Honoring Excellence in Law Enforcement: Utah Police Chiefs’ Awards

Ogden City Police Chief Jake Sube and Detective Breianna Bakker join Sen. John Johnson on the PoliticIt Podcast to discuss the Utah Police Chiefs’ Awards and the outstanding service being recognized within Utah law enforcement. They share the stories behind the honors, the importance of dedicated police work, and what these awards mean to the officers, their departments, and the communities they serve.

Recognition matters most when it points back to the work behind it.

PoliticIt Radio – The Ones that Don’t Forget

At the Utah Police Chiefs’ Awards, Detective Breianna Bakker was honored as the state’s Officer of the Year, and Ogden City Police Chief Jake Sube received recognition as Large City Chief of the Year. Those awards are meaningful, of course. But they also represent much more than an individual moment. They speak to painstaking investigations, a department culture built around service and accountability, and a community that benefits when its police department has the people, support, and staffing to do the job right.

One case in particular shows what that kind of work looks like. It started with a DNA notification in a cold case from the 1990s. It ended, after months of work, with a suspect located out of state, additional cases connected, survivors contacted, and a person brought back to face accountability.

That is not a simple story of technology producing an answer. It is a story about what happens after the answer appears.

A DNA Match Was the Beginning, Not the End

The case that led to Detective Bakker’s statewide recognition involved a cold case rape investigation that had remained unresolved for more than 30 years. The initial break came when law enforcement received notice of a DNA match through CODIS, the national DNA database system.

A DNA hit can be hugely important. It can point investigators in a direction that was unavailable decades earlier, especially in a case dating back to the 1990s, when DNA technology and database systems were far less developed than they are today. But a match is not the whole investigation. It does not remove the responsibility to verify identities, reconstruct events, examine records, identify other possible victims, and build a case that can stand through the court process.

That was the work ahead.

Detective Bakker was assigned the cold case by her sergeant. After reviewing the facts, she did not believe the offense was likely an isolated incident. It was described as a true stranger rape case, meaning the victim and suspect were not connected through a prior relationship. The details of the case were horrifying, and they raised the question that investigators have to ask in situations like this: Was there more?

That question shaped the rest of the investigation.

How a Cold Case Investigation Expands

Once a likely suspect was identified, the assignment became a deep, careful review of a life lived across three decades. Detective Bakker had to confirm that law enforcement had the right person, trace where he had been over the years, and determine whether his history connected to other unresolved crimes.

The work included examining information from Utah and other places the suspect had traveled. It also meant going back through Ogden City archives, page by page, report by report.

With help from the department’s investigations bureau, Detective Bakker reviewed more than 300 cold case rape reports. The goal was not simply to find paperwork that looked similar. It was to identify patterns, compare details, and make sure no potential victim had been overlooked.

That is one of the realities of serious investigative work. The key evidence may be in an old report, a detail that did not seem connected years ago, or a sequence of facts that becomes clearer only after a suspect is identified. The difference is often in the willingness to keep digging.

Detective Bakker also reached out to surrounding police agencies. Nearby departments reviewed their own records for reports that could share similarities with the case. No related cases emerged through those outside agency searches, but the review in Ogden identified additional connections.

Ultimately, the investigation connected the suspect to other cases in Ogden. The work resulted in two cases in which the individual is being held accountable, with the matters continuing through the court system.

The suspect was eventually located out of state. Detective Bakker and another detective traveled to take him into custody and have him extradited back to Utah. After so many years, it was an arrest the suspect clearly was not expecting.

The Most Important Part Was Speaking With Survivors

Investigations can involve databases, reports, evidence files, travel, court procedures, and countless administrative steps. But the human center of a case like this is never the paperwork.

For the survivors, the passage of 30 years did not erase what happened. They had lived for decades without knowing whether the person responsible would ever be found or held accountable. Hearing that he was in custody brought a level of relief that is hard to overstate.

For Detective Bakker, being able to make those calls and speak with the women involved was the most meaningful part of the entire experience. They had waited an extraordinary amount of time for that news.

Justice does not undo trauma. It does not give someone back the years spent carrying uncertainty. But accountability can provide an important next step. It can offer recognition that what happened mattered, that the case was not forgotten, and that the system continued working toward an answer.

That is why cold cases matter. They are not old because they are unimportant. They are unresolved because the available evidence, technology, leads, or circumstances did not yet allow investigators to move forward. When a new lead appears, the responsibility is to give that case the same serious attention it deserved from the start.

What Makes a Good Detective Starts in Patrol

Detective Bakker’s path into investigations began in patrol. Before joining Ogden City Police Department, she worked for West Valley Police Department. She came to Ogden as a patrol officer, worked cases, developed her investigative skills, and later applied for a detective position.

That route matters because patrol is where officers learn how investigations begin.

