On the morning of Sunday, July 23rd, 2023, a Frisco Police Officer initiated a high-risk traffic stop on the Dallas North Tollway after mistakenly believing a black Dodge Charger with an out of state license plate was possibly stolen. The incident, caused by an error in license plate information entry, has prompted the Frisco Police Department to review its procedures and reinforce training measures.
The series of events began when a Frisco Police Officer noticed a black Dodge Charger with an out of state license plate leaving a hotel. Given the recent surge in burglaries and vehicle thefts, with Chargers being a common target, the officer decided to run a computer check of the vehicle's license plate. However, during the data entry process, the plate was mistakenly entered as being from Arizona instead of Arkansas, leading to an incorrect registration return. This error fueled the officer's suspicion that the vehicle might be stolen.
Following standard procedure for suspected stolen vehicles, the officer initiated a high-risk traffic stop on the busy Dallas North Tollway. With backup officers arriving on the scene, the southbound lanes were closed, and the driver and a backseat passenger were ordered out of the vehicle. Shortly thereafter, a Frisco Police Sergeant arrived at the scene, recognized the mistake, and promptly ordered all officers to 'stand down,' ending the high-risk stop.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Frisco Police Department immediately launched an internal incident review to ascertain what went wrong, assess how it was handled, and identify measures to prevent such errors from occurring in the future. A preliminary assessment highlighted the importance of reinforcing specific training points, particularly focusing on the accuracy of information entered by officers into the system. An ongoing review will further identify additional changes to training, policies, and procedures.
“We made a mistake,” said Frisco Police Chief David Shilson. “Our department will not hide from its mistakes. Instead, we will learn from them. The officer involved quickly accepted responsibility for what happened, which speaks to integrity. I’ve spoken with the family. I empathize with them and completely understand why they’re upset. I apologized on behalf of our department and assured them that we will hold ourselves accountable and provide transparency through the process. This incident does not reflect the high standard of service that our officers provide on a daily basis to our residents, businesses and visitors.”
Body-worn camera video:
https://youtu.be/3UZdtjfOGiE
https://youtu.be/y2RXzRpF_Y4
