(WatchDogReport.org) – A police officer in Frisco, Texas, made a clerical mistake prior to a “high risk” traffic stop. Due to a recent increase in vehicular theft, especially of Dodge Chargers, the Frisco PD officer ran the tag of a Charger she witnessed leaving a hotel parking lot. The information received from the query led the officer to believe the vehicle was stolen.
Following procedures, the officer initiated a high-risk traffic stop for a stolen vehicle. The driver pulled off the road, and the officer waited for backup before approaching the Charger.
Police surrounded the vehicle with guns drawn per protocol for the situation. The occupants, a father, mother, and two juvenile boys, were ordered to exit the car and walk backward away from the vehicle. The family identified themselves as residents from Arkansa on their way to a basketball tournament.
Officers held the family at gunpoint, with the mother and one son in handcuffs, causing the family to become distraught.
Once a sergeant arrived on the scene, it was discovered that the information entered into the computer system by the officer who initiated the traffic stop was incorrect. She had mistakenly typed AZ (Arizona) instead of AR (Arkansas) for the state of registration. The simple error caused the vehicle to appear stolen in the system. The officer immediately acknowledged her blunder and took full responsibility, apologizing to the family multiple times alongside the other police there.
The officers were sincere in their apology, and the officer who made the typo stated that she would accept the consequences for her error. The Frisco police chief made a statement apologizing to the family as well. He admitted that officers are human and will make mistakes. He assured the family that the Frisco PD does not hide from their mistakes but strives to learn from them.
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