UTAH
Lehi police officer initiated a felony stop on incorrect information
Apr 10, 2023, 4:00 PM
FILE: Lehi City Police reported one of their officers initiated a felony traffic stop that the officer later learned, was based on incorrect information. (Laura Seitz/Deseret News)
(Laura Seitz/Deseret News)
LEHI CITY, Utah — According to a statement from Lehi City Police Department, a police officer pulled over a vehicle in Lehi City on April 2nd after receiving a “possible stolen vehicle” alert. But the information used for the alert ended up being wrong.
According to police, the officer acted on incomplete information when initiating the stop, including the license plate number and the make and model of the car.
There were two adults and a child in the vehicle, police said.
The officer then performed “a high-risk vehicle stop” while waiting for backup. A high-risk vehicle stop includes an officer pointing his gun towards a vehicle. In this instance, the officer did point their gun toward the vehicle while a child was inside.
The officer asked the adults to exit the car and temporarily detained them. However police said the officer put their gun down while approaching and speaking to the child.
“The wanted information was actually on a different make and model of a vehicle that shared seven numbers in common with a VIN of a stolen vehicle,” a Lehi City police statement read.
“The dispatcher failed to see that the actual plate number given was not stolen.”
Police said several mistakes were made, including discrepancies found in the information from the National Crime Information Center.
“This is a rare and unfortunate incident that we do not take lightly,” the police statement read. “During an internal investigation into the incident, we have identified some areas where further training is warranted and will be initiated.”
Lehi Police said they have taken corrective action with a dispatcher and will implement further training.
