In addition to responding to allegations of police
misconduct, the ACLU of Utah proactively works to ensure constitutional
police practices by advocating for increased police accountability and
educating the public about its rights with law enforcement.
Learn
about national ACLU’s work related to police practices >>
Know Your Rights: What To Do If You're Stopped By Police, Immigration Agents or the FBI
Press Releases - Litigation
Legal Advocacy and Policy Work
Legislative Reports - Resources - Events
ACLU Launches Nationwide Investigation into Police Use of Military Technology & Tactics
Posted 3/6/13 - The ACLU of Utah and 22 other ACLU affiliates across the country are simultaneously filing over 255 public records requests to determine the extent to which local police departments are using federally subsidized military technology and tactics that are traditionally used overseas.
Read the press release >>
ACLU Files Lawsuit Over Unlawful Sweep at Utah School Targeting Students of Color
Posted 12/13/12 - The American Civil Liberties Union filed a class-action lawsuit against school and police officials today over a “gang sweep” in which students of color were detained, interrogated and falsely accused of participating in gang activity. The complaint stems from a December 2010 incident during which between 14 and 40 West High School students of color were detained, interrogated, searched and forced to be photographed holding signs identifying them as gang members. Their personal information was entered into a “gang database,” making them subject to additional police scrutiny even though they did not commit a crime. All of the detained students were of Latino, African-American or Pacific Island descent, even though they make up only half of the student body.
Read more >>
What happens if you flip the bird to a police officer?
Posted 11/29/12 - ACLU of Massachusetts attorney, Bill Newman, explains on this "Civil Liberties Minute" podcast.
Listen to the 1 minute podcast produced by the ACLU of Massachusetts >>
ACLU of Utah Settles Claim Of Man Stopped And Cited For "Flipping The Bird" At Orem Police Officer
Posted 11/15/12 - The ACLU of Utah has successfully settled a freedom of expression case in Orem City. On June 25, 2010, Seth Dame "flipped the bird" at an Orem City police officer who was driving by. The officer then stopped the car Seth was riding in and questioned Seth and the others in his car for about 20 minutes. The officer then issued a disorderly conduct citation against Seth for "flipping the bird" at him. Orem City later declined to prosecute the citation. After hearing from Seth, the ACLU of Utah contacted Orem City to inform them that the officer had violated Seth's rights under the First and Fourth Amendments. The ACLU of Utah also conducted an investigation into the Orem Police Department's practices in issuing disorderly conduct citations.
Read more >>
ACLU of Utah Appeals Ogden's "Gang Injunction" To Utah Supreme Court And Requests Immediate Stay
Posted 9/12/12 - The ACLU of Utah, together with cooperating attorneys David Reymann of Parr Brown Gee & Loveless and Randy Richards of Allen, Richards & Pace, today filed a Notice of Appeal in the Second Judicial District Court for Weber County appealing the court’s so-called “gang injunction” to the Utah Supreme Court. The ACLU of Utah also requested that the district court suspend the enforcement of the injunction while the appeal is pending. The injunction purportedly applies to the “Ogden Trece” gang as an entity, covers virtually the entire city of Ogden, and prohibits more than three hundred of its alleged members from a wide range of constitutionally protected conduct, including associating with other alleged members (including family, friends, and co-workers), engaging in peaceful protests in public places, traveling together to vote, and even appearing in court together to challenge the injunction.
Read more >>
Salt Lake Tribune: ACLU will appeal Ogden Trece gang injunction >> (9/12/12)
ACLU Seeks Details On Automatic License Plate Readers In Massive Nationwide Request
Posted 7/30/12 - The ACLU of Utah joined American Civil Liberties Union affiliates in 35 states in sending requests today to local police departments and state agencies that demand information on how they use automatic license plate readers (ALPR) to track and record Americans’ movements.
Read more >>
Details of License Plate Scanning By Utah Law Enforcement Sought
Posted 5/25/12 - Today, on the eve of one of the busiest driving weekends of the year, the ACLU of Utah sent GRAMA requests to the Utah Highway Patrol, the Ogden City Police Department, and the Iron County Sheriff's Office seeking information about their use of automated license plate recognition ("ALPR") technology. During this year's interim session of the Utah Legislature, the Beaver County Sheriff sought authorization for the federal Drug Enforcement Agency to use ALPR technology on certain parts of I-15.
