From scared kid in the back seat to arresting officer: Utah trooper comes full circle


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SALT LAKE CITY — Drunken drivers often have more excuses than they've had beers.

And not a single one of those excuses works on Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. David Moreno. He's heard them all.

"You know, throughout my career I've probably arrested about 500 DUIs," Moreno said.

Thing is, he's also lived them all.

"When I was growing up in Mexico, I grew up with an alcoholic father, and that was pretty tough," Moreno said.

He showed KSL News photos of the home he grew up in Mexicali, Mexico. The structure is pretty much gone now — but nothing can erase the memories of his mother here, waking him up almost every night as a child to help her go find his father at bars.

"I remember walking up to the door and seeing prostitutes and a lot of drunk people there, and they're like, 'Hey, kid. What are you doing here?' And I'd say, 'I'm just looking for my dad. I think he's in there. Can you tell him I'm here looking for him?'" Moreno recalled.

What's left of Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. David Moreno's childhood home in Mexicali, Mexico. (Photo: Courtesy David Moreno)
What's left of Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. David Moreno's childhood home in Mexicali, Mexico. (Photo: Courtesy David Moreno)

Another thing he'll never forget: being in the back seat while his father drove somewhere.

"One thing that really got to me was that every time my dad would drive intoxicated, he would see a highway patrol officer and he would try to hide from them. I realized then, I was like, 'That's what I want to do when I grow up,'" Moreno said.

He wanted to be the guy who caught guys like his dad because he also realized, "I can do that, and I can help a lot of kids and people."

Looking back now, he smiles at that little kid in the back seat — and tells his three daughters about him.

"I tell them about the struggles I had to go through, and they can't believe it," he said.

Moreno got into police work soon after his family moved to Utah, legally, following an uncle who came here illegally because the work was good in the state.


One thing that really got to me was that every time my dad would drive intoxicated, he would see a highway patrol officer and he would try to hide from them. I realized then, I was like, 'That's what I want to do when I grow up.'

–Sgt. David Moreno, UHP


"I came to America, I learned English, and I adapted to a new culture; and I'm here and I wanted to make a difference," he said.

And, boy, has he. Moreno has done everything from making drug busts as a K-9 officer to going undercover with the Metro Gang Task Force to, now, representing the Utah Highway Patrol on the A&E show "Live PD," where a camera crew follows officers all across the country as they do their jobs — live.

"Nothing beats this right here: Being out on the streets, helping people out," Moreno told us as we rode along with him in his patrol car.

In fact, helping people is the part of his job he loves the most.

"I do, especially the Hispanic community; (and) refugees who come from Africa, I try to do some work with them — because you never know when you help that kid out, if he's gonna be the next me."

Moreno often goes to refugee get-togethers to play with children, talk to adults and let them know he's there for them.

"I want them to see I was able to make it and that there's hope for them," Moreno said.

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. David Moreno Moreno often goes to refugee get-togethers to play with children, talk to adults and let them know he's there for them. (Photo: KSL TV)
Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. David Moreno Moreno often goes to refugee get-togethers to play with children, talk to adults and let them know he's there for them. (Photo: KSL TV)

Speaking of hope, eventually Moreno's father was arrested for DUI — an event that changed everything.

"He became a Christian man," Moreno said. "And now, you know, I just took him to the Broncos game last month. And so it's been pretty awesome to have the relationship with my dad now that I didn't have as a kid.

That is why he works so hard to catch those drunken drivers. He knows just how much good can come from something so bad.

"Every time you arrest a drunk driver it feels good," Moreno said. "It's a good feeling because you know you're saving people's lives."

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