Click here to download the catalog as a PDF file. To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. CARS AND CRASHES SURvIvING IN YOUR MOBILE OffICE. SUZI HUNTINGTON CRuISeR GeaR and accident Investigation I ’ve seen it many times; a patrol cop is dispatched to a traffic collision and tries his best to find something more important to do. Why? What’s so darn scary about taking a collision report? Oh, and if it’s a hit-and-run, fleeing in terror is a viable option for the average beat cop. Having spent almost 17 of my more than 22-year career in Traffic Division, I’ve seen patrol’s idea of a traffic investigation; from the good, the bad — to the really ugly. The biggest reason reports are bad or ugly is because of a lack of five key factors. It doesn’t help when you have Training Officers training baby officers how to investigate a traffic crash when even they don’t have the basic skills to do it. A traffic collision report should be treated A diagram like this takes all of five minutes, at most, and it looks professional. Don’t be lazy, take a few minutes to do it right. From cheap to chic — all you really need is a decent steel tape — although the leather-bound nylon tape is pretty decadent. exactly the same as any other crime report. Remember, the collision occurred because somebody violated the law — okay, it’s usually an infraction — but it’s a law just the same. If you remember you’re gathering evidence just as you would for, say, a domestic violence case then you’ll understand the basic steps to properly document a collision. Note I’m calling it a collision or crash — not an accident. An accident is when a tree falls on your car, not when you drive it into something else. My Very Own Crayons What the ake accurate measurements of the street, the lanes, skid marks and area of impact. You have no idea the embarrassment you can face when you have to explain to an insurance company investigator, or during a civil deposition, why your measurements are off by ten or twelve Yup, I admit it — I was a template geek. I loved to feet — that’s an entire car length — because you color in grade school too. Templates are cheap — and as you can see — there are a lot to choose from. guessed at your measurements. Unless you know 100 percent of the time you take a three foot-long stride, I don’t recommend using this method. Nobody can walk with a consistent stride length. This means maybe going to your local hardware store and spending a couple bucks on a 25' steel tape. Get it in some obnoxious color so your squad mates won’t be tempted to borrow it. I had a lime-green one after losing a couple others. It shouldn’t look like a 4-year old drew your diagram, either. The engineers who designed the roadways didn’t free-hand their plans — they actually used templates, and so should you. Templates are cheap at most uniform and equipment shops. They usually carry a couple of basic templates you’ll get plenty of use from to make your report look more professional. Write down statements. Don’t just have a list of names and show whether they were a witness or an involved party. If you take the time to get their information, write down what they told you — duh. It happens all the time. A person tells you one thing at the scene, but then when they’ve had a chance to think about how they just screwed themselves, they will change their story. Most notably, their story will change for their insurance company and any possible court action. And don’t just write down their statement — read it back to them, rather paraphrase from the notes your taking — make sure you are accurately recording their words. If you get called on the carpet later, you can say, “I always read back my notes to the subject to ensure I understood what they were saying.” T ? d heck happened? on’t guess in your conclusions. Your report is supposed to be a documentation of the facts, not assumptions. Don’t exceed your expertise by guessing, it’ll come back to bite you in the ass. If you’re unsure of something, talk to your parties or witnesses again. Maybe you missed a small detail. If nothing else, ask for a traffic unit to swing by and help. I loved to help patrol officers figure out a crash. A few minutes of my time usually translated to much better reports from those officers in the future. It also took away a lot of their fear and apprehension. Keep in mind your collision report will not only be read by your sergeant. Attorneys, victims, insurance companies, juries and even federal agencies may get to look at your handiwork. There are all kinds of people who will be happy to tear apart your work. You can either submit it as a kindergarten finger-paint project or as a fine art masterpiece. You wouldn’t try to race through most other crime investigations, so spend enough time with a collision investigation to prevent a mountain of problems and embarrassment in the future. * 30 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • JULY/AUGUST 2009