BOUNTIFUL—The Bountiful Police Department has named Assistant Chief Ed Biehler as the new police chief following current Chief Tom Ross’ appointment as Executive Director of the Utah CCJJ (Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice.) 

“I started 25 years ago and I’ve been with Bountiful the whole time,” said Biehler. “Back in those days I was testing at various places and Bountiful offered me a position. I had a couple of different options but I felt that Bountiful would be a good place to be.”

Biehler said he kind of fell into law enforcement. “It was almost a fluke. I was in college and worked part time at the mall. My friend was going to the academy and getting college credit. I decided to try it and thought if it didn’t work out I’d at least get credit. The rest is history. I’ve loved every minute of my career ever since.”

He started out in patrol. “I’ve held almost every position you can hold,” said Biehler. “I’ve been in the POP unit, I was the officer at Meadowbrook Elementary for 10 to 11 years. I was on SWAT for 20 years. I was involved in dispatch as a lieutenant and then as Assistant Chief I’ve been supervisor over them for the last year.”

Biehler said he thinks the department has done a good job with community outreach and he plans to continue that. “It’s paid huge dividends. We’ve done a lot with the community for a lot of years and we’ll continue down that path. We want to provide the highest quality of service to the citizens who reside in our community and to those who come as visitors. That’s been a big focus and we’ll continue to do that.”

He also wants to stay up to date on technology. “With technology, just as you get the latest and greatest implemented and people trained, you're two versions behind. It will be on our minds. We want to make sure we’re staying up to date in the tech and software world.”

With the climate around the country and state about law enforcement, Biehler said there’s no way that doesn’t affect his officers. “We really have to help them to realize that’s not the feeling we’re getting from our citizens. We receive thank you notes and treats so we know the community we work with supports us. That doesn’t just happen. We have to do the right thing to let them know we know about them.”

Chief Ross had a big voice in the development of the receiving center, he said. ‘We’ll enhance that to provide services for those most in need with mental health issues.”