• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

Utah state trooper accused of making bogus DUI arrests

OC for ME

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
12,452
Location
White Oak Plantation
During her 10 years as a Utah state trooper, Lisa Steed built a reputation as an officer with a knack for nabbing drunken motorists in a state with a long tradition of teetotaling and some of the nation's strictest liquor laws.


Steed used the uncanny talent -- as one supervisor once described it -- to garner hundreds of arrests, setting records, earning praise as a rising star and becoming the first woman to become trooper of the year.


Today, however, Steed is out of work, fired from the Utah Highway Patrol, and she -- and her former superiors -- are facing a lawsuit in which some of those she arrested allege she filed bogus DUI reports.

.....

Steed was taken off road patrol in April 2012 and fired in November. She was accused of violating department policies, falsifying police reports and using questionable practices when making DUI arrests.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/02/2...sed-making-bogus-dui-arrests/?test=latestnews
Only one trooper? really?
 

Citizen

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
18,269
Location
Fairfax Co., VA
Only one trooper? really?

And, it took numerous false arrests to catch her.

Or, rather, despite her very unusual "success" it had to build up to unavoidable evidence that couldn't be ignored or explained away. There is no way police supervisors can claim with a straight face they are only looking out for public safety with that much evidence the public is in danger of false arrest.

I mean really. How much thinking does it take to ask oneself, "Hmmmm. That's pretty coincidental. The most drunks are out driving at exactly the same time Trooper Steed is working. The drunks even shift their patterns around to coincide with her work hours. Hmmmmm."

And, this is from the same industry that will use just about anything it can to justify being suspicious for a car search, dog sniff, or detention. Meaning, they'll latch on to the tiniest thing and claim in court it justified a suspicion.

Bwahahahahahahahahahaahaaaa!!!!
 

MKEgal

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2010
Messages
4,383
Location
in front of my computer, WI
Steed stopped him because he was wearing a Halloween costume and booked him even though three breathalyzer tests showed no alcohol in his system. Choate said he spent $3,800 and had to take four days off of work to get his DUI charge dismissed.
Why weren't her supervisors supervising? Seriously, wouldn't she have to put the results of all those tests into her report?
And wouldn't the DA look at them & apologize profusely to the driver? Why did the citizen have to spend time & money on this?
Wonder why he didn't do something about it before this.

By April 2012, her credibility had come into question so much that a prosecutor said he would no longer prosecute DUIs if Steed's testimony was the only evidence.
Why were they doing it in the first place?!?! If it's just the cop and the citizen, no video of him weaving, slurring, failing the stupid human tricks, no brethalyzer, then they don't have a case.

the bulk of Steed's arrestees had no signs of "impairing drugs" in their systems
She booked him for DUI even though his blood alcohol content was 0.00
Tapia was arrested for a DUI; her... blood test showed no alcohol

Every one of her DUI stops back to at least 2006 should be under suspicion, he said, adding that could be as many as 1,500 people.
:like:
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
I suddenly became physic, I foresee lawyers coming into money from the state of Utah. Doesn't surprise me after seeing Trooper Friendly from Utah posting here.
 

OC for ME

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
12,452
Location
White Oak Plantation
Why weren't her supervisors supervising? Seriously, wouldn't she have to put the results of all those tests into her report?
And wouldn't the DA look at them & apologize profusely to the driver? Why did the citizen have to spend time & money on this?
Wonder why he didn't do something about it before this.

Why were they doing it in the first place?!?! If it's just the cop and the citizen, no video of him weaving, slurring, failing the stupid human tricks, no brethalyzer, then they don't have a case.

:like:
"By April 2012 her credibility....." She has been slipping in credibility for several years but the top cops just could not bring themselves to hold one of their own accountable.

I again reiterate.
Steed was taken off road patrol in April 2012 and fired in November. She was accused of violating department policies, falsifying police reports and using questionable practices when making DUI arrests.
No criminal charges? Apparently the Utah State Police is a cesspool of state sanctioned buffoonery. I hope that this goes class action and those who ended up paying or served time get big fat checks. But, the state and a complicit thug judge will limit this case to only those identified in the article.
 

Gil223

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2012
Messages
1,392
Location
Weber County Utah
And who is it from Utah in this thread?

This seems to be a case of an overzealous, female trooper who wanted to show that she could not only play with the boys, but beat them at their own game. She made a name for herself as a State Trooper... unfortunately, she made a name twice. The "rising star" is now the fallen star. (I guess the good news is that she wasn't a shooting star.) A single individual who chooses not to play by the rules is not necessarily an indication of uniform corruption, but it does tarnish the badge. However... if her superiors became suspicious - which they should have with 0.0BA arrests - and if they failed to investigate properly, they are as culpable as she. It brings into question a possible culture of corruption within that LE agency.

Sadly, our LEOs are drawn from the same well as our bank tellers, doctors, carpenters, and professional athletes - the very fallible human race. Honor and integrity are not innate characteristics of humans. IMHO, they are the result of nurture, not nature, and for most of us these traits are usually established before we reach our teen years. Honor and integrity are learned moral concepts. Our paths are determined by what we have learned from observation and experience, and how we internalize that learning. Apparently, Lisa Steed internalized the wrong social conscience. This is the type of behavior that comes from manipulating and ignoring "the rules". Behaviors learned from observation of parents, peers, and other "authority figures". Internalized behaviors like copying the work of other students in school without being caught, successfully lying to parents, plagiarism, shoplifting without being held accountable, etc. Somewhat short of being a full-blown, conscienceless sociopath, but having an abnormal set of personal rules by which they live. The preceding is not meant to excuse Lisa Steed's transgressions, but as an explanation of some of the factors that may (or may not) have molded her into what she is today. An unremorseful cheat and a liar. Personally, I hope she gets the maximum sentence when she is tried and found guilty.

