261 Odyssey House Journals - Chief Brian Redd261 Odyssey House Journals - Chief Brian Redd
Odyssey House Journals
Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd joins Randall Carlisle and Jackie Buckman to talk openly about addiction, homelessness, accountability and recovery-focused policing. The conversation covers Project Connect, the use of social workers in law enforcement and the importance of treating people on the streets with humanity.
30:07•11 Sept 2026
Chief Brian Redd on Addiction, Homelessness and Police Reform in Salt Lake City
Episode Overview
- Effective recovery requires both strong support and clear accountability for individuals and systems.
- Focused case management for high utilising individuals (Project Connect) can reduce police contact and resource strain.
- Pairing housing with treatment and mental health support is more sustainable than addressing each issue separately.
- Simple human gestures—eye contact, a smile, saying hello—help counter the isolation and invisibility many homeless people feel.
- Collaboration between police, social workers, legal defenders and treatment providers is key to improving outcomes and saving tax money.
“When you just add treatment with no accountability, that doesn't work well. And when you just add accountability without treatment and supportive services, that doesn't work well.”
What resources and support systems are available for sobriety when addiction, homelessness and crime all overlap? This episode of Odyssey House Journals puts that question to Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd, who spends every workday dealing with those issues head-on. Hosted by TV news veteran Randall Carlisle with co-host and clinical therapist Jackie Buckman, the chat mixes frontline stories with policy talk.
You'll hear Chief Redd explain why he believes people need both support and accountability: "When you just add treatment with no accountability, that doesn't work well. And when you just add accountability, maybe incarceration without treatment and supportive services, that doesn't work well." His focus is on combining the two. The conversation digs into Project Connect, where two police department social workers provide case management for the city’s 50 highest users of services such as jail, emergency departments and treatment.
Early signs suggest fewer police contacts when extra support wraps around those individuals, and the plan is to expand the list. You’ll also hear raw street-level stories, including Redd’s refusal to accept an "open air" drug scene: "We're not going to give you a skid row.
We're not going to allow for open air drug use in Salt Lake City anymore." At the same time, he talks about the human impact of powerful drugs, describing how addiction can strip away the ability to make rational choices. Jackie adds a therapeutic lens, stressing how isolation and being treated as invisible can push people back into addiction. Simple actions like eye contact, a smile or a quick hello are framed as small but meaningful gestures.
If you’re interested in how law enforcement, treatment providers and communities can work together to make recovery and safety possible, this candid conversation might get you thinking about what accountability and compassion look like in your own city.
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