrance who are being allowed to slide on openly committed attempted murder, nothing will be done. At worst, somebody will be suspended. And you motherfuckers have the nerve to call others criminals and scumbags. LOL.
@T
“So drug use and sales leads to death. Sad but true.”
Certainly true, but none of that absolves the officer for control over his weapon and who it harms. The officer is still fully responsible for his own actions and choices.
@t.
“So drug use and sales leads to death. Sad but true”
My question is what kind of drugs? No where does it mention what kind of drug! No where in this blog does it mention that she was a convicted “drug user”.
@Chris
The family made it clear that they believed her to be involved in drugs. Still, that has little to do with a cop’s errant bullet. Or deliberate one.
Never said that an officer wasnt involved. Was one wrongly involved? Don’t know yet.
But instill stand absolutely correct…..”drug use and sales leads to death”.
@t
Danielle Willard died at the hands of Det. Shaun Cowley. Its funny you say “drug use and sales lead to death” when it was the government that killed her. Danielle more than likely would have died a natural death if not for the use of deadly force by the government enforcing its capricious laws. So, from your comment, the only conclusion I can come too is “if you use or sell drugs the government has license to kill you.” How you can defend this or act indignant when criticized for it is beyond the pale of common decency. Natural law dictates that it is a persons duty to defend themselves from such tyranny and danger to life, liberty, and property.
Really? Leads to death, huh? Does it do that to all of the dope and steroid using cops? Because you very rarely hear about this sort of thing happening to a cop.
Sammy: Nothing funny about it at all. My statement…and the tragic truth of it in this situation, is just that, a tragedy. Her drug use / love, put her in a place and around people that lead to her death. Her free will choice….to use drugs…lead to her death. Nowhere did I say that the police weren’t involved. But just because you may be able to be a “good” drug user….good as in you don’t directly harm anyone else either through your actions while using your drug or by robbing / stealing from others to fund your drug use….yours is not the experience of most, especially younger drug users.
Just sticking with marijuana for a minute. “Headies” in my area run between 400$ to 500$ an ounce. High school and college kids have to fund that some how.
Durg use and sales leads to death. No true words have ever been spoken.
I’m from and live in Salt Lake City and I know on personal accounts that our Police forces out her on any given day that they would violate your Constitution rights on any given chance when they know they can get away with it and there is so much corruption here its sick but when you got lame ass people acting like drugs was the cause of a young woman to have her life taken from her because she had an illness But what do you know! Just think what if this was your family member and WTF are you on this site for if you have nothing good to say RIP. Danielle
The asshole will be fired, he should be brought up on charges.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56113886-78/cowley-west-valley-rawson.html.csp
His “firing” has nothing to do with the shooting. It is a way for the city to look like they are caving to her family. But from the looks of it in he article you linked….he’ll be back on the job within a year and with a big check for the back pay.
Drug use and sales leads to death.
@t.
Go fuck yourself t.!!! I said no more personal attacks, FUCK THAT!!!
FUCK YOU!!!
Drug use and sales leads to death. What about your steroid use? What about all the prescription drug users? Do they fall under the same category?
Drug use and sales leads to death.
So do encounters with woefully trained/supervised cops who are in constant fear for their lives!!
More senseless gang violence…
Disarming cops is the first step to a safer America.
All cops lie, all the time.
So the cops have license to just murder someone if the shooting victim uses drugs? The issue here isn’t drugs, the issue is the gang violence. What is the relevance of whether she used drugs at some point?
OK, OK.
I’ll change it to “drug use and sales lead to misery or death”.
And yes, that does mean prescription drug abuse. And alcohol.
Sorry if my being right hurts.
yours is not the experience of most, especially younger drug users.Sorry, but the majority of drug users are never arrested, never have problems. The majority of users lead happy productive lives.
Cops are terrorists
Sorry if your rights are being hurt. FTFY t.
@t
“The arbitrary prohibition of drug use and sales lead to misery and death”
There, I fixed it for you.
The sales of Budweiser do not lead to death.
The sales of Marlboro’s do not lead to death.
The sales of Vicodin or Ritalin do not lead to death.
But, the government will perform armed raids on your house if you are growing a plant. They may even shoot you, they are sure as hell going to shoot your dog. Hell, it doesn’t even have to be a marijuana plant, tomato’s are a good enough reason for government goons to dress up in full military gear and bust up your shit.
316: Wrong. You’re welcome to your opinion of course. But mine is grounded in fact.
