The real 'top cops' | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Once again, The Tribune and other news outlets have dubbed Utah's attorney general the state's "top cop." This term usually appears when a public attorney, be it the attorney general or a county or district attorney, gets in some trouble.

Once or twice a week, I sip coffee with some retired real top cops, and we often wonder just how these attorneys got to be "top cops" when a number of them were never even top prosecutors.

My coffee buddies and I believe the real top cops are the ones in blue, brown, green, black and gray shirts. These are the top cops who at 2 a.m. are in a patrol car, riding a motorcycle or walking a beat to keep the folks in their area safe.

The real top cops jump in canals to save drowning children, climb cliffs to save injured hikers, run toward gunfire to save innocent children, sacrifice time with loved ones to protect strangers, and provide essential services with little or no recognition — all because it is their job.

So how about calling it like it is: Top attorney screws up.

Mike Wilkinson Retired chief deputy Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office

Salt Lake City