After nominating Rigby in November to be the next director of Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.), the P.O.S.T. Council decided Tuesday to find someone else to take the job.
The 15-member council’s vote to rescind Rigby’s name from consideration was unanimous, with the exception of Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Curtis. That took place after the council went into closed session for over three hours, which is allowed under Utah law when a public body discusses certain personnel matters.
The council also voted to reopen the selection process.
In a statement released hours after the vote, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Jess Anderson said:
"Sheriff Rigby is a highly qualified leader. P.O.S.T. council was faced with making a choice where they needed to put the needs of law enforcement and the public as a priority. We hope this will bring trust and transparency to the appointment of such a critical position in our state.”
The decision followed a tumultuous month for Rigby and those involved with hiring the new head of P.O.S.T., which oversees law enforcement training, certifications and internal investigations.
Rigby expected to start the new job January 9. The week before that, a video of Rigby from a September 2021 internal affairs investigation into Heber Police Chief Dave Booth resurfaced and interrupted that process.
The P.O.S.T. Council delayed Rigby’s confirmation at that time to review the situation after some members said they hadn’t seen the footage before.
As the state’s background review continued, Rigby released a lengthy video statement explaining that parts of the 2021 recording had been taken out of context and spliced together to make it seem he was threatening a newer recruit about his career prospects.
Rigby did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did his attorney.
The Wasatch County Council said earlier this month that Rigby would most likely continue in his role as Sheriff if he didn’t take the P.O.S.T. job. Rigby is serving his second term as Sheriff after winning reelection last November.
