Ogden police chief to retire; new chief to be announced Wednesday
Ogden Police Department Chief Mike Ashment unveils a new data-driven Cyberwatch program in 2014.
A website accused Ogden police of kicking in the door on an 80-year-old woman's home Friday, Sept. 11, 2015, but an officer with the department was adamant that the information posted to the "citizen journalist" site was inaccurate.
OGDEN — After more than 30 years serving the Ogden Police Department, Chief Mike Ashment is retiring and the city plans to announce his replacement Wednesday.
Ashment, who became chief in March 2012, plans to retire once the new chief is selected and approved. Though the announcement will be made this week, the Ogden City Council must officially approve the appointment during its meeting Jan. 3, 2017.
A search for Ashment’s replacement was conducted over several weeks, Caldwell said by phone Monday. The plan is for the new chief to start work shortly after the counsel consents to his or her appointment.
Caldwell praised Ashment for what he described as “a long career in a really difficult job” and said his professionalism was apparent from the very beginning of his time as chief.
On Caldwell’s first day as mayor in January 2012, chaos erupted when police officer Jared Francom was killed and five others were wounded while serving a search warrant at Matthew David Stewart’s home. Ashment became chief that March.
“(Ashment) came in and oversaw a rough transition,” Caldwell said. “We’re sad he’s moving on, but with change it always brings the opportunity to reevaluate things.”
Ashment also oversaw the department during a time when scores of officers exited for higher pay elsewhere — over the past three years, the department lost 58 officers, many seeking fatter paychecks. In August, the Ogden City Council unanimously approved a 31 percent property tax increase to raise employee pay.
“It’s been a great career,” 52-year-old Ashment said Monday, repeating an apropos comment he’d heard at a colleague’s retirement: “I’ll miss the clowns, but I won’t miss the circus.”
When he was 19, Ashment was pursuing a marketing degree at what was then Weber State College. However, going on a ride-along with his neighbor who was a cop convinced him to change majors.
His three decades with the department took him through almost every facet of law enforcement, starting out as a patrol officer, serving a stint as an investigator of major crimes, working undercover for the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force and then rising to the role of commanding that unit from 2002 to 2006.
After hitting his career’s 20-year mark, Ashment said he first retired in January 2007. However, some arm-twisting brought him back into service, and he committed to 10 more years on the job.
“It’s kind of bittersweet,” Ashment said. “I always had this idea of a 30-year career in policing — and that came and went pretty quick.”
He looks forward to spending more time with his wife, 19-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son, and doing hobbies like hunting, horseback riding and snowmobiling.
Ashment lamented “the extreme level of criticism” leveled at police officers across the U.S. in recent years, calling it the hardest part of the job.
“It’s been tough to see how that affects our officers. I think that’s not the consensus of the majority of people, but it certainly has changed things,” Ashment said. He noted that recruitment and retention has become increasingly difficult, thus leading to staffing shortages and reduction in service levels.
“But in spite of that challenge, the refreshing thing is that we’ve been able to continually have an impact in reducing crime in this city,” Ashment said, citing a 16 percent drop in Ogden’s crime rate between 2011 and 2015. “We’re seeing some good things, and that has been job one for us over the course of five years.”
Caldwell will announce the new police chief at a press conference at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, at the Public Safety Building, located at 2186 Lincoln Ave.
Contact reporter Cathy McKitrick at 801-625-4214 or cmckitrick@standard.net. Follow her on Twitter at @catmck.