“The officer failed to yield for the changing red light and crashed into a vehicle,” Birk said. A person in the 2003 Altima was transported to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
The chief said officers are required to obey traffic laws and “obviously this is a violation of our policy and procedures. You have to yield for oncoming traffic. We have to yield and make sure the intersection is clear even if you have lights and sirens and are going to assist an officer.”
Birk said the incident will be reviewed and investigated.
The crash comes at a time when five of the department’s cruisers are out of service at the city garage, awaiting different parts, he said. They are hopeful to get them up and running this week.
Birk said he has not yet assessed the cruiser that was damaged.
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