Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Alex Wubbels, the Utah nurse who was arrested by a police detective for refusing to allow him to take blood from an unconscious patient without consent or a warrant, has been awarded $500,000 in a settlement with the city.
Wubbels said she plans to use a part of the settlement to advocate for wider access to police body camera footage to the public.
"I am not in the business of setting anyone up for failure. I want us to be successful in moving forward. And I think this is a small step we can provide to enable that potential success if we are going to start asking the police departments to have body cameras," Wubbels said outside the Salt Lake City Police Department, reported the Deseret News.
Karra Porter, Wubbels' attorney, said her firm will help in the nurse's goal.
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"Any person in the State of Utah who wishes to obtain body cam footage of an incident involving them will be able to do so -- no charge to them," Porter said, according to FOX-13. "Thanks to Alex, there will be more transparency."
Wubbels did not file a lawsuit prior to the settlement.
Matthew Rojas, a spokesman for Salt Lake Mayor Jackie Biskupski, said the settlement was a voluntary move by city officials.
"Salt Lake City has been focused first and foremost on ensuring policies and procedures are changed so things like this don't happen again, and we are glad we could come to a resolution with nurse Wubbels," he said.
Wubbels' July 26 arrest at the University of Utah Medical Center generated headlines nationwide after she released body camera footage of the incident in September. She was arrested for resisting Det. Jeff Payne's order for a blood sample related to a car crash, because he had neither a court order or the patient's consent.
An investigation by Salt Lake City police found that Wubbels was correct in telling Payne he needed the warrant if the patient was not a suspect in a crime.
Payne was ultimately fired from the SLCPD and charges against Wubbels were dropped.
