My Urgent Question Today to State Rep. Melissa Ballard of Davis County, Utah

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: "John McMillan" <mcmillanj@att.net>

To: "mballard@le.utah.gov" <mballard@le.utah.gov>, "Angela Romero" <angelaromero@le.utah.gov>, "Utah Peace Officers Association 2022" <homeupoa@gmail.com>, "corrections@utah.gov" <corrections@utah.gov>, "mike.brown" <mike.brown@slcgov.com>, "Mike Weichers" <mweichers@ch.utah.gov>, "Utah League of Cities and Towns 2022" <swood@ulct.org>, "Attorney General of Utah" <uag@utah.gov>, "University of Utah Student Newspaper 2022" <press@chronicle.utah.edu>, "newsmedia@ldschurch.org" <newsmedia@ldschurch.org>, "Deseret News 2022" <dnweb@deseretnews.com>, "jsweeney@sltrib.com" <jsweeney@sltrib.com>, "Fox News SLC 2022" <news@fox13now.com>, "nbauer@abc4.com" <nbauer@abc4.com>, "nbauer@abc4.com" <nbauer@abc4.com>, "Jennifer Gardiner" <jgardiner@abc4.com>, "Utah Public Radio 2022" <tom.williams@usu.edu>, "Westminster College Legal-Risk Mgment-Safety2022" <bbuckley@westminstercollege.edu>, "Him-roi" <him-roi@umail.utah.edu>, "Joel Briscoe" <jbriscoe@le.utah.gov>, "Jplumb" <jplumb@le.utah.gov>, "Crimevictims GV" <crimevictims@utah.gov>, "Office of Gov. Spencer Cox" <govcomm@utah.gov>, "Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson 2021" <beckiepage@utah.gov>, "Utah Chiefs of Police Assn 2021" <vshupe@utahchiefs.org>, "Cameron Roden" <croden@utah.gov>, "ryanwilcox@le.utah.gov" <ryanwilcox@le.utah.gov>, "mgwynn@le.utah.gov" <mgwynn@le.utah.gov>, "john.feinauer@le.utah.gov" <john.feinauer@le.utah.gov>, "jburton@le.utah.gov" <jburton@le.utah.gov>, "khall@le.utah.gov" <khall@le.utah.gov>, "shayes@le.utah.gov" <shayes@le.utah.gov>, "marie.stewart" <marie.stewart@slcgov.com>, "shollins@le.utah.gov" <shollins@le.utah.gov>, "mikeschultz@le.utah.gov" <mikeschultz@le.utah.gov>, "astoddard@le.utah.gov" <astoddard@le.utah.gov>, "Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall 2021" <mayor@slcgov.com>, "Mayor Wilson" <mayor@slco.org>, "County Council Member Bradshaw" <arbradshaw@slco.org>, "llstringham@slco.org" <llstringham@slco.org>, "suharrison@slco.org" <suharrison@slco.org>, "Schools Utah Webmaster" <webmaster@schools.utah.gov>, "Univ of Utah Criminology Dir. Heather Melton" <heather.melton@soc.utah.edu>, "California Crime Prevention Officers Assn 2022" <info@ccpoa.us>, "Utah State University Provost 2022" <provost@usu.edu>, "CBS News '60 Minutes' Editors and Reporters" <60m@cbsnews.com>, "Utah Restaurant Association 2022" <info@utahrestaurantassociation.org>, "Utah Apartment Association 2022" <info@uaahq.org>, "Utah Press Assn Director Brian Allfrey 2022" <ballfrey@utahpress.com>, "Salt Lake County (UT) District Attorney 2022" <districtattorney@slco.org>, "Drew Hadley" <drew.hadley@slcgov.com>, "slcpdpr@slcgov.com" <slcpdpr@slcgov.com>, "todd.mitchell" <todd.mitchell@slcgov.com>, "UT_Webmanager" <ut_webmanager@hud.gov>, "sfarver@weber.edu" <sfarver@weber.edu>, "heeuklee@weber.edu" <heeuklee@weber.edu>, "amy.stutzenberger@uvu.edu" <amy.stutzenberger@uvu.edu>, "ryan.vogel@uvu.edu" <ryan.vogel@uvu.edu>, "melissa.noyes@uvu.edu" <melissa.noyes@uvu.edu>, "byu-info@byu.edu" <byu-info@byu.edu>, "sociology@byu.edu" <sociology@byu.edu>, "Utah Republican Party" <info@utgop.org>, "membership@utahretail.com" <membership@utahretail.com>, "Nick Frederick" <nfrederick@le.utah.gov>, "Utah Democrats" <mail@utdem.org>, "lish.harris@utahtech.edu" <lish.harris@utahtech.edu>, "jessica.abbott@utahtech.edu" <jessica.abbott@utahtech.edu>, "korey.phelan@utahtech.edu" <korey.phelan@utahtech.edu>, "moana.hafoka@utahtech.edu" <moana.hafoka@utahtech.edu>, "Patient Feedback" <patientfeedback@imail.org>, "mayor@murray.utah.gov" <mayor@murray.utah.gov>, "Murrayschools Info" <info@murrayschools.org>, "National District Attorneys Assn Crime Prevention" <nbunn@ndaajustice.org>, "communications@utahbar.org" <communications@utahbar.org>

