Taylorsville City leaders recently joined TVPD for part of our recent 40-hour Back to Basic SWAT School. 

Mayor Overson, as well as members of the City Council, Citizens Advisory Board and city staff, participated with TVPD in a virtual weapons training. Such virtual-reality simulations help police officers de-escalate potentially dangerous situations that cause many fatalities. The scenarios are designed to teach critical concepts, such as officer presence, communication skills, verbal and non-verbal cues, less-lethal use of force and more. 

At a recent City Council meeting, Mayor Overson described the experience as eye-opening. "It reaffirmed to me how important our public safety officers are and how they have to react in just a split second and make some life-and-death decisions," she said.

Employee of the Month 

Congratulations to Officer Mecham, our latest Employee of the Month. Officer Mecham has three years of experience in law enforcement and is currently assigned to our patrol division. Prior to joining TVPD, he served as a patrol officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department. Additionally, Officer Mecham studied Culinary Arts at Salt Lake Community College. Given that experience, we are grateful he chose the path of law enforcement — jokingly, we know it would have made him a prime candidate for our fellow brothers and sisters running the local firehouses!  

Officer Mecham was nominated as Employee of the Month by one of our local business owners, Cliff Anderson, who owns and operates a 7-Eleven in the city. Cliff noted that he has interacted with several of our TVPD officers when they stop in to grab gas or a snack. He said he believes “the true essence of service of a police officer isn’t just about enforcing the law; it’s about making a positive impact in our community through acts of kindness.” Cliff then recounted a “heartfelt story about Officer Mecham that embodies this spirit.” 

Cliff shared the story of a single mother who came into the store and prepaid 77 cents for gas, as that was all she had at the moment. When she went to fill her tank, Officer Mecham took out his personal credit card and asked the cashier to prepay $20 in fuel. He then went out and filled the vehicle with the additional amount. The next day, the mother returned to 7-Eleven and thanked Cliff, who quickly let her know that it wasn’t him who had added the extra funds but rather the officer who had been in the store at the same time. Cliff said it’s “acts like these that truly uplift our community and remind us of the incredible people serving in our police department.” 

Thank you, Officer Mecham, for being a part of Team Taylorsville!