Air support, technology help Utah officers capture fleeing motorcyclist

HERRIMAN, Utah (KUTV) — Authorities said a motorcyclist who led troopers on a dangerous chase was ultimately caught with the help of helicopter surveillance, traffic cameras and coordinated dispatch systems.

The suspect was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on several charges.

Video showed a helicopter tracking the suspect from above. Moments later, officers moved in and tackled him as he tried to get away.

“Our ultimate goal is to mitigate the risk to the public and keep the public safe,” Sgt. Ricky Jensen said.

The arrest followed a motorcyclist who allegedly fled from police, sped through traffic and continued to drive recklessly.

As the situation unfolded, law enforcement relied on multiple layers of technology to track the rider.

“Obviously body cam and dash cam that we were using,” Jensen said. “And then the traffic operation cameras that UDOT has, and then our helicopter that has a camera system that we use to track them as well.”

Jensen said traffic cameras helped monitor the motorcycle’s movement, while dispatch and air support coordinated in real time.

“The traffic operation control people relayed the information to dispatch as well in real time,” he said. “And then a lot of this was just used through our radio system and aero bureau.”

That communication allowed officers across the valley to stay updated on a suspect’s location as it happened.

“I think our software was just getting a lot better,” Jensen said. “The picture on our dash cams, body cams, the traffic operation cameras — technology was just getting better and better all the time.”

In this case, the helicopter was able to locate the suspect and follow from above as ground units moved into position.

“They basically just had an address, and it was very easy for our helicopter to pick up and lock onto them with the camera system,” Jensen said.

That coordinated effort ultimately led to the suspect’s arrest.

“Anything we could do to use technology, we were going to exhaust every resource we could to keep the public safe and stop these criminals from putting the public at risk,” he said.

_______