Ken Wallentine

Law Enforcement and the Law

Ken Wallentine is the chief of the West Jordan (Utah) Police Department and former chief of law enforcement for the Utah Attorney General. He has served over four decades in public safety, is a legal expert and editor of Xiphos, a monthly national criminal procedure newsletter. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Death and serves as a use of force consultant in state and federal criminal and civil litigation across the nation.

LATEST ARTICLES

K-9

Dog bite justified by fear man had a gun

The officers’ reasonable belief the subject could have been armed, coupled with his refusal to obey their commands to turn away, justified the use of the dog

April 25, 2023 08:49 PM

Ken Wallentine

Legal

The right to bear arms or disorderly conduct?

Surely it would be utter foolishness to ignore a person walking up to a school with a rifle slung on her back and a handgun and other items on a gun belt. Here’s what a court had to say

April 25, 2023 08:42 PM

Ken Wallentine

Legal

Does the five-second rule apply to extending a traffic stop to permit a dog sniff?

Courts may be open to some truly minimal “negligibly burdensome” delay

April 12, 2023 12:11 AM

Ken Wallentine

Legal

Friendly warning: Cops ahead!

After Michael Friend made a sign reading “Cops Ahead,” an officer arrested him for “interfering” with a distracted driving investigation – here’s how the court ruled after Friend sued

March 31, 2023 08:21 PM

Ken Wallentine

Legal

Skipping an easy step leads to suppression

This case illustrates how good police work can easily be marred by failing to secure a warrant

March 10, 2023 12:16 PM

Ken Wallentine

Legal

Traffic stop by the numbers adds up to admissible evidence

The court noted probable cause “is not a high bar: It requires only the kind of fair probability on which reasonable and prudent people, not legal technicians, act.”

March 01, 2023 11:18 PM

Ken Wallentine