Panel to study police crash

An accident review board will be convened to investigate an April 15 crash that totaled a Coeur d’Alene police cruiser and caused an estimated $15,000 damage to six vehicles at a used car lot.

Officer Jeff Walther was driving too fast for conditions when he lost control of the police car on the wet road, according to Idaho State Police reports. Walther and Officer Joshua Ray, the passenger, were not wearing seat belts.

Walther was driving southbound on Third Street just after 3 a.m. when he struck the curb, the report said. The cruiser went up onto the sidewalk and hit a water spigot and large rock before crashing into several vehicles parked at Dave Smith Frontier Sales.

The cruiser spun counterclockwise, according to the report, hitting a 2005 Saturn VUE, a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe, a 2006 Jeep Wrangler and a 2005 Buick Rendezvous van.

The van was pushed into another Jeep Wrangler, which was pushed into a third Jeep Wrangler.

Coeur d’Alene Police Sgt. Christie Wood said the police cruiser – valued at more than $20,000 – was wrecked beyond repair. The equipment inside is salvageable, Wood said.

The officers were responding to a report of a man threatening another individual with a knife, she said. Walther was not injured, but Ray suffered bruises to his knees, she said.

Both officers were in violation of department policy that requires patrol officers to wear their seat belts, Wood said.

The state police investigated the crash to avoid a possible conflict of interest, even though it was within the city’s jurisdiction, she said.

No citations were issued, but Wood said Police Chief Wendy Carpenter instructed the state police to issue a citation if they thought it was warranted.

Accidents involving patrol cars are rare, Wood said – about once a year. In each instance, an accident review board investigates to determine if disciplinary action is necessary.

Wood said the board, appointed by Carpenter and composed of Coeur d’Alene police officers, will determine if the officer was at fault.

The chief can order discipline ranging from a letter in an officer’s personnel file to days off without pay to termination based on the board’s findings.

Neither the state police nor the Coeur d’Alene police issued a news release on the accident. Wood said the city department doesn’t typically issue news releases on accidents involving an officer but would if serious injuries were reported.

Both officers involved in the crash remain on active duty, she said.