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Unified Police Department - Midvale Precinct 2023 Officer of the Year Chase Hebert

Officer Chase Hebert in uniform with FlagPresented by Precinct Chief Randy Thomas and Lieutenant Ken Malone

Officer Chase Hebert has served as the School Resource Officer (SRO) for Midvale Middle School and all elementary schools in Midvale and White City. During his time in this capacity, Officer Hebert has fostered a positive relationship with individual school and district leadership. He has forged a strong trust which has greatly improved the relationship between Canyons School and UPD. Additionally, he has worked extensively with the Metro Gang Unit and Special Victims Unit. He has been an excellent representative of the Midvale Precinct.

An SRO is tasked with many competing demands. Officer Hebert has balanced these demands very well. He has been able to expertly juggle his responsibilities to the precinct, his unit, patrol, and each school. Officer Hebert has far exceeded what is expected of an SRO. He has investigated many felony events stemming from the schools. He often handles these from start to finish. Additionally, many of these cases involve writing search warrants for social media, cell phones, homes, vehicles, etc. It also entails the tedious task of sifting through cell phone downloads.

Canyons School District Program Administrator, Chrisse Hilton, provided the following:

“From the moment I met Officer Hebert, his passion for his job was evident. It is clear that he loves being a police officer and gives 100% in all he does. Chase is personable and seeks to establish excellent relationships with adults and students alike. He exudes confidence and compassion while working with some very difficult cases. One family comes to mind. As a school district and law enforcement, we have worked collaboratively with one particular family for over three years. Officer Hebert never tires and continues seeking any opportunity we have to provide interventions and resources. He studies the law and district policies to educate himself and others. Chase is thorough while investigating and following through on student discipline but always finding compassion and support for the students and their families.” She continued, “Being a school resource officer is not for everyone. Officer Hebert has embraced this position and is making a huge difference in the lives of our families and staff at our Midvale Schools. It is an honor to work with a man of integrity like Chase.”

Officer Chase Hebert has been a positive model for the students at his schools and fellow officers alike. He has bettered the life of many. For these reasons and others, Officer Chase Hebert is recognized as Midvale Precinct Officer of the Year, 2023.

Unified Police Department Midvale Precinct 2023 Employee/Officer of the Month Recipients

Headshot of officer with flagJanuary 2023 SRO Alex Gonzalez

On January 23, Officer Gonzalez was proactively patrolling the halls of Hillcrest High School when he observed several juveniles smoking in the boy’s bathroom. Officer Gonzalez was unable to contact all the juveniles but made mental note of those involved.

A short time later, one of the involved males was observed in the hallway. Officer Gonzalez did not recognize the juvenile as a student at Hillcrest. Officer Gonzalez approached the juvenile to learn if he was trespassing at the school and to address the smoking issue from earlier in the day. The juvenile refused to identify himself and then fled. Officer Gonzalez was able to gain physical control of the juvenile as he resisted. During the altercation, the juvenile began reaching for his waistband. Officer Gonzalez was able to observe a handgun in the juvenile’s waistband. Fortunately, he was able to take the juvenile into custody and safely removed the handgun from the juvenile’s possession.

Officer Gonzalez was able to handle this potentially deadly encounter quickly and safely. Further, he prevented untold violence to an unknown number or victims. Lastly the professionalism Officer Gonzalez displayed while talking to the suspect’s mother and grandmother was exceptional. For this, Officer Alex Gonzalez is recognized as January 2023 Officer of the Month.

Headshot of officer with flagFebruary 2023 SRO Chase Hebert

Officer Hebert is in his first year serving as a School Resource Officers (SRO). In this assignment, he has quickly established himself as a very effective SRO. Officer Hebert has  cultivated a strong relationship with the school and Canyons School District administration. He also works very closely with the SRO at the high school. Officer Hebert assumed several tasks for the school district that prior SROs have not done and aren’t necessarily his responsibility. He has also ensured current maps of the schools are available to patrol and to dispatch. He also coordinated means for responding officers to obtain building keys for the schools during a high priority incident. Additionally, Officer Hebert has been the initial officer on several felony related cases at the school and authored at least three search warrants. Many of these have resulted in significant charges and contributed to the safety and well-being of students. Besides managing his responsibilities at the school, Officer Hebert has assisted patrol on numerous occasions as well as proactively patrols around his school. For the above, Officer Chase Hebert is recognized as Officer of the Month for February. 