Patrol officers respond at the first moment a person asks for help. They arrive when the facts are unsettled, emotions are high, and people may be experiencing one of the worst days of their lives. An officer may have handled countless calls, but for the person reporting an assault, theft, domestic incident, or other crime, it may be the first time anything like it has ever happened to them.

That perspective should shape the response.

A strong patrol investigation is not merely writing down events in chronological order. It involves asking what happened, why it happened, who was involved, what details may matter later, and what evidence needs to be preserved. It means recognizing that a report may become the foundation for everything that follows.

There is no fixed timetable for becoming a detective. It depends on an officer’s performance, interest, investigative ability, and attention to detail. But certain habits stand out:

• Taking every report seriously: A call may be routine to the agency, but it is not routine to the person asking for help.
• Looking beyond the first explanation: Good investigators ask follow-up questions and pursue details that may reveal a larger picture.
• Being detail-oriented: Small facts can become decisive facts later.
• Showing initiative: A desire to dig deeper and understand what happened is essential.
• Building solid initial cases: Patrol work creates the records and evidence detectives rely on down the road.

In Ogden, Chief Sube described the detective assignment as a role earned through a body of work. Detective Bakker’s patrol investigations, work ethic, and service made her a natural choice for investigations. Her cold case work shows why that foundation matters.

An Individual Award That Represents a Department

Chief Sube was clear about how he sees his Chief of the Year recognition. He does not view it as his award alone. He sees it as a department award.

That is not just humility for the sake of humility. Police departments are made up of patrol officers, detectives, crime reduction teams, school resource officers, dispatch personnel, supervisors, support staff, and city leaders. A chief may set direction, but the daily work of public safety is carried out by people across the organization.

Detective Bakker’s case is one example. It took a CODIS notification, an assignment from a supervisor, a detective willing to take on a difficult cold case, assistance from the investigations bureau, the review of hundreds of archived reports, cooperation from surrounding agencies, travel to locate the suspect, and ongoing work through the court system.

That is what a department looks like when the pieces work together.

Chief Sube also credits Ogden’s city administration, including Mayor Ben Nadolski, for supporting law enforcement and public safety. Support at the city level affects what a department can accomplish. It influences staffing, morale, resources, community programs, and whether officers feel backed as they perform demanding work.

The result, according to Chief Sube, is a culture with clear expectations: professionalism, hard work, dedication, and an ongoing focus on making the community better.

Why Full Staffing Changes What a Police Department Can Do

Ogden City Police Department has 155 sworn officer positions and is effectively fully staffed. In today’s law enforcement environment, that is significant. Many agencies continue to struggle with vacancies, recruitment, turnover, and the strain placed on officers who must carry heavier workloads.

Being fully staffed is not only about filling a number on an organizational chart. It changes what a department is capable of doing.

When staffing is thin, the immediate calls for service have to come first. Officers must respond to what is happening now, which can leave less time for proactive work, neighborhood engagement, youth programs, extensive follow-up, and complicated long-term investigations.

In a department with enough people, there is more capacity to:

• Provide a consistent patrol presence in neighborhoods.
• Participate in community and youth events.
• Give detectives the time needed for complex investigations.
• Review old evidence and cold case files.
• Follow up with victims and provide better service after an initial report.
• Develop prevention and engagement programs that may pay off years later.

A 30-year-old case can take months to properly rebuild even under favorable conditions. In an understaffed agency, the same work might stretch into years because investigators are forced to prioritize a constant stream of current cases.

That is why staffing, culture, and public safety are connected. When officers are supported and retained, a department has a better chance of doing both the urgent work of today and the important work that cannot be rushed.

Ogden’s Crime Reduction and Community Service Focus

Chief Sube said Ogden’s crime rate is at an all-time low. In the department’s most recent review covering 2016 through 2025, he described an almost 65 percent reduction in crime.

Crime has declined in many places, but Ogden’s rate of reduction has been notable. Still, the goal is not to look only at a number. The point is to connect outcomes with the work that produces them: professional policing, adequate staffing, investigations, community engagement, leadership support, and service delivered when people need it most.

Every call for service is an opportunity to either build or lose trust. Ogden sends follow-up surveys to people after calls are handled, along with information such as case numbers. Those surveys help the department hear directly from people who have requested assistance.

Chief Sube said the department receives overwhelmingly positive feedback and currently holds a 4.5 out of 5 customer service rating. That number reflects something simple but important: officers understand that a person calling police is often having a terrible day.

Service in those moments counts. Clear communication counts. Taking the report seriously counts. Providing case information and a path forward counts.

Community engagement also showed up at Ogden’s National Night Out Against Crime, where Chief Sube estimated that roughly 1,000 to 1,500 people attended. That was the largest turnout he had seen during his career with the department.

That kind of attendance does not happen by accident. It reflects a community that wants to show up and a department that has put effort into being present with the community outside of emergencies.

RAD Kids and the Long View of Public Safety

One example of what full staffing makes possible is Ogden’s RAD Kids program. The youth program is designed to help children build confidence, resiliency, self-protection skills, and strategies for dealing with bullying.