Sent: Sun, Nov 5, 2023 at 8:10 PM

Subject: Urgent Question for Utah State Rep. Melissa Ballard

November 5, 2023

Dear Utah State Representative Melissa Ballard of Davis County, Utah, 

I am very grateful to you for writing me two e-mail reply letters this month in regard to my recent brainstorming letters about the apparent need for expanded and improved addiction-treatment programs for inmates of state prisons here in Utah.

You and Utah  State Representative Angela Romero---an also-courageously empathetic legislator who last year expressed strong support in writing  for safe housing conditions for me inside my current fully locked solo-occupancy apartment unit in Salt Lake City----  have both  greatly impressed me with your admirably direct and constructive styles of communication to me as very honorable  state legislators.

State Rep. Ballard, I am writing you today to ask if you believe the Utah Legislature, the Utah Department of Corrections, the Utah Attorney General's Office, the Utah Governor's Office, Utah State University, the University of Utah, Weber State University, Utah Tech University, Southern Utah University, Utah Valley University,   or an outside consultant  should sponsor or authorize  a new study to identify new strategies for reducing the  incidence of crime suspects resisting arrest by  law enforcement officers here in Utah.

One of those strategies might be to classify as a felony crime any occasion in which a crime suspect in Utah resists arrest by a law-enforcement officer here in Utah.

Reducing the statewide Incidence of suspects arresting arrest is an urgent need for our entire state. As I'm sure you are painfully aware, Rep. Ballard, resistance of arrest by crime suspects is one of the leading causes of injuries and fatal injuries to municipal police officers here in Utah.

The frequency of crime suspects resisting arrest in Utah  also plays a direct and indirect role in injuries to those suspects that result in  costly and time- consuming investigations and extensive  legal expenses incurred by municipal governments throughout Utah.  Reduced local support for municipal law-enforcement efforts in that city or town also often occurs in that type of scenario.

I might add that the alarmingly high risk of violence against Utahn  police officers by crime suspects  severely undermines attempts by criminal-justice education programs and police academies here in Utah to attract the highest possible caliber of students. 

This, in turn, significantly impairs the ability of police departments throughout Utah to recruit and  employ consistently professional police officers. I am referring to police officers who on a year-round basis exhibit first-rate judgment and full compliance with state law in regard to whether they have a  need to use a stun gun or other type of gun---if any--- as a means of protecting themselves from a defiant and apparently armed  crime suspect in our state.

State Representative Melissa Ballard, I hope this brainstorming letter is also helpful to you and other members of the Utah House of Representatives Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee.

Sincerely and Best Wishes,

permanent Utah resident John Kevin McMillan, 535 South 200 East, Apt. 912, Ninth Floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84111.

I am the youngest son of Murray (UT) native, Murray High School alumnus,  and  University of Utah alumnus Dr. Calvin McMillan, a member of the Mormon  Church during his years in Utah.

I myself am the founder and only member of the alcohol-free, tobacco-free, nonvaping, public-safety-minded, and factually focused non-proselytizing "Progressive Prohibitionist Religion". 

My cell phone: (512) 993-7305.

My home phone: (801) 355-0850.

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