Protesters arrested in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown is defending his officers after the arrest of more than a dozen protesters at Washington Square Park.

The protesters took over part of the park Thursday in order to demand that city leaders provide more shelter beds and that police stop issuing citations for homeless camping.

Police began telling the protesters that they needed to leave the park on Friday, telling them that shelter beds were available and transportation would be provided.

Late Saturday night, police acted to remove the protesters, issuing 13 citations and taking four people to jail.

Brown denied accusations that his officers were heavy-handed or violent while trying to clear the park.

Brown said citations to the homeless are actually down significantly, dropping from 349 in 2017 to just 45 last year.