Utah town is branded corrupt after holding retirement party for veteran lieutenant allowed to step down with full benefits after he was convicted of DRINK DRIVING
- South Salt Lake City Police Lt. Jimmie Anderson crashed Harley while drunk
- Had to resign rather than be fired and was given a retirement party
- Scrapbook full of praise contained a message from the police chief
A police lieutenant was given a retirement party with a department-branded cake and gushing tributes from colleagues after he was pulled over for a DUI.
Jimmie Cole Anderson resigned from the South Salt Lake City Police Department on October 12 after crashing his Harley three times over the limit.
The veteran officer was driving 60 to 75 mph in a 50 mph zone in Saratoga Springs on Aug. 25 with a blood alcohol content of 0.18 when he entered a roundabout.
He resigned two weeks before two policy violations were recorded against him on October 27 and was allowed to retire rather than be fired.
Jimmie Cole Anderson was thrown a retirement party by his police department, even though he had just been convicted of driving under the influence
A local police association hosted a retirement party for him, which was attended by numerous officers, including SSLCPD Chief Jack Carruth.
An invitation to the event was sent by Carruth's assistant to call staff and Anderson received a badge and a scrapbook with gushing tributes from fellow officers.
Saratoga Springs police found Anderson lying in the bushes, where he told them he was a cop and refused to go to the hospital, despite officers being shocked that he had survived the crash.
'I could smell the odor of alcohol on his breath. There was no one else around and I could tell the odor was coming from Jimmie's breath,” one of the officers wrote in their report. CUTV.
A cake was even baked for the corrupt cop, who regularly got drunk with his supervisors and colleagues he had to supervise
Anderson was charged with driving under the influence and negligent collision, and his own police department began investigating him.
He pleaded guilty to the DUI on November 15, with the other charge dismissed, and served five days in jail as of November 30.
Just a day before reporting to the county jail, Anderson was feted with a party hosted by the South Salt Lake Honorary Colonels' Association.
The festivities included a cake with police department logos on it and a badge presented to Anderson.
Anderson refused to answer a KUTV reporter's questions about his corrupt behavior
South Salt Lake Mayor Cherie Wood angrily countered that her city is corrupt and that officials are too close to each other to trust
Officers, including Carruth, signed a scrapbook with lavish tributes paying tribute to his police work and friendship.
“Jimmie, you have always been a man of action and that makes you a great friend and leader!” Carruth wrote.
'I will miss you here, and I know I have a friend and brother for life! The next chapter of your life will be even better.”
Deputy Chief Darren Carr wrote: “I can't tell you how much I have appreciated your leadership and friendship over the years… Without your help I wouldn't be where I am today. I'm going to miss you!'
Local KUTV reporter Wendy Halloran wrote that the episode was an example of how the city of South Salt Lake was hopelessly corrupt.
The report described how top police officers quickly sought out their drinking buddies and joined city officials in refusing to answer questions.
Mayor Cherie Wood said only that Anderson could not be fired until the investigation and disciplinary process were completed, and he previously resigned.
“If Anderson had not resigned, he would have been fired after the pre-disciplinary hearing. The city was obligated to follow due process in this investigation,” the mayor's office said.