This girl would not have been involved with the male suspect the police were after if not for her drug use and his drug sales. Its really not much harder than that. Everybody is allowed to make their own free will choices. You choose to smoke cigarettes…lung cancer is a likely possibility. Drink a lot? DUI’s and liver damage. Heck, eat to much and have a heart attack. Consequences for decisions. The difference is not many folks get killed because the wanteda second cheeseburger. Or a pack of smokes. Drug use and sales are a known dangerous environment and passtime. Her drug use lead her to be around him. His drug sales brought violence to him. You will of course wrongly asert that the police make drug sales and use violent. No. All you have to do is look to California where grow operations are robbed and violence still reigns
Still sorry that I’m right.
Gang violence associated with the drug trade is marginal to practically
non-existent in societies where it is not prohibited, or where the local gangs aren’t supplying a remote prohibition market. The same happened with alcohol: It was prohibited, and then the gangs took over the business. And the alcohol -related gang violence/turf wars. “Drug gangs”, cartels, etc. pretty much only exist in a prohibition market.
Until the drugs are outlawed, they aren’t profitable enough to interest gangsters. The evidence is in: prohibition doesn’t work. It’s like communism: you can make a compelling argument for it in theory, but in reality it is a proven failure.
..and what will happen to the dopers who don’t pay the taxes on their ‘legal’ weed? Debtor’s prison perhaps?
Dude: I simple point to California to prove how very wrong you are. Does it hurt to alway be wrong. I would think it would hurt. I’ll let you know the first time I’m wrong.
@t
Now your just being a braying jackass. It was the prohibition and the enforcement of that prohibition that led to the interest of law enforcement in the male friend of Danielle that led to law enforcement killing an unarmed and non-threatening woman. You keep saying you are right, but you are not. When the prohibition of alcohol was lifted the violence associated with it disappeared. You point to California, but as we know, marijuana in California is still tied to medicinal use and is still illegal under federal law. Want to research something, research Charles Lynch. Colorado has had medicinal and now recreational legalization and the only aggression that remains is from autocratic sheriff/police departments and the federal government.
You asked in an earlier post if it hurst being wrong all the time, it does sting when a reasonable and logical person is proven false in their observations, but a reasonable and logical person accepts new facts and observations and move on. A braying jackass, however, just covers their ears and clings tightly to their delusions. Uncover your ears and quit being that braying jackass. Being a reasonable and rational human being is not at all a bad thing, in fact, it is quite liberating.
I live in SLC UT. A proven Fact that the cop that shot her was more of a criminal then what you know he was fired a couple of days ago and hundred of his cases are being dropped and as I write this. And to get story strait anyone sitting in a passenger seat with no control of the car shouldn’t have been shot I think she new the cop and he had to get her out of the way because his cases were crumbling and his supervisor some how drove to the state line and committed suicide a week ago, And its a domino effect There running with there tales between there legs running in all directions but if ask me Karma is a Bitch. You Get Them Danielle Shes not happy on the other side and the people running your c…k suckers, drug addict or not its a illness and REMEMBER KARMA SHES WATCHING YOU, WHO THINK THERE SHIT DONT STINK……………
More info from her lawyer to the chief
http://localtvkstu.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/geragostowvc4-31.pdf
@Sammy
@T
T is right the the culture of drugs is a dangerous one. One that leads to physical damage, violence, ect. Even rapes. It also leads to poor decision making that places your life at risk.
All bad choices have natural consequences you can’t escape from. That is why they are bad choices in the first places.
But her death was the result of a bullet. Drugs may have placed her there, but it was a cop bullet that killed someone who was not a threat to him.
Her bad choices do not take away from the cop’s bad choices. He is responsible for that bullet. He made the choice to fire the round.
There is so much going on here that it is hard to even begin from any point. You have a text book cover up, lies, a detective or some officer involved in 19 cases dismissed due to evidence issues who was one of the officers involved in the shooting. That means lies or fabricated/mishandled evidence. The statement…”we need all the facts” is true here but those facts are in the hands of the police and it looks like they are trying to create some “spin” in order to make themselves look good.
One last personal note. I read the lawyers letter and IF, and I mean If what he says is true, it is just another reason why you do not trust the police or ever talk to them. I respect T as we have good conversations but when a department shoots, what is described as a 100lb soaking wet woman in the top of the head as she ducked down, unarmed and there has been nothing but a stone wall effort on the part of the police, how in hell can you have any trust, respect or confidence that talking to them when it appears, in this departments case at least, they have their own best interests at heart. I may be painting all police with a broad brush, but you are judged by your worst and no matter what this does not look good for this department and you can be a brain-dead blind/deaf/mute and see this in this case.
