Monroe police officer involved in traffic crash Monday night

A Monroe police officer and the driver of another vehicle were both injured in a crash Monday night.

The crash happened at about 11:30 p.m. at the intersection of North Monroe Street and West Elm Avenue, a news release from the Monroe Public Safety Department said. Preliminary investigation showed the fully marked patrol vehicle was traveling southbound through the intersection when a white SUV turned left in front of of the patrol vehicle. The officer involved in the crash was not involved in a vehicle pursuit.

The driver of the white SUV was transferred to a local hospital for treatment of injuries, the release said. The police officer involved also was transported to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries and then released.

"Thank you to the fire personnel from the Monroe Public Safety Department and Monroe Community Ambulance who assisted at the scene," the release said.

Following department policy, when a Monroe police officer is involved in what may be a serious accident, an outside agency is called in to investigate, the release said. The Michigan State Police were called to assist in the investigation. Drugs or alcohol do not appear to be factors in this incident.

"Moving forward, continued investigation into this incident will be conducted by the Michigan State Police, to which the Monroe Police Department will cooperate fully," the release said.

Any updates will be released by the Michigan State Police, the release said.

"We appreciate the public’s patience and support as those involved recover from their injuries," the release said.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe police officer involved in traffic crash Feb. 27