By McKenzie Romero | Editor
More than a year after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was gunned down by a rooftop shooter positioned atop a campus building, Utah Valley University has released an independent report of the school’s security.
While the review found the university didn’t show “willful and wanton disregard for the safety of others,” it did find safety policies weren’t consistently followed and the school’s police and safety infrastructures were lacking for a large university.
In this weekend’s Dispatch we unpack the findings of UVU’s safety review and bring you our top stories of the week, including the Utah ballot destruction case being held up as a national bad example and ongoing frustration after Gov. Spencer Cox’s now defused threats to withhold state road funding from Wasatch County.
“UVU hosted this event, and in doing so, assumed responsibility for the safety of all in attendance, including Charlie.” — Brett Parkinson, an attorney representing Charlie Kirk’s family in their apparent preparations to sue UVU over his death.
People visit the courtyard where Charlie Kirk was hosting an event when he was killed at Utah Valley University in Orem on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
By Katie McKellar
Based on site visits, more than 70 interviews and a review of UVU policies, training materials, operational records, digital evidence and dispatch records, an independent review team came up with 10 “key findings” that identified shortcomings surrounding Charlie Kirk’s death and listed recommendations to improve them.
As part of those findings, the review noted UVU “is a large and growing public university with a complex risk environment” that includes large events, high-profile public speakers, protests and more. With that in mind, it raised concerns about the university police department’s “staffing levels, training structure,” and whether it has a strong enough “leadership framework.”
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