The program began with three sessions. With staffing, officer participation, and momentum behind it, the department added six more sessions the following summer.

The curriculum is about giving children more ownership over their own safety and well-being. It is also about building connections early. When kids have positive, meaningful interactions with officers, it can affect how they see law enforcement and how comfortable they feel seeking help when they need it.

The long-term impact of a youth program is not always immediately visible. The benefits may not be measurable for 10, 15, or 20 years. But public safety is not only about responding to the crisis in front of you. It is also about building the conditions that may prevent future harm and strengthen a community over time.

Chief Sube’s own career choice was influenced by a school resource officer he knew at Clearfield High School. Those interactions helped him recognize that law enforcement was the direction he wanted to pursue. That personal experience is part of why he sees youth engagement as a meaningful investment.

Servant Leadership Requires Accountability

Chief Sube describes his leadership philosophy as servant leadership. That phrase is often understood as being supportive, accessible, and focused on helping people succeed. Those are essential parts of it. But support alone is not enough.

The other half is accountability.

Accountability is sometimes treated as a negative word, as if it only means punishment or discipline. In reality, effective accountability often begins much earlier, with a timely conversation and a small course correction.

Chief Sube uses the phrase rudder tap to describe that approach. If someone begins drifting off course, a leader should not wait for a major failure. The better move is to check in, ask what is happening, identify whether there is a work concern or something difficult at home, and help the person regain direction.

Consider an officer who suddenly begins arriving late. A rudder tap is not immediately assuming the worst. It is a conversation: What is going on? Is there a problem? What support is needed? What needs to change?

Addressing an issue early can help an officer correct it before it becomes a significant problem requiring a formal internal affairs investigation or more serious consequences. It is a way to serve people while also maintaining standards.

That balance is especially important in policing because officers are human beings making difficult decisions, sometimes in seconds. A healthy culture does not pretend mistakes or struggles will never happen. It creates expectations, feedback, resources, and accountability so that problems can be addressed early and people can be successful.

Supporting Officer Wellness Supports the Community

Law enforcement is difficult work. Officers see situations that most people may only encounter a few times in a lifetime, if ever. Chief Sube noted an estimate that an average person may experience three to four critical incident or PTSD-inducing events in a lifetime, while an officer may face hundreds over the course of a career.

That reality requires more than a slogan about wellness. It requires real support.

Ogden City Police Department has a strong peer support team, backed by the department’s administration. The team is available to help officers who need someone to talk with or who are going through challenging circumstances. The department also provides resources that include therapy and clergy support.

Chief Sube said the agency has relationships with roughly 21 therapists who can provide therapy for officers involved in critical incidents or facing job-related struggles. That support is also available to spouses and to retired officers.

The reason is straightforward. The impact of the job does not stop when a shift ends, and it does not necessarily end at retirement. Supporting officers and their families is not separate from public safety. It is part of public safety.

An officer in a healthier mental state is more likely to make positive decisions, communicate effectively, and provide better service. In that sense, peer support, therapy access, professional accountability, retention, customer service, and investigative excellence all build on one another.

A Workplace Culture That Makes People Want to Stay

Detective Bakker came to Ogden after her husband, who also works for the department, encouraged her to consider it. He described a supportive workplace and a different kind of environment. Her own experience has reinforced that assessment.

She described Ogden as a place where she feels backed by the department and comfortable speaking with supervisors or the chief. That matters in any profession, but it matters a great deal in law enforcement, where people routinely deal with difficult situations that many others never see.

The ability to turn to colleagues who understand those experiences, along with supervisors and city leaders who provide support, can influence whether good officers choose to remain. A department can recruit talented people, but retention depends on whether they feel they belong, whether they can grow, and whether leadership has their back while still expecting excellence.

Ogden’s full staffing is one sign of that culture. So are the department’s peer support resources, youth programs, cold case work, community survey feedback, and employee willingness to take on demanding assignments.

What These Utah Police Chiefs’ Awards Really Recognize

The Utah Police Chiefs’ Awards recognize individual achievement, but the strongest achievements are never isolated.

Detective Breianna Bakker’s Officer of the Year honor reflects the patience and detail required to investigate a decades-old case. It reflects the determination to read hundreds of reports, search for additional victims, coordinate with neighboring agencies, locate a suspect across state lines, and bring survivors long-awaited news.

Chief Jake Sube’s Large City Chief of the Year recognition reflects a leadership model that connects service with accountability, values officer wellness, promotes community policing, and gives credit to the department and city administration around him.

Most of all, these honors show what can happen when a department has a clear purpose. The work is not simply about responding to calls. It is about treating people with respect at their worst moments, pursuing accountability even when decades have passed, investing in young people, supporting the people who serve, and building trust one interaction at a time.

That is excellence in law enforcement. It is not one award, one person, or one case. It is the daily decision to do the work thoroughly, professionally, and with the community in mind.

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