Headshot of officer with flagMarch 2023 Officer Ali Clayton

Officer Ali Clayton has far exceeded expectations since being assigned to the Midvale Precinct. Her investigative desire and skillset are amazing. She goes above and beyond on all cases in order to help the victim achieve closure and the assistance needed. For example, she was able to locate a parolee suspected of a burglary. She spent hours after her shift was ended ensuring the case was handled with the necessary care. Further, she provided extensive follow-up on a simple theft which most would have written the report and closed the case. However, Officer Clayton was able to identify the suspects, create a photo lineup, and obtain charges.  Rather than simply closing a case, or referring it to detectives, Officer Clayton completed it on her own. Perhaps, most importantly, Officer Clayton responded to a 911 hangup detail. Despite the person contacted denying assistance, Officer Clayton observed indications of possible human trafficking. This information was passed on to the appropriate unit for follow-up. Due to Officer Clayton’s efforts, a simple “no report” detail turned into a human trafficking investigation. Officer Clayton has extensive knowledge of Versaterm records management system (RMS). She uses this in her cases and has trained others on how to use it. She has shared RMS capabilities most were not even aware of. Officer Clayton is attentive to the needs of the community and far exceeds what the expectations are. She ensures all receive the service needed and expected from their police. For these reasons, Officer Ali clayton is recognized as Officer of the Month for March 2023.

Headshot of officer with flagApril 2023 Norma Hood

Norma is an outstanding volunteer for Midvale Precinct.  In addition to her Crime Victim Advocate volunteer responsibilities, she also assists with records tasks. These tasks include assisting walk-in community members, answering voicemails and records requests.  Additionally, Norma completes the monthly good landlord program reports.  She does exemplary work and always has a smile.

 In addition to her day-to-day volunteer work, Norma is always willing to assist when employees or other volunteers are out of the office. She recently filled in for Carmen when she was on vacation.  Norma extended her hours at the precinct to be available for victims needing assistance.  She constantly takes victim advocate callouts when those scheduled are not available.  On one occasion, a CVA volunteer was on a callout but did not have paperwork needed—he contacted Norma who jumped into her car and delivered that needed paperwork—in the middle of the night. We couldn’t ask for a better volunteer.  For these reasons, Norma Hood is recognized as Officer of the Month of April 2023.

UPD MayMay 2023 Office Darrell Broadhead

Officers Broadhead and Lytton were dispatched on a suicidal person threating to jump off the fourth level of a parking structure.  Both arrived simultaneously and observed a female juvenile on the outside of the railing and threatening to jump. The officers parked their vehicles out of sight and approached the juvenile on foot.  They approached slowly and Officer Broadhead tried to talk to the juvenile calmly for several minutes.  However, the juvenile would not respond. The juvenile kept squirming around on the ledge and looking down.  Both her feet were halfway off the ledge, and she was hanging on to the cable railing with her fingertips.  The officers felt like the juvenile was working up the courage to jump. There was also a distinct chance she could slip and fall off the fourth floor of the structure.  When the juvenile looked away, Officer Broadhead lunged forward and attached to the juvenile’s arm.  Officer Lytton immediately grabbed the juvenile’s other arm.  Together, both the officers were able to pull the juvenile back over the railing to safety.  Officer Broadhead’s and Officer Lytton’s calm demeanor, verbal skills and quick actions prevented this from having a more tragic outcome. Officers Broadhead and Lytton likely save this juvenile’s life and, for this, are recognized as Officers of the Month for May 2023.

Headshot of officer with flagMay 2023 Officer Justin Lytton

Officers Broadhead and Lytton were dispatched on a suicidal person threatening to jump off the fourth level of a parking structure.  Both arrived simultaneously and observed a female juvenile on the outside of the railing and threatening to jump. The officers parked their vehicles out of sight and approached the juvenile on foot.  They approached slowly and Officer Broadhead tried to talk to the juvenile calmly for several minutes.  However, the juvenile would not respond. The juvenile kept squirming around on the ledge and looking down.  Both her feet were halfway off the ledge, and she was hanging on to the cable railing with her fingertips.  The officers felt like the juvenile was working up the courage to jump. There was also a distinct chance she could slip and fall off the fourth floor of the structure.  When the juvenile looked away, Officer Broadhead lunged forward and attached to the juvenile’s arm.  Officer Lytton immediately grabbed the juvenile’s other arm.  Together, both the officers were able to pull the juvenile back over the railing to safety.  Officer Broadhead’s and Officer Lytton’s calm demeanor, verbal skills and quick actions prevented this from having a more tragic outcome. Officers Broadhead and Lytton likely save this juvenile’s life and, for this, are recognized as Officers of the Month for May 2023.

Headshot of officer with flagJune 2023 Carmen Contreras

In addition to her duties as the Victim Advocate, Carmen also organizes, schedules, and supervises a cadre of volunteer victim advocates. The advocate program in Midvale is the flagship program in the Unified Police Department and operates at a level that the other victim advocate programs strive to reach. Carmen’s availability to victims and officers is unmatched. She is always willing to take a callout regardless of the time of day or night and routinely fields phone calls from officers and victims and assists in any way possible. Recently, Carmen has also been assisting another precinct with their victim advocate queue as they are in the process of replacing their victim advocate.Carmen’s dedication and passion for her job makes her an incredible asset to the community and the UPD. Her professionalism and expertise in her field are unrivaled and she is truly appreciated by everyone she works with and assists. For this, she is recognized as June 2023 Employee of the Month.

