The Mission of the Weber County Sheriff's Office is to:

Provide a safe environment for life and property within Weber County through quality service.

Public Information

Anyone can contact the Weber County Sheriff's Office and ask questions, view reports, or other official documents. Much of what we do is accessible to the public.

The purpose of providing information to the public, either to individual citizens or through representatives of the news media, is to inform and educate the public on issues affecting the peace, safety, and security of our community, and to allow the public to have an understanding of the general operations and objectives of the Weber County Sheriff's Office. Success in these areas helps to build public trust and support for the Sheriff's Office and to deter crime.

There are generally two ways in which information is shared with individuals or the community at large. Any person has the right to contact the Weber County Sheriff Office and request copies of reports or ask for answers to their questions. Likewise, the office may provide individuals or representatives of the news media with information we think is helpful for the public. We disseminate information in a number of ways. These include personal contacts by phone or in person, e-mail, fax, press conferences, or posting information on this web site.

Requests for Official Information

Much of the information we release is done informally by telephone. If you wish to obtain a copy of an official document, you can submit a written request at any time during regular business hours. Requests should be made in writing. A processing fee is generally charged to cover our expenses.

Not all requests for information can be granted. In all cases, you should receive a response to your official request within ten working days. Records that are generally available to the public include, but are not limited to:

• An adult defendant's name, age, description, town of residence, and similar background information (Juvenile information is not generally released unless the juvenile is certified as an adult by a state judge).
• Some arrest information including arrest photos and the text and source of the charges related to the arrest, arraignment dates, and bond amounts (All defendants are assumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law).
• Initial incident reports may also be made available as long as the information does not compromise an ongoing investigation or cause undue hardship to the victim.

There is some information that we can not release. Generally, this information concerns a person's civil rights such as their right to privacy, protection and safety and their right to a fair trial. If you are denied some or all of what you have requested of us we will give you a reason for the denial. As such, the types of reports or information that we generally don't release include, but are not limited to:

• A defendant's prior criminal arrest or conviction records.
• A defendant's street address and the identity of family members.
• Confessions, alibis, and other defendant statements or whether he/she made such statements.
• Witness identities and statements.
• Detailed descriptions of evidence.
• Opinions or other statements as to the character, reputation, or guilt of the accused.
• The results of any tests, procedures, or examinations regarding the accused or whether the accused submitted to any of these procedures.
• Detailed information regarding the victim or the victim's family.

Access to Crime and Incident Services

News media representatives have the same rights of access to crime and incident scenes as the general public. All individuals, when granted access to a crime scene, will be escorted or supervised by the office public information officers (PIO) or another designated official of the Weber County Sheriff's Office. Issues that will be considered by the PIO or scene commander before allowing anyone to enter the crime scene area include:

• Will the entry interfere with public safety?
• Will the entry threaten, alter , or destroy evidence?
• Does the person's entry increase the danger to anyone in the area?
• Is the entry in violation to anyone's civil rights?
• Is the entry likely to cause the release of sensitive information that will compromise the investigation or prosecution of accused criminals?

Although we will endeavor to accommodate all reasonable requests for access to crime or accident scenes, the scene commander has the final say. If you are denied access to a scene, you will be given a brief explanation for the denial. Any appeal of a decision by the scene commander must be made to the commander's supervisor or directly to the Sheriff.

The Public Information Officer

There are two people designated as the primary public information officers (PIO) for the Weber County Sheriff's Office. They are responsible for managing the release of information to the public. They are often found at major incident scenes assisting the on-scene commander. Additionally, the Sheriff or other deputies may assist media representatives and citizens in obtaining answers to questions. The PIO is on 24-hour call and can be reached by calling the Weber County Sheriff's Office at (801) 778-6660 or by calling the Weber County Consolidated Dispatch Center at (801) 629-8221.

Public Records Access

NOTICE: Our policies and procedures for the collection, compilation, storage, and dissemination of official records and information are in compliance with state laws found in Title 63, Chapter 2 or the Utah Code Annotated. This set of laws is known as the Government Records Access and Management Act or GRAMA. These laws identify those records that are accessible to the public, those that are confidential, and those that are sensitive. There are also guidelines and recommendations regarding the handling of those records. You can review GRAMA at www.le.state.ut.us , under the heading of "Utah Code and Constitution."

For questions and records inquiries, please contact the WCSO at:

Weber County Sheriff's Office
721 West 12th Street
Ogden, UT 84404
Phone: (801) 778-6660
E-mail: mgeorge@co.weber.ut.us