Vernal Police Chief Dylan Rooks issued a press release on June 17th in response to criticism received for police response during the Outlaw Jamboree ATV light parade. Chief Rooks explained that the police department was never informed that a ‘light parade’ was to occur and no event permit was applied for. During the event, a Vernal City officer stopped two ATVs with illegal lighting and no citations were issued and two other ATVs were stopped by another agency for illegal lighting. In the aftermath, the officers involved have been heavily criticized, including in the local newspaper. The following is a portion of what Chief Rooks had to share in response: “Those officers who were unfortunate enough to have been doing their jobs (enforcing the law) on the night of June 5th, should be praised, not ridiculed…It is very unfortunate that a simple oversight during the planning of this event has resulted in such nasty treatment against our local law enforcement. [The newspaper] article and its depictions of our officers, is absolutely sickening. These officers were doing their jobs, period. The truth and the facts should matter. The Vernal Police Department enjoys a fantastic relationship with our community and despite articles such as this, values the trust of our community above all else. Thank you for your continued support.” The entire press release can be viewed on the Vernal PD Facebook page.
