Salt Lake Gangs
Gang violence in Salt Lake City reached epic proportions in 1994. On Sunday, September 25, 1994, two rival gang members met in a store parking lot and shot it out. Both were killed. During a news conference on September 27, Governor Leavitt offered his assistance. Salt Lake City Mayor DeeDee Corradini immediately accepted the offer and on September 28, 1994, 12 Utah Highway Patrol troopers went to work in Salt Lake City. Four troopers were assigned to patrol in areas where tensions remained high between rival gangs. The other eight troopers joined the Metro Gang Task Force. Governor Leavitt also ordered double bunking at youth detention facilities, expanded the Genesis work camp, asked courts to speed up the process for certifying juveniles as adults, and proposed separate housing of serious and repeated youth offenders. The 12 troopers continued working in this capacity for several weeks.