The Taylorsville Police Department is proud to recognize Officer Lutz as our latest Employee of the Month. Officer Lutz joined TVPD upon its formation and has brought more than 15 years of law enforcement experience to the team.

Prior to joining TVPD, he served as an officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department. In addition to his police service, Officer Lutz has devoted more than 20 years to the United States Army, where he developed exceptional leadership and tactical skills. At present, Officer Lutz serves in our Traffic Division and as a sniper on TVPD’s SWAT team. He also attended Salt Lake Community College and the Art Institute of Salt Lake City.

Officer Lutz was nominated by Brandy Stephens, Assistant to the Chief, who commended his outstanding work as TVPD’s lead traffic officer. In this role, he oversees a range of responsibilities, including traffic and parking enforcement, coordination with the Utah Highway Safety Office, organizing traffic blitzes and patrols, assisting the patrol division and conducting safety patrols around local schools.  Taylorsville City, located in the heart of Salt Lake County, encompasses several of the busiest roadways and intersections in Utah.

With some intersections seeing more than 80,000 vehicles per day, traffic safety and enforcement present significant challenges. Traffic enforcement is often a thankless role, as none of us enjoy being pulled over or receiving a citation, yet it remains an important responsibility for law enforcement. The statistics below will hopefully serve as a reminder that nearly all crashes are preventable. Please take extra care on the roads and make the choice to drive safely, keeping these statistics in mind:

2024 Utah Traffic Statistics (Courtesy of the Utah Highway Safety Office)

Top 5 leading causes of all crashes:

1. Followed Too Closely (19%)
2. Failed to Yield (18%)
3. Failed to Keep in Proper Lane (12%)
4. Too Fast for Conditions (8%)
5. Unsafe Lane Change (6%)  

Top 5 leading causes of fatal crashes:

1. Failed to Keep in Proper Lane (27%)
2. Failed to Yield Right-of-Way (13%)
3. Ran Off Road (7%)
4. Too Fast for Conditions (7%)
5. Over-Correcting/Over-Steering (6%)

Other Facts:

• 47% of crashes occur at intersections
• 80% of crashes occur on dry roads
• 23% of crashes involve teenagers

Fatal Crash Contributing Factors:

• 73% of victims were male
• 37% were unrestrained
• 31% involved speed
• 20% involved impairment
• 8% involved distraction
• 8% involved aggressive driving

When he’s not serving the citizens of Taylorsville, Officer Lutz enjoys oil painting, paddle boarding and coaching little league baseball. Thank you, Officer Lutz, for your dedicated service!