The aftermath of Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby’s canceled confirmation to oversee Utah law enforcement training and internal investigations may have a new chapter ahead.
According to records obtained by KPCW, Rigby told Wasatch County officials on January 11 that he hired an attorney. According to the email, the reason was to represent him “in a lawsuit against the Utah Department of Public Safety and their violation of hiring and employment laws.” He was supposed to take a job last month as director of Peace Officer Standards and Training, better known as "P.O.S.T.," which is a branch of the Department of Public Safety.
Neither Rigby nor his attorney responded to KPCW’s request for an update about potential legal actions in time for this report.
The confirmation was initially postponed as P.O.S.T. extended Rigby’s background review after media reports questioned tactics he used during officer training.
Rigby sent the email between the time the P.O.S.T. Council postponed his swearing-in ceremony and when it permanently withdrew him from consideration January 31.
A joint statement that council members and other state law enforcement officials released late last week cited a media story about Rigby’s work. It said the decision not to move forward with Rigby “focused on issues associated with the process, not any concerns over the qualifications or suitability” of the sheriff. It also said they found no reason for concerns about his future conduct.
The media report resurfaced a video from September 2021. Critics argued that in the video, Rigby threatened a Heber City Police officer for speaking out against Police Chief Dave Booth.
Rigby said clips from the 2021 recording had been taken out of context. He said he was counseling an officer for contradicting an official investigation.
The joint statement concluded that the appointment process is again open to applicants for the next P.O.S.T. director, including those who have applied before.
