ISP releases footage of troopers close call
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IDAHO FALLS — Idaho State Police released video this week of a trooper narrowly avoiding a serious head-on collision as a result of a intoxicated driver.
The video, posted to the ISP Twitter account, was taken from a September incident. It is part of a larger effort by ISP to better inform the public.
“We want the public to know some of the dangers that we face with our job,” ISP Lt. Christopher Weadick told EastIdahoNews.com.
The video shows a man driving down the wrong lane of U.S. Highway 20 at high speeds almost hitting a state police officer. Weadick said the driver almost took out the trooper head-on.
“The driver turned out to be under the influence of drugs and he fled from the trooper when he tried to stop him. We were able to successfully apprehend him,” Weadick said.
The incident happened west of Idaho Falls and the driver was identified as 18-year-old Isaac Joe. He will be sentenced for felony eluding a police officer and misdemeanor driving under the influence in March.
Weadick says posts like this act as a reminder to the public and is one example of how the agency is trying to be open.
“We’re a transparent agency. We want people to know what we do and why we do it. There are times where certainly we have to balance the right of privacy versus the public right to know,” Weadick said.
He said they want to continue to act in conjunction with the community in their efforts of outreach.
“We’ve had some great partnering with local businesses during the holiday season to be able to show the community that we are out there and that we are committed to our community,” Weadick said.
Weadick said the agency looks forward to posting more during Throwback Thursdays and Flashback Fridays.
“Our mission for public safety is still the same as it is today. We just happen to have some different tools, some different avenues to be able to do our job,” Weadick said. “We will continue to do that. Build the trust with the public and show that we are really out there for the right reasons, doing the right thing.”
Check out ISP’s Twitter page for the latest updates at @ISPeasternIdaho.