The Times-Independent

Castle takes steps to avoid similar MPD failures in future


Acting Moab City Manager Carly Castle in response to a report critical of how the Moab Police Department responded to a domestic violence incident said new processes will be established for MPD to follow.

Acting Moab City Manager Carly Castle. File photo

Castle in an official letter to Castle Valley resident and crime victim Jayne May, wrote, “I am taking steps to put new processes in place to mitigate the possibility of similar mistakes [being made] in the future. These steps include adding or designating a trained domestic violence specialist in the police department to oversee domestic violence incidents investigated by our officers.

“The city will step up its ongoing domestic violence training for officers and testing to make sure the police understand and remain current on the city’s policy and procedures. I believe the addition of a domestic violence specialist at the detective or sergeant level, who reviews each case, could have a profound impact on how the Moab Police Department handles domestic violence cases. Domestic violence is an issue in this community, and it is appropriate for the city to devote additional resources to address it.”

Regarding the delay in investigating May’s complaint, Castle said, “City staff has been researching the history of this investigation to determine the factors that contributed to this unacceptably slow process.” — Doug McMurdo