After reviewing the traffic stop that resulted in the shooting death of a New Mexico State Police (NMSP) officer in 2021, a committee concluded that “better communication” between law enforcement agencies could prevent similar future incidents.
A committee made up of NMSP personnel conducted a review of the February 2021 traffic stop that ended in Officer Darian Jarrott being shot and killed by Omar Felix Cueva on I-10, just east of Deming.
The Committee identified a “lack of information,” between Homeland Security Investigations and Jarrott, as the main contributing factor that led to the officer making the “improper tactical decision” during the traffic stop.
According to the report,Jarrott was not part of the operation plan and had only received information about Cueva and the vehicle through text messages.
The report also states that the sergeant who sent Jarrott the information should’ve told him that this traffic stop was more than a “BOLO” (Be On the Lookout) traffic stop.
Furthermore, the report says that the sergeant had “plenty of time” to add Jarrott to the string of texts so he could catch up on the situation and “make the stop according to their plan.”
The 36-page report then concludes by stating that the Committee believes that– to prevent similar incidents from happening– law enforcement agencies teaming up for an operation should:
- Share details of the operation between participating agencies
- Make sure personnel helping in the operation attend briefings
- Limit communication to only those participating agencies
You can read the full report below which also includes a breakdown of tactical options officers have when conducting traffic stops similar to those that resulted in Jarrott’s death:
The report was shared by NMSP through their social media accounts and can be found on their website as well.
According to the Facebook post, the recommendations outlined in the report led to Chief Tim Johnson making “State Police policy changes” and NMSP wanted to share
Furthermore, NMSP said they hope the release of the report “serve[s] as a tool to improve officer safety and hopefully prevent a future tragedy.”
Echoing those remarks, the Facebook post quotes NMSP Chief Troy Wesler as saying,
