SALT LAKE CITY — Law enforcement used a combination of on-vehicle tracking and license plate reader technology to locate Ivan Miller within hours of beginning their search for the man accused of killing three WayneCounty women, according to Utah Department of Public Safety Chief Tanner Jensen.
FOX 13 News spoke with Jensen after Miller's arrest about the technology used in tracking the suspect's location.
Officers and agents coordinated with the vehicle manufacturer to use the on-vehicle tracking feature alongside license plate readers. Between those two methods, law enforcement was able to determine where Miller was within hours of beginning the search. From there, it was a matter of notifying local law enforcement in Colorado and closing in to make the arrest.
What we know about Ivan Miller:
Jensen said the combination of tools made a significant difference in how quickly the suspect was located.
"And ultimately you know that there's kind of that ticking clock in the back of your mind where you've got to solve this... and you've got to solve it quickly before it comes too late. Individuals have fled," Jensen said.
Jensen noted that the same speed would not have been possible just a few years ago.
"Several years ago we wouldn't have had both of these technologies," he said. "We would have had to rely on other investigative techniques, like waiting for the individual to go to the gas station, use a bank card, and slowly track with probably a several hour lag time."
Jensen said the Utah Legislature has established guidelines and policies governing when this kind of technology can be used, including requirements such as a crime being committed and a case number being assigned to that crime. He said it was extremely lucky that both technologies were available to help find the suspect so quickly.
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