Read more >>
DEA Recording Americans’ Movements on Highways, Creating Central Repository of Plate Data
Posted 5/18/12 - The DEA wants to capture the license plates of all vehicles traveling along Interstate 15 in Utah, and store that data for two years at their facility in Northern Virginia. And, as a DEA official told Utah legislators at a hearing this week (attended by ACLU of Utah staff and covered in local media), these scanners are already in place on “drug trafficking corridors” in California and Texas and are being considered for Arizona as well. The agency is also collecting plate data from unspecified other sources and sharing it with over ten thousand law enforcement agencies around the nation.
Read more >>
Marina Lowe, ACLU of Utah Legislative & Policy Counsel, is interviewed by KSL TV >>
Will Americans Tolerate Laws That Encourage Racial Profiling?
Posted 4/23/12 - S.B. 1070 is Arizona's controversial anti-immigrant law. The ACLU and the Department of Justice filed lawsuits challenging the law, charging that it is unconstitutional and encourages racial profiling. Five Arizona copycat laws passed in 2011, including Alabama, Utah, Georgia, South Carolina and Indiana. Federal courts have blocked major provisions of each state's law from going into effect, and in light of the humanitarian crises, economic costs and reputation harm these laws have brought, lawmakers across the country have begun to distance themselves from duplicating this model. On April 25, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on Arizona v. United States. A decision in the ACLU of Utah lawsuit against HB 497 is on hold pending the Supreme Court decision on SB 1070.
Read more >>
Results of Nationwide Government Cell Phone Tracking Records Request Show Frequent Violations of Americans' Privacy Rights
Posted 4/2/12 - Of all of the recent technological developments that have expanded the surveillance capabilities of law enforcement agencies at the expense of individual privacy, perhaps the most powerful is cell phone location tracking. As part of a national campaign, the ACLU of Utah submitted GRAMA requests to 8 local law enforcement agencies to see if they used cell phone tracking. The responses, along with others from around the country, were analyzed showing disturbing trends.
Read more the full blog post >>
Read a New York Times article >>
TAKE ACTION: Support the GPS Act introduced by Rep. Jason Chaffetz & Sen. Ron Wyden >>
Press Releases
ACLU Files Lawsuit Over Unlawful Sweep at Utah School Targeting Students of Color (12/13/12)
ACLU of Utah Appeals Ogden's "Gang Injunction" To Utah Supreme Court And Requests Immediate Stay (9/12/12)
ACLU Seeks Details On Automatic License Plate Readers In Massive Nationwide Request (7/30/12)
ACLU Of Utah Seeks Information On Utah Police Agencies' License Plate Data Collection (5/25/12)
National Immigration Law Center, ACLU and ACLU of Utah in Court Friday to Challenge Utah’s “Papers Please” Law (2/15/12)
Duchesne County Attorney Should Independently Investigate Use of Excessive Force Against Haka Dancers, Says ACLU (12/5/11)
ACLU of Utah Seeks Details on Government Cell Phone Tracking (8/3/11)
UACDL Files Amicus Brief in Support of ACLU's Motion for Expedited Appeal of Ogden "Gang Injunction" (10/18/10)
ACLU Of Utah Files Petition Seeking Immediate Review Of Weber County "Gang Injunction" (10/4/10)
ACLU Of Utah Seeks To Intervene In "Gang Injunction" Case, Raises Serious Constitutional Concerns With Weber County's Proposed Injunction (9/20/10)
ACLU Of Utah Seeks Records About FBI Collection Of Racial And Ethnic Data (7/27/10)
No More Intimidation Tactics: A Wake-Up Call for Utah (7/19/10)
ACLU Drug Law Reform Project Director Graham Boyd to Speak at Screening of "American Violet" (PDF) (10/30/09)
ACLU of Utah Deeply Troubled By Attorney General's Website Featuring Arrest Video (8/28/08)
ACLU
joins lawsuit challenging raids of concerts and violation of free
speech: Utah court’s ruling upholding use of 12-hour ordinance
is disappointing, says ACLU (9/26/05)
Constitution’s protection against unreasonable
search and seizure applies to all immigrants: ACLU files a brief urging
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse an unprecedented lower court
ruling on U.S. v. Esparza-Mendoza (1/6/04)
ACLU launches latest “Safe
and Free” ads in Utah, urges senators to end sneak and peek searches (9/17/03)
The ACLU of Utah to Bring Back Waco: The Rules
of Engagement for a Special Screening (10/5/99)
ACLU
of Utah Concerned about the Fourth Circuit Court’s Decision on Miranda
Rights (2/9/99)
Litigation
Walker v. City of Orem (2007)
Uprock v. Tracy (2006)
U.S.
