Last month, eight to 10 Lehi Youth Peer Court volunteers were told their service was over and to turn in their keys at the Lehi Courthouse to Lehi police.

On Monday, some of the former volunteers left a letter at the Daily Herald saying they were "shocked and hurt regarding the thoughtless manner in which their dismissal had been handled."

The peer court is an alternative program to the juvenile court system for first-time youth offenders who've committed minor offenses. Instead of appearing before a juvenile court judge, the offenders must stand before a jury of their peers, admit guilt and accept whatever sanctions are imposed. Until Aug. 24, the court was run by Lehi Junior High and Lehi High School students with support from adult volunteers.

The former volunteers said four days after they were told not to return to the court, they met with Lehi Mayor Howard Johnson to find out why they were "fired," but the mayor passed the buck to Police Chief Chad Smith.

"They've been there a long time and the chief thought it would be a proper thing to do and without getting into it, just normal procedures in government," Johnson said. "Just like for a mayor they vote in this guy and vote out that guy."

Bonnie Clark, former Peer Court director, said the initial complaint against the volunteers appeared to be a backlog of cases, then record keeping.

Johnson said Smith wanted things to go in a different direction. Now instead of volunteers, Lehi police officers Greg Neer and Kevin Turner have been put in charge of the program. The peer court is part of their regular duties.

"Those volunteers have been in a long time and we appreciate dearly what they've done for the program," Smith said. "We want to go in a different direction. ... We're going to control it a little closer to the Lehi Police Department."

He would like someone available 24/7 and be able to be more closely involved with the program budget, he said.

Smith said he started Lehi's Youth Peer Court 10 years ago in 1992 when Police Chief Karl Zimmerman asked him to get it up and running. The police department regularly rotates its staff among the programs, fostering new ideas and new blood.

The volunteers say they are still wondering why there was no communication about the change or any appreciation expressed about their work. In the letter, they noted the grants and projects the program has received and completed during their tenure, including a $3,000 startup grant and a $250 grant to paint the Lehi Rodeo Grounds and sweep gutters and sidewalks on Main Street in Lehi.

"We struggled with this for a month," Clark said. "We got a call that basically said the mayor wasn't happy with us."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A12.