A candidate for Utah County sheriff has filed a complaint alleging that his opponent violated the law when a uniformed police officer was spotted putting up campaign signs.
Jim Phelps, a retired U.S. marshal, wrote in the complaint filed last week that he received a video showing a Pleasant Grove police officer taping up a campaign sign for his opponent Mike Smith — the police chief in Pleasant Grove — at a business in American Fork. The officer’s patrol car is parked next to the business, according to still photos provided by Phelps’ campaign.
Phelps wrote in the complaint, which was released Thursday in response to a public records request, that the officer’s actions were in violation of Utah law which prohibits government workers from participating in political campaigns while at work.