As of this week, the Idaho State Police no longer will release the names of those involved in vehicle collisions, including fatalities.
The decision was made after careful consideration over the last year, according to ISP Communications Director Lynn Hightower. News releases will still contain a general summary of each incident, including a description of vehicles involved, and the ages, genders and hometowns of those involved, if known.
Traffic alerts of lane or road blockages will be shared as usual through each district’s Twitter account. The ISP’s North Central Idaho District is on Twitter at @ISPCentralIdaho. The district includes Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, Clearwater, Adams and Idaho counties.
The agency will also stop releasing the names of hospitals where victims are taken. In a news release, it said releasing names while a potential investigation is unfolding has been found to potentially interfere in those investigations. It’s also a step to protect the privacy of those involved, including those who may be victims, witnesses, or under investigation for being responsible for a crash, as well as patient medical privacy, the news release said.
Each individual county coroner will now be responsible for releasing the names of those killed in vehicle collisions after positive identification has been made and next of kin has been notified. Hightower said ISP informed the Idaho State Association of County Coroners of its change in policy.
“The purpose of public releases following a vehicle collision is to inform the public of what occurred,” the news release said. “It’s also hoped that, as unfortunate and tragic as these incidents are, that they serve to remind us of the importance of safe driving behavior, of awareness of laws intended to increase traffic safety, and of the need of communities to make traffic safety a priority that will save lives.”