It's a shame that we can't find people that are all perfectly suited to their job, and I believe that's especially true in a field as important to the public as LE. The only perfect human of record died over 2,000 years ago. Today, we just have to work with what's currently available. :) Pax...
 
Last edited:

Gil223

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2012
Messages
1,392
Location
Weber County Utah

I just thought it ironic that the "Utah Forum" had posts in this thread from members in Wisconsin, Virginia and North Carolina. They are certainly welcome in any forum, but the irony of a state forum without input from any residents of that state (or at least those who proclaimed residence in some fashion) jumped right out at me.

The second irony is that there was no indication of any relationship between the original post and OC. If this was just posted as a news item, it's old news to those of us who actually live in Utah, as the disgraced Steed's face has been plastered all over the local TV news for at least a month, and many gallons of printer's ink were probably sacrificed just to repeatedly print this one story as it unfolded.

Those two things combined left me with the impression that it was simply an exercise in "cop bashing". Having worked in Utah LE about twenty-five years ago, I take exception to the finger pointing of outsiders (granted the whole "cop culture" in Utah could have transmogrified in that period of time). The worst I saw at the DCSO, was a bit of badge-heavy attitude demonstrated by a two or three of the deputies. Although there was a significant religion-based "them vs us"-type clique within the DCSO, I never once had any suspicions of dishonesty or corruption. Just my 2¢ worth. Pax...
 

EMNofSeattle

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
3,670
Location
S. Kitsap, Washington state
Well lookie here

It appears she tazed a non-threatening man repeatedly after he didn't get out of the car and wanted his lawyer presented. I would call this one of those "questionable practices" mentioned in the OP

It looks from pictures and video this looks like the same trooper.

[video=youtube;tfMY--ztuG8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfMY--ztuG8[/video]

It appears that Utah Highway Patrol paid the man in this video 40,000 dollars in exchange for dropping an excessive force complaint against the department. This incident was in late March of 2009. The settlement was in November of 2012, a full six months prior to her firing.
 
Last edited:

EMNofSeattle

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
3,670
Location
S. Kitsap, Washington state
And look what else

As others pointed out, how could she have taken this long to catch? apparently other officers had been reporting her activity or expressing reservations about her for years. This trooper recalls....

[video=youtube;2ZeK5Cgv90A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZeK5Cgv90A[/video]
 

Motofixxer

Regular Member
Joined
May 14, 2010
Messages
965
Location
Somewhere over the Rainbow
It appears she tazed a non-threatening man repeatedly after he didn't get out of the car and wanted his lawyer presented. I would call this one of those "questionable practices" mentioned in the OP

It looks from pictures and video this looks like the same trooper.



It appears that Utah Highway Patrol paid the man in this video 40,000 dollars in exchange for dropping an excessive force complaint against the department. This incident was in late March of 2009. The settlement was in November of 2012, a full six months prior to her firing.



That's why smart people keep their doors locked, window down only an inch and don't answer any questions as a passenger. Stay in the car and keep your mouth shut.
 
Last edited:

Grapeshot

Legendary Warrior
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
35,317
Location
Valhalla
See no connection in this thread to OC or RKBA - moved to Social Lounge.

(8) KEEP IT ON-TOPIC: All gun rights discussions not directly related to open carry should take place in the "General Discussions" forum and topics that are not related to gun rights at all should take place in "The Lounge". Please police your own posts before posting them and help keep OCDO strong and focused.
 

Citizen

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
18,269
Location
Fairfax Co., VA
That's why smart people keep their doors locked, window down only an inch and don't answer any questions as a passenger. Stay in the car and keep your mouth shut.

Don't forget PA vs Mimms. Cops can legally order anybody out of their vehicle for officer safety during a stop.
 
Last edited:

MAC702

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
6,331
Location
Nevada
...Sadly, our LEOs are drawn from the same well as our bank tellers, doctors, carpenters, and professional athletes - the very fallible human race......

And more specifically, they only come from those within that well who WANT to police their fellowmen.
 

Gil223

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2012
Messages
1,392
Location
Weber County Utah
And more specifically, they only come from those within that well who WANT to police their fellowmen.

Yes, Mac, and doctors come from those within that well who want to practice medicine and/or play God; mechanics come from those within that well who want to fix cars; and clergymen, social workers, and psychiatrists come from those within that well who want to influence/control the thoughts and actions of other people. (There are also many officers [although arguably, they may be in the minority] who have the integrity to be enforcers of the law without thinking they are the law, and actually believe the motto "To Protect and Serve".) Pax...
 
Last edited:

eye95

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
13,524
Location
Fairborn, Ohio, USA
You're right, Gil. Folks shouldn't imply that the only motivation to become a LEO is to have authority over others. For some (probably not most) it is. For some (probably a large majority) it is not.

Seeing bigotry here is always disappointing.
 
Last edited:

sudden valley gunner

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2008
Messages
16,674
Location
Whatcom County
And more specifically, they only come from those within that well who WANT to police their fellowmen.

I won't let others equate public jobs to private. It just doesn't equate. Bankers, Carpenters and Doctors etc.......pay for their mistakes almost immediately. They don't get the protection of the almighty state.
 
Top