PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT

December 17, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact Information: PolicePRUnit@slcgov.com

SLCPD Patrol Officer Locates Suspect Transporting Meth, Other Drugs

SALT LAKE CITY — An officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department, while on routine patrol in one of the department’s “focus patrol areas,” safely arrested a 37-year-old man for drug possession with intent to distribute.

This investigation started at 12:31 p.m. on Friday December 16, 2022, when an SLCPD Patrol Officer assigned to the Pioneer Division saw a car driving on North Temple with expired, out-of-state registration tabs.

The officer conducted a traffic stop at 916 West North Temple and contacted the driver, later identified as Thomas Curly. From outside the vehicle, the officer could smell marijuana coming from inside the car. Additional SLCPD patrol officers responded, including a patrol supervisor.

Officers detained Curly and his passenger for questioning.

Officers searched the car pursuant to their investigation and located distributable amounts of marijuana, methamphetamine, oxycodone pills and other drug packaging materials and paraphernalia hidden inside the car.

All three Salt Lake City Police patrol divisions have an identified focus area.

• The Pioneer Patrol Division focus area border is from 200 North to South Temple and 700 West to 1000 West.
• The Central Patrol Division focus area border is from 200 South to 400 South and 200 West to South State Street.
• The Liberty Patrol Division focus area border is from 1300 South to 1500 South and 200 West to South State Street.

Officers booked Curly into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail. Officers released the passenger.

As Chief Mike Brown previously announced, the Salt Lake City Police Department is working to proactively reduce violent crime in Salt Lake City.

• The Pioneer Patrol Division focus area did not see an increase in violent crime but saw 41% fewer property crimes in November 2022 when compared to November 2021.
• The Central Patrol Division focus area saw 20% fewer violent crimes and 46% fewer property crimes in November 2022 when compared to November 2021.
• The Liberty Patrol Division focus area saw 75% fewer violent crimes and 56% fewer property crimes in November 2022 when compared to November 2021.

Several photos from the scene are being released. Media may use these photos with photo credit to the Salt Lake City Police Department.

Charges are only allegations, and every arrested person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

In October 2022, SLCPD Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Erin Mendenhall released an update to the SLCPD  Crime Control Plan to lower crime, improve response times, fill authorized staffing levels for sworn positions and to continue building community relationships.

The strategies outlined in the Revised Crime Control Plan include expanding recruitment and hiring efforts, developing a violent criminal apprehension team, implementing the Police Civilian Response Team, expanding the department’s call diversion program and its online reporting capabilities.

The Salt Lake City Police Department is not the custodian of record for jail booking photos. Utah Code 17-22-30 mostly prohibits the release of jail booking photos. Generally, a jail booking photo can only be released by the custodian of record after a conviction or when law enforcement determines the person is a fugitive or an imminent threat to a person or public safety. In Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office is the custodian of record for jail booking photos.

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