There are people in Salt Lake City who have been arrested more than 70 times.
These are the same faces officers see again and again—breaking into cars, trespassing, using drugs, cycling through jail, detox, and back to the street. We call them high utilizers. They are, in many ways, the black hole at the center of Utah’s homeless and criminal justice systems.
Chief Brian Redd revealed that Salt Lake City has identified 50 such individuals, and 25 of them are currently in jail. A new pilot effort is underway to assess their needs while incarcerated, connect them with services, and try to break the cycle.
But there’s a problem. Nobody owns the list.
Board members acknowledged that multiple agencies maintain their own versions. One for arrests. One for shelter use. One for mental health crises. Nobody’s aggregating it, and worse, nobody is accountable for what happens after someone is identified.
The current programs in place to unify data include the Homeless management information system HMIS. As well as the Know by Name pilot—an initiative operated by the Cicero Group that uses personalized outreach and the Human Thriving assessment tool—and a new case management approach called Pathway to Human Thriving, operated by the Homeless Services Department. Both programs focus on outcomes and accountability, not just offering services without expectations. Cicero supports using housing as a tool, but believebs it should come with personal responsibility and support that helps people become more self-sufficient.
“We should have a list,” said board member Wayne Niederhauser. “We haven’t figured out what to do with the list yet.”
And that’s just the beginning. Mayor Mendenhall pointed out that if the board could get access to cross-agency data and use it to demonstrate how much these 50 people are costing the system, they might be able to make a stronger case for ongoing funding from the legislature.
Jim Behunin, a former board member and former Utah State Auditor agreed. “Imagine if after the tenth offense we got someone help. Instead, we wait for 70 more [offenses].”
Right now, people cycle through the system without interruption. Arrested, released. Cited, ignored. Put in jail for a few hours, then sent right back to the same park bench or encampment. The system doesn’t track outcomes. It tracks paperwork.
The board discussed how recovery programs get people clean, but not necessarily stable. Jail might be the only place where someone is clean and sober long enough to reflect. But when they leave, there’s no plan. No follow-up. And often, no place to go.
Legal defenders in Salt Lake County have started conducting assessments for the 50 high-utilizer individuals currently incarcerated. It’s a good start. But 50 jail beds won’t fix a systemic problem.
Another board member emphasized that 40% of all bookings into the Salt Lake County Jail come from Salt Lake City Police. That gives the city a strong case for getting more of the 244 new jail beds expected to open later this year.
