LAYTON, Utah, April 2, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — It’s happened again. A Utah Highway Patrol trooper has risked life and limb while using their vehicle as a battering ram to stop an impaired driver.
Trooper Mike Alexander, UHP public information officer, told Gephardt Daily the latest incident happened about 1:35 a.m. Saturday, when “an impaired driver drove into the construction zone,” forcing “the trooper to hit that driver to just stop them from proceeding and continuing through the construction zone.”
The trooper received minor injuries in the crash which happened on southbound Interstate 15 near mile marker 332 at Antelope Drive.
The suspect, whom Alexander said ignored the trooper’s lights and sirens, stopped once her vehicle was struck.
She was taken into custody on suspicion of DUI. Other charges are expected to follow.
No other suspect information was available.
While construction crews were working at the time of the incident, none were caught up in the crash, Alexander said.
The Saturday’s early morning incident, was the second such episode this weekend. Early Friday another UHP trooper put themselves in harm’s way, when they tried to pull into the path of a wrong-way driver on I-15 in Utah County. That driver managed to escape.
In February, a UHP trooper was injured when he intentionally veered into the path of a wrong-way driver on I-15 near 4500 South.
And the one thing they look forward to, was a 50% pension after 20 years of crashes, being shot at, not sure they go home ever again, and the arrogance of the Utah State Retirement System has determined the need for TWO TIER RETIREMENTS. LESS MONEY, LONGER YEARS FOR NEW HIRES. Strange that no one is signing up to become officers any longer. And it’s not only the Utah Highway Patrol, BUT ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.
Now we are watching those agencies with retirements, and resignations, having to cannibalize other departments in efforts to best serve their communities, counties, and state.
TIME FOR THE UTAH RETIREMENT BOARD, RESCIND THIS COSTLY AND DAMAGING DECISION.