An independent audit of the South Salt Lake Police Department, conducted by the law firm Jones Skelton & Hochuli (JSH), and shared with the city council on Dec. 10, has found that morale in the organization is “significantly diminished.”

The information collected indicates a department “experiencing deep organizational strain, marked by low morale, erosion of trust, concerns regarding communication and leadership consistency, and substantial disagreement about the direction and stability of the Department,” the audit said.

“The combination of employee concerns and the Chief’s reform efforts have collectively produced an environment of instability and declining confidence resulting in an historically low level of morale within the Department,” it said.

The audit, commissioned by the city, found widespread dissatisfaction among officers and staff. The majority of staff, especially those with longer service, expressed concerns about leadership communication, disciplinary consistency, training quality, staffing pressures and internal climate, the JSH audit stated. This decline was not attributed to a single event but a "combination of cultural, operational, and relational factors that have compounded over time,” it said.

JSH met with the department’s 88 employees for over 100 hours of interviews, which all employees were ordered to attend as part of the investigation.

Key Employee Concerns

Employees described a workplace environment where "uncertainty, frustration, and a lack of trust have become persistent," the audit said. Concerns were raised over "leadership communication, disciplinary consistency, training quality, staffing pressures, and internal climate."

Leadership and Discipline: Many officers cited the perceived unpredictability of leadership decisions, inconsistent disciplinary practices, and a belief that speaking openly may result in negative consequences.

Command Structure: Supervisors and line-level officers stated that the chain of command is often bypassed, creating confusion and undermining supervisory authority.

Safety and Training: Officers expressed concern about what they see as a loss of vital training that affects their ability to respond to high-risk situations.

Communication: Communication issues were consistently identified as a primary driver of organizational strain. The "absence of clear communication has contributed to rumor cycles, mistrust, and misunderstandings,” the audit said.

The audit also noted that while the investigation focused only on current employee morale and excluded interviewing former staff, current employees still brought up issues related to former colleagues, which they stated are negatively impacting their morale now.

Police Chief’s Perspective

Police Chief Danielle Croyle offered a contrasting perspective, stating she inherited a department “struggling with low morale, divided internal culture and longstanding supervisory and communication problems,” and that the city hired her "specifically to change culture, strengthen accountability, modernize systems, and correct structural deficiencies that she believed had developed over many years," the audit said.

Croyle expressed that she has experienced resistance from some employees especially those who were in place before she was hired. The audit stated that Croyle attributed many issues to "systemic challenges, staffing shortages, or inherited operational constraints rather than intentional disregard for employee needs."

Croyle acknowledged being “occasionally frustrated, and sometimes stressed about organizational demands, which may have influenced how her tone was perceived, but disputes claims of public humiliation or retaliation,” the audit said. She maintained that her decisions were made in good faith, with the intent to improve departmental professionalism, consistency, and long-term stability, and were done both at the request and with the approval of city administration.

Mayor Cherie Wood responded to the audit’s findings in a formal statement. 

“While the findings are not positive, they are also not unexpected given the significant organizational changes underway,” she said.

Wood noted that two years ago, she appointed Croyle to lead a transition toward a "modern, community-focused policing model" emphasizing prevention and mutual respect. This reform effort, along with addressing "longstanding cultural and operational challenges" that existed before Croyle’s appointment, represents substantial change, she said.

The audit shows that "while we have made progress, the city has much work to do towards achieving these goals and the audit reflects the strain that often accompanies necessary reform,” Wood said.

How the city will address these challenges remains to be seen. 

A major aspect of that work will be addressing Croyle’s future with the city. More than half (51) of department employees stated they believed replacing the chief was the only viable way to address the issues facing the department or expressed serious concerns about the consequences of the chief remaining in place.

The city plans to develop an action plan over the next 60 days that “supports employee well-being and strengthens long-term organizational effectiveness, guided by the audit’s findings and best practices,” according to Wood but whether that plan will include a new police chief remains an open question.