Headshot of officer with flagJuly 2023  John Pfeiffer

There was an incident in Midvale Precinct where the assistance of a Victims’ advocate was necessary. Dispatch tried contacting the on-call advocates without success. Carmen was out of town and received a call from Dispatch. The information was Midvale’s officers were on the scene of a self-inflicted incident and they were in desperate need of an advocate to assist the family members on scene as emotions were very high. They were not able to get a hold of the on-call advocates. Carmen contacted Volunteer Victims’ Advocate John Pfeiffer and he responded to the scene without hesitation. John was able to calm them down by providing crisis intervention and giving them the necessary information in a way that they were able to process and understand. John is a very dedicated Unified Police Department Crime Victims’ Advocate that is always willing to assist people during the worst time of their lives. He is compassionate and very knowledgeable regarding the resources available to victims. On this particular call, John’s professionalism and knowledge impressed the officers on scene and they made a point of mentioning what a great job John did to Carmen. John is a great asset to the Unified Police Department and the communities that he serves. For these reasons, John is recognized as Employee of the Month for July 2023.

UPD AugustAugust 2023 Sergeant Aaron Lavin

Sergeant Aaron Lavin recently took over supervision of the Midvale Directed Enforcement Unit. He immediately began making positive changes within the unit. Some of the measures he has taken include creating an intel meeting with his unit and, considering they encounter many of the same people, the Midvale Shelter Resource Unit. This has paid off considerably as units are now sharing information regarding persistent problem locations and individuals. Sgt. Lavin also tapped into his relationships with other units to strengthen his efforts. He has arranged for a camera to be placed in a high-traffic problem area. This has provided dramatic results. Further, he has arranged to utilize a “cold” unmarked vehicle to help facilitate many of the measures he is taking along the 7200 South corridor. Additionally, Sgt. Lavin quickly began addressing many of the long-standing problem areas within Midvale City. Due to his efforts leading the team, a substantial difference has been observed along many of the areas along the 7200 South Corridor. Motel 6, Discovery Inn and others have historically been a haven for illicit activity. Due to Sgt. Lavin’s leadership, this activity has been significantly reduced.  For these reasons, Sgt. Aaron Lavin is recognized as August 2023 Officer of the Month.

Headshot of officer with flagOctober 2023 Officer Todd Gray

On October 23, 2023, Officer Todd Gray was patrolling the area of 46 W. 7200 S and interrupted a business burglary in progress at a local jewelry store. The suspects fled on foot and in a vehicle. Two suspects were located and arrested. The suspect vehicle was located by Cottonwood Heights PD and the driver was taken into custody after a short vehicle pursuit. Multiple tools to assist in a large-scale business burglary were located inside the vehicle. Head lamps and burglary tools were found on the suspects as well. Information obtained during the investigation suggested that these individuals were casing jewelry stores across the state. Due to Officer Gray’s hard work and tenacity, several business burglaries were thwarted. For this, Officer Todd Gray is recognized as Officer of the Month for October 2023.


Headshot of officer with flagNovember 2023 Officer Aaron Bartholomew

On November 12, 2023, Officer Bartholomew was monitoring other radio channels in UPD when he heard an aggravated kidnapping being broadcast. The vehicle was mobile and the victim was on the phone with dispatch. It was reported the vehicle was heading towards Midvale City. Officer Bartholomew was able to locate the vehicle traveling southbound on I-15. Officer Bartholomew attempted to stop the suspect. The suspect failed to yield; thus, a pursuit was initiated. The information provided was that the driver was armed with a gun and wanted to shoot the police and himself. Speeds varied between 100-127 miles an hour as the vehicle continued into Utah County. Officer Bartholomew was able to keep up with the vehicle and observed it exiting the freeway in Provo. The suspect let the victim out of the vehicle in the middle of the off ramp. Officer Bartholomew was able to get the victim to safety inside his patrol vehicle. Other officers and Utah County Deputies were able to arrest the suspect nearby. Due to Officer Bartholomew’s diligence and forward thinking, he likely saved the victim from severe injury or death. For this, he is recognized as Officer of the Month for November 2023. 

Headshot of officer with flagDecember 2023 Officer Allie Downs

On December 17, 2023, UTA Police put out a BOLO for a stabbing suspect from the TRAX station located in Midvale. Attached to the BOLO was a picture of the suspect. Officer Downs immediately recognized the suspect as a female she had been in contact with prior to the BOLO being sent out. Officer Downs met with UTA officers and was able to provide them with assistance in a ruse to get the suspect to meet. Ultimately, she was taken into and positively identified as the suspect. The suspect confessed to the stabbing. A Utah Transit Authority Police Lieutenant drafted a letter of appreciation for Officer Downs’ assistance with their case. For her diligence and teamwork, Officer Downs is recognized as Officer of the Month for December 2023.