Pocatello officer cited for hitting pedestrian
UPDATE:
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following article has been updated with new information from the City of Pocatello.
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — A Pocatello Police Officer has been cited for failure to yield after striking a pedestrian in a crosswalk with their patrol car on Thursday afternoon, December 4th.
The incident took place around 1:47 PM at the intersection of 5th Avenue and East Sublette Street.
According to City of Pocatello spokesperson Marlise Irby-Facer, the unnamed pedestrian was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The officer involved, who has not been identified, was cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian.
“We are thankful the pedestrian’s injuries are not life-threatening, and our thoughts are with them. Idaho State Police is conducting an independent investigation, which the City fully supports,” Irby said.
Video Footage Withheld: Pocatello Police Spotted at Local Business
A security camera at a neighboring business captured video of the incident; however, the business, wishing to remain anonymous, told Local News 8 they would no longer be releasing the video after conversations with Pocatello Police. The initial security video was released by an unnamed employee.
A Pocatello Police officer and a subsequent vehicle were spotted leaving the business as Local News 8 arrived Friday morning.
Local News 8 has reached out to the City of Pocatello regarding this and received the following statement in response:
The City of Pocatello follows established Police Administrative Rules when an officer is involved in an incident that results in a citation. As outlined in the policy (available on the City’s website), a Discipline Roundtable is convened to review the circumstances of the incident and make a recommendation based on the findings. The final decision regarding any disciplinary action rests with the Chief of Police.
“Any incident involving a pedestrian and one of our police vehicles is taken extremely seriously. Our first concern is for the individual who was injured, and we are grateful their injuries were not life-threatening. We recognize the concern this causes in our community.
As mentioned in an earlier statement by the City, the Idaho State Police is conducting an independent investigation, and we are fully cooperating with their process. The officer involved has been cited, and we will review the findings of the investigation to determine any additional internal actions.” – Chief Roger Schei, Pocatello Police Department
