Utah’s Indigent Defense Commission will help foot the bill for additional public defenders needed for those arrested in Operation Rio Grande, the Commission announced Friday.
Salt Lake County was awarded more than $368,000 to hire two new public defenders to represent those who have been charged with crimes as part of local and state officials’ efforts to reduce lawlessness around Salt Lake City’s downtown homeless shelter.
The Indigent Defense Commission (IDC) voted Wednesday to award the grant to the county. It is the second request for funds the Commission has approved since it was formed during the 2016 legislative session to oversee public defense services in the state and dole out $1.