v. Esparza-Mendoza (2004)
Foote v. Spiegel (2001)
Mani Kang v. Utah State Department of Public Safety (2000)
Skultin
v. Bushnell (2000)
Valdez v. McPheters (1999)
Laughter v Kay (1998)
Legal Advocacy and Policy Work
Uintah County Begins Probe of Use of Excessive Force Against Haka Dancers (1/3/12)
Salt Lake City Overreacts By Shutting Down Occupy SLC Encampment (11/16/11)
Roosevelt Police Department's Refusal to Publicly Release Report on Pepper Sprayed Haka Dancers is Inappropriate (11/2/11)
ACLU of Utah Seeks Details on Government Cell Phone Tracking (8/3/11)
Local Law Enforcement Stand Up Against Negative Impacts of SB81 (4/16/09)
Pioneer Park Surveillance Cameras Pose Civil Liberties Problems, Not Likely to Affect Crime (PDF) (2/18/09)
Gang Bill Could Lead to Racial Profiling (1/30/09)
ACLU of Utah Condemns Use of Tasers on Pregnant Women (3/20/08)
ACLU of Utah asks Salt Lake City Mayor Anderson and Police Chief Burbank to change SLCPD Taser Policy (4/26/06)
In a letter to the Salt Lake
City Police Civilian Review Board, the ACLU of Utah outlines its recommendations
for the use of tasers by the Salt Lake City Police Department (6/20/05)
ACLU
of Utah requests information from the Davis Metro Narcotics Strike Force
about that agency’s January 21 “knock and talk” (4/4/05)
Letter to the
Lehi Police Department regarding its record release policy (7/21/04)
Letter
to Salt Lake County Sheriff Aaron Kennard regarding vehicle checkpoints
and the recently decided case Utah v. Abell (5/12/03)
ACLU
of Utah Asks Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Department About Memorial Day
Checkpoints (5/28/02)
ACLU
of Utah Sends Public Records Request to Get Copies of Videotapes of Olympic
Legal Observers (4/4/02)
ACLU
of Utah Asks Davis County to Address Searches of Legal Observers (4/3/02)
ACLU
of Utah Sends Letter Regarding Salt Lake City’s Proposed Police Civilian
Review Board Ordinance (9/10/01)
ACLU
of Utah Comments on Salt Lake City’s Proposed Police Civilian Review Board
Ordinance (3/5/01)
ACLU
of Utah Writes Public Safety Commissioner Craig Dearden (9/2/99)
The
ACLU of Utah Sends a Letter to Salt Lake City Council Members Opposing
the Proposed Anti-Cruising Ordinance (5/25/99)
ACLU
of Utah Sends Letter to Salt Lake City Council Opposing Federal Pilot
Project to Grant Immigration Authority to Salt Lake City Police (8/28/98)
From Our Legislative Reports
2012 Legislative Report - Criminal Justice
2011 Legislative Report - Criminal Justice
2010 Legislative Report
2009 Legislative Report
2008 Legislative Report
2007 Legislative Report - Search and Seizure
2006 Legislative Report
2005 Legislative Report
2004 Legislative Report
2003 Legislative Report
2002 Legislative Report
2001 Legislative Report
2000 Legislative Report
1999 Legislative Report
1998 Legislative Report
Resources
Know Your Rights: What To Do If You're Stopped By Police, Immigration Agents or the FBI
What to Do If You Are a Victim of Police Misconduct in Utah (January 2006)
Asset Forfeiture (January 2004)
For
Muslim and Arab American Communities in Utah: Information About
Your Rights if You Are Questioned or Detained by Federal Law Enforcement (March 2003)
Pioneer Park Project (Fall 2002)
On Location With the Men and Women of Law Enforcement or How I Spent My Summer Vacation (Fall 2002)
Homeless in Salt Lake City (Fall 2002)
ACLU of Utah Supports Ballot Initiative B “Utah Property Protection Act” (Fall 2000)
Events
High School Students and Parents: Know Your Rights! (12/8/11)
Know Your Rights When Stopped By The Police (12/8/11)
Don't Miss It: "American Violet" with Graham Boyd of the ACLU's Drug Law Reform Project (11/2/09)
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