Local law enforcement clarifies role as ICE operates in Summit County

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrests criminal fugitives as part of Operation Cross Check. Photo: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

PARK CITY, Utah — Members of the Summit County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council on Tuesday discussed community concerns about immigration enforcement and described how local agencies communicate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when federal agents operate in the area.

Darwin Little, a captain with the Park City Police Department, told the council that city police are not federal officers and do not enforce federal immigration law. Little said the department wants residents to feel safe reporting crimes and emphasized that Park City officers enforce state and local laws and ordinances, not federal immigration statutes.

Little said the department has asked ICE to notify local agencies if operations occur within city limits. He said that notification helps police and dispatch respond appropriately to public calls, including those from residents who may be alarmed by an enforcement action or have questions about what is happening.

Kacey Bates, the Summit County sheriff, described how the jail confirms identities during booking and how that process can lead to contact with ICE in some cases. Bates said the jail uses fingerprints to identify people, particularly when someone lacks reliable identification. Bates said that when the jail needs to establish a person’s identity — including in cases where someone has no identification or presents false identification — the sheriff’s office may email ICE with booking information and a photo to confirm identity.

Bates also said ICE has contacted local dispatch in advance on occasions when agents planned to be in the area for a specific individual, without sharing the person’s identity. Bates cited one incident in which ICE attempted a traffic stop, and the person fled before an arrest was made in a Walmart parking lot.

The discussion echoed comments previously given to TownLift by Skyler Talbot, a sergeant who handles public relations for the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and the Summit County Attorney’s Office, after a Dec. 30, 2025, incident in which federal immigration agents conducted what the sheriff’s office described as a targeted operation in Summit County. Talbot said at the time the sheriff’s office was notified that agents intended to operate in the county, but did not receive details such as specific times or locations. The sheriff’s office could not confirm where the operation occurred, Talbot said, though a resident reported witnessing two people being physically detained by officers in unmarked vehicles near Kimball Junction.

Talbot said the sheriff’s office has what he described as a standing agreement with federal law enforcement partners — and local partners as well — that agencies notify the sheriff’s office when they arrive, when they depart, and whether they need assistance. Talbot said no assistance was requested from the sheriff’s office during that incident, and the sheriff’s office was not involved in the operation beyond receiving notification that ICE intended to operate in the county and later receiving notification that the operation had concluded.

Talbot also acknowledged that immigration enforcement actions can create anxiety in the community and said the sheriff’s office wants residents to feel safe. Talbot said ICE has legal authority to operate in Summit County and said the sheriff’s office does not have the authority — or the intent — to stop federal enforcement actions. Talbot urged residents to comply with law enforcement during encounters to prevent escalation.

Talbot also said that if a resident has concerns about the legitimacy of an enforcement action — including whether a person claiming to be law enforcement is who they say they are — residents can call the sheriff’s office. Talbot said the sheriff’s office can send a deputy, at a resident’s request, to help “deconflict” a situation and help ensure public safety.

Council members also discussed whether additional public messaging or coordination could help address community fear and reinforce that residents can contact local law enforcement to report a crime.