So to conclude in simple terms…..talk to us, it’s the best for you and believe in us unless the shit hits the fan and we do something that looks bad then we need to cover up, tell lies fabricate and try and create political spin to make us look good. Sorry, I do not see the connection between the 2 as a story like this will only cause reasonable people to not have faith or trust in the police!!
Well said YankeeFan it just show the asshole badgelickers defending this shit.
@yankee
“there has been nothing but a stone wall effort on the part of the police, how in hell can you have any trust, respect or confidence that talking to them when it appears, in this departments case at least, they have their own best interests at heart. I may be painting all police with a broad brush, but you are judged by your worst”
Cops will first and foremost look to their own best interests, not justice or the truth. That is why the police have not called out the officers in the newspaper ladies shooting, or any other. It isn’t in their interest to acknowledge the mistake.
And you are almost correct on how a group is judged. It is judged by its worst member who go unpunished and are supported. That means that all cops will be judged by the actions of any cop and their behavior that doesn’t get called out by cops. If you don’t call it out, you give it your approval.
And the list of that is not a long list.
From the outside….all I can say is this.
There can be several reasons for there not to be much released on this. I worked drugs&vice for a long time. There could be a lot of long reaching cases involved…things that brought all of these elements together. RICO style cases take YEARS to build. Years. We don’t know if that’s in anyway what was going on here. But honestly from the sounds of it…that would be my very experienced guess.
Also keep in mind that what happened could have been a lot more involved than what little is being spoken about.
@T
And it can easily be a coverup effort for a cop’s mistakes. It wouldn’t exactly be a first. Face it, cops don’t have a lilly white reputation for owning up to mistakes. The chief of the newspaper lady shooters certainly wouldn’t, and that one is a clear screw up.
No group should be investigating their own screw up. Leaving cops to investigate cops is like letting Al Capone investigate himself for tax evasion.
Screw the drug investigation. An apparently innocent girl is dead by the hand of a cop. I would think that would take precedence over anything else.
If this was your daughter, would you really be so quick to just accept the lack of answers, or openness here? Would you really be so quick to trust those who shot your daughter, with not one shred of evidence that her life needed to be brought to and end, to investigate their OWN actions? Are you that stupid?
They Disbanded there drug force because of this, And why is are Attorney General here in UT dropping all the cases they’ve worked on.And its kind of funny you got retired police officers trying sugar coat it And its plain and simple the only ones looking at Rico Acts are the crooked cops. But what can I say when its looking dead in your face with all the facts retired or not your all still in denial. Face it guys the cops got busted for there wrong doings. And your band brothers fucked up on this one. About time Ive know this for years your all fucking liars and you will sell your soul to the devil just to make a case to further your careers so save it with upstanding law abiding bull shit your true colors have came out the closet and feel the jury will feel the same way………
T,
I agree with what you said and I do reserve final personal judgment in case there is info. I call that the floating unknown variable that can change my opinion. I am also aware of what RICO is as I have read so many organized crime books that at 1 time I could have named the hierarchy of every crime family in New York. So, there maybe be elements involved that may make this complicated. However, on the surface right now, this looks bad for the police. When an unarmed, petite female is shot where no gun was present and that she more than likely wasn’t a threat due to the fact she was ducking, was shot and killed and that is something the police have to answer for if indeed that is what in reality happened.
I also understand investigations are long and the information needs to be kept in secret to preserve it for a trial but when its obvious that there was some kind of fuck up and to me that is the case here, the police owe the community they serve some answers as to what is going on.
At the end of the day, you maybe right, T, but my dad always taught me and I am willing to bet you had a similar lesson that if it looks like dog crap and smells like dog crap, you can’t convince me it’s a slice of cherry pie and so far from what we do know, this one smells bad for now!!
quote from t.:
Dude: I simple point to California to prove how very wrong you are.
@t.:
Can you be more specific? You point to California? And pointing proves what? How?
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56113886-78/cowley-west-valley-rawson.html.csp
The plot thickens. Seems their found their lamb.
Dude: Constant robberies at “dispensories”, and “farms”. People getting hurt and killed be ause of “legal drugs”. And that’s just marijunana. The illegal drugs still have the violence associated with them.
Common Sense,
If he is the detective involved in those 19 cases that have been dismissed due to “evidentiary” reasons, then they hit the right target as he sure in hell doesn’t deserve to be wearing a badge. If not, then he very well maybe the sacrificial lamb. That still will not tide over the masses wanting answers though!
I think he was linked to 5 maybe? 6? Can’t remember.
