Utah bill advances training for investigations of missing and murdered Indigenous people

Utah lawmakers are advancing a bill that would create specialized law enforcement training for investigations involving missing and murdered Indigenous people, according to Utah News Dispatch.

House Bill 588, sponsored by Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, would direct the state’s American Indian-Alaska Native Health and Family Services office to develop a training curriculum for law enforcement officers. The bill passed unanimously through the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee on Monday, according to Utah News Dispatch. Romero said the measure is intended to address disparities identified in a 2023 Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force report.

The report found Indigenous people account for about 5% of murder victims in Utah while representing about 1.5% of the state’s population, according to Utah News Dispatch. “There are steps to addressing this epidemic, because it is an epidemic,” Romero told Utah News Dispatch. “This is just the first step of many steps while I serve in the legislature.”