IVINS — There will be a new police chief in Ivins and Santa Clara.
Chief Bob Flowers of the Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department speaks before the Ivins City Council, Ivins, Utah, Nov. 8, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Bob Flowers told Ivins city officials Monday that he was retiring as the chief of the Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department after nearly 16 years in the post.
Following his announcement, Ivins Mayor Chris Hart expressed his gratitude for Flowers’ times as chief.
“There’s one of the most respected law enforcement officers in the whole state. He could have been a chief in any city. We were blessed to have him,” Hart said. “On top of that, he’s a wonderful person. There isn’t a council member (or) member of the community who hasn’t liked him, except for the bad guys. We’re parting on the best of terms.”
During his time as chief, Flowers went from being the police chief of Ivins to the chief of a unified Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department when the two cities merged their departments in 2012.
Along with overseeing the merger, he also supervised the move of the department’s headquarters from Santa Clara Town Hall to the former Ivins City Hall two years ago after the city completed a new city hall.
In 2021, Ivins became the first non-campus police force in Washington County to be accredited by the Utah Chiefs of Police Association. The latter end of Flowers’ tenure has included preparing for the arrival of Black Desert Resort, including the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour, as well as his involvement in the conviction of two moms known for their YouTube presence.
“We understood the day was going to come that he was ready to retire. I think he wants to take life a little easier,” Hart said while noting Flowers has indicated he will be sticking around. “He won’t be a stranger.”
L-R: Jaron Studley, then a sergeant with the Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department, and Chief Bob Flowers give a presentation during the Ivins City Council Meeting, Ivins, Utah, Dec. 2, 2021 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
The easier part may be relative. Instead of being responsible for the safety of around 18,000 people between Santa Clara and Ivins, Flowers told St. George News that he will be taking on handling the safety of tens of thousands of visitors at what will be the largest non-skiing resort in Utah as well as hosting annual PGA Tour and LPGA Tour events.
“I am headed to Black Desert Resort to head up their security,” Flowers said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for me and my family at this point in my life.”
It won’t necessarily be new territory for Flowers as far as handling security for major sporting events. Flowers was previously tasked with overseeing security for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Hart has nominated Lt. Jaron Studley to lead the department in the formal title of public safety director of the Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department. The Ivins City Council will vote on whether to approve the appointment at its Thursday night meeting at Ivins City Hall.
“(Flowers) prepared our Police Department well for his departure,” Hart said. “He’s groomed officers coming behind him, and we’re just happy and feel lucky.”
Studley, a graduate of what was then Dixie State University, joined the Ivins Police Department in 2006 and went on to lead an investigation that resulted in the conviction of a man for murdering his wife in their Ivins home in 2021. In the same year, Studley was selected by the Utah Chiefs of Police Association to be an assessor to other police departments in the state.
As for the outgoing chief, this was the second stint for Flowers as the leader of a law enforcement agency in Southern Utah; from 1997 to late 2000, he served as the police chief of St. George after a long tenure with the Utah Department of Public Safety.
L-R: Hurricane Police Chief Lynn Excell confers with Santa Clara-Ivins Police Chief Bob Flowers at a ceremony opening the Washington County Crisis Stabilization Center, Hurricane, Utah, Aug. 22, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
It was a calling from Salt Lake City that led him to leave the St. George post in December 2000 when then-Gov. Mike Leavitt asked Flowers to become the top public safety officer in the state and oversee security for the 2002 Winter Games.
That stint as Utah Department of Public Safety commissioner included providing some oversight for public safety operations and recovery efforts after the 2005 floods in Santa Clara that caused more than $200 million in damage.
After the Olympics and six years as commissioner, Flowers received a promotion to the federal level when President George W. Bush appointed him in July 2006 as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Region VIII, based in Denver, Colorado, which oversaw the Rocky Mountain states.
Flowers returned to Utah a year later, becoming Salt Lake County’s emergency management coordinator in August 2007.
But having maintained a home in Southern Utah since his St. George days, Flowers came back when the police chief slot in Ivins opened up. He was named Ivins’ new police chief on July 15, 2008.
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