Oh, and both detectives fired on Willard.
That certainly gives more information but if it’s 6, what about the other 13? Who or shall I ask what detective was involved in those? Both?
Taking into account what you say that both fired on Willard, then the question needs to be answered as to what caused them to fire at a woman that by reported accounts was no threat and ducking down. We need more than the….”I feared for my life” crap that has nothing to go with it that would cause a reasonable officer to believe he was in mortal danger. So far it appears that question can’t be answered.
Its been on hush status past couple days here in the SLC But I hope the family don’t settle because My Brother and 3 of my friends were killed by the police officers and they need to be held accountable for there itchy fingers because 23 people have died in 26 months in my state by a police shooting and everyone has a target on there back they have no remorse for life. and the sad thing about it is they are being justified most of the time The cops have a bucket list to kill someone or something its a shady world in the UT. But all they do in a few months is sweep it under the rug and dwell on something different.
wow that cop looks pleased with himself. hes like that fat kid who throws rocks on the playground and then hides behind the yard teacher.
@t.:
Yes, marijuana dispensaries are often targets for robbers, because they have to keep a lot of cash. Because of federal regulations that prohibit them from getting bank accounts. And California is still a “prohibition market”, even with medical mj. The dispensaries are not really fighting each other over “turf” with shootouts, etc. They are simply targeted because they are known to keep lots of cash. Any business that transacts or keeps lots of cash could be a target. The dispensary businesses generally do not themselves act as violent gangs, fighting over turf and such. During prohibition, the alcohol gang violence came into play, yet bars and liquor stores generally do not violently attack other bars and liquor stores in open gang warfare today, nor do dispensaries do this sort of gang violence generally. Prohibition is basically what makes an Al Capone or Pablo Escobar a millionaire, while it really isn’t even an effective way to even keep people off drugs/ alcohol or stop dealers. Wherever someone wants to buy something, and has the money, someone will show up to meet that demand to make that money, it’s supply and demand economics.
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (ABC 4 News) – The bombshells keep falling in West Valley City, as allegations of missing money, drugs and the mishandling of evidence surfaced Friday as part of an internal investigation into the police department’s former Neighborhood Narcotics Unit.
With eyes on the police department by the F.B.I. and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, city officials finally explained the corruption allegations in unit, which was disbanded in December 2012.
Although police would not mention any detectives by name, others have named Detective Shaun Cowley as one of the officers the West Valley City’s Police Department have been suspicious of.
After a five month internal investigation, city officials found six areas of concern.
City Manager Wayne Pyle said the investigation was sparked by concerns over the shooting death of Danielle Willard.
Pyle said a handful of detectives possibly mishandled evidence and booked it without proper documentation, breaking the Chain of Custody. He said the mishandling of evidence was common practice.
The other areas of concern was over missing drugs and money that had been taken from drug busts, detectives also possibly used GPS trackers without a warrant, and they’re accused of keeping personal items from known drug traffickers as souvenirs. The internal audit also found possible problems with confidential informants not following policy, including informants that may have been undocumented immigrants.
Salt Lake District Attorney Sim Gill said the findings are devastating and concerning.
“To me these are not minor issues,” Gill said. “I don’t think they’re minor issues to anybody who understands the justice system.”
Gill has already thrown out 19 drug cases because he couldn’t trust the evidence and he expects to toss out at least a hundred more.
“It would be unethical and unlawful for me to allow a case to go forward that I know cannot be successfully prosecuted,” he said.
Gill said the domino effect of this investigation betrays the public trust and their expectations of due process.
“The real tragedy here is the measure of justice for many victims in the community that are no longer going to be able to have because of the potential conduct of one or several officers,” he added.
Pyle said the possibly wrongdoings go back as far as two years. And like said corruption runs in all Government Institutions they do what they want until they get there hand caught in the cookie jar or a whistle blower or a parent like Danielle Willard mom wants to know why her daughter was killed and no explanations are police who who point fingers at each other saying they didn’t know that this was happening with in the department! I CALL BULLSHIT AND TO ALL THE DUMB ASSES WHO TRY TO SUGAR COAT IT, AND PUT BLAME ON DRUGS BECAUSE YOUR POLICE DEPARTMENTS OUR ON THEM TOO.
Kevin Michael Salmon
9189 Shoshone Lake Drive, West Jordan, Utah 84088
Son of William Salmon and Janay Weidner Salmon
Shaun Dale Cowley
Married to Nicole Cowley
9425 Riverside Drive #1433, Sandy, Utah
(801) 999-3332