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Santa
Ana Collision Investigation Unit Manages Hundreds of Collisions
a Month
By Sergeant
Paul Gonsalves
 There's
more than one reason I train as a runner for the Baker to Vegas
relay every year. As the head of what may be one of the busiest
collision units in the country, it helps to keep in good running
shape! Our Collision Investigation Unit will review some 300-400
reports of collisions in Santa Ana a month. After the review investigators
will divide up and investigate approximately 50 to 60 hit/run
injury cases. To date we have had 12 fatals of which 8 have been
pedestrian related.
California
sees some of the highest numbers of fatal crashes a year with
4000 last year. An unusually large percentage of those fatalities
in Santa Ana involve pedestrians. This 27 square mile area includes
a large Hispanic population and because of this cultural diversity
several programs have been implemented to reduce the number of
pedestrian fatalities. One program is the pedestrian accident
reduction team (PART). The Traffic Division’s intention
is to educate pedestrians on road safety. We used motor officers’
because of their ability to move freely during peak traffic hours.
The program was designed to warn violators regarding the perils
of crossing streets mid-block and when necessary issue citations.
It was both an educational and enforcement program.
My team consists
of two full time investigators and one rotational motor officer
assigned. Our Collision Investigation Unit currently rotates call-out
weekends, allowing for myself and the other investigators to be
on call one designated weekend a month. I also have four other
motor officers on the call-out list to assist. Once I receive
the initial call, I make the necessary assignments. Often the
first officer at the scene will be responsible for the assessment
of the necessary resources; therefore it is critical they know
what to look for.
Technology has allowed us to save man hours in our investigative
process from actual scene mapping to recreating it on the computer
through the drawing program. We use our HP iPAQs with the MapScenes'
Evidence Recorder program for scene mapping. The equipment we
use has allowed us to create accurate, professional drawings.
With the software we were using before we would never know it
if we shot it right. With the use of the iPAQ and the Evidence
Recorder program we can draw the scene, see the drawing in its
entirety and see if there are points missing while we are still
at the collision scene. In the old days (which wasn't that long
ago) we used to do an entire scene with a 100-foot tape - "the
station line method." The iPAQ with the Evidence Recorder
program and a standard Theodolite or Sokkia total station have
made capturing the data much easier for my team. It has really
streamlined our process.
The HP iPAQs were purchased with the assistance of a technology
grant and it’s proven to be a prudent purchase. After a
year of use we're satisfied with their capability. The idea behind
the iPAQs is not only for drawings - our motor officers use the
iPAQs to issue citations, write state required reports as well
as using them as both audio and video recorders. Officers can
also receive department emails via an Air card while in the field.
We also have the ability to use GIS mapping to superimpose intersections
and place the AR scene onto an existing map.
 Our technology
really became a valuable instrument during a recent fatal involving
a street race. An elderly woman was killed because two cars were
involved in an impromptu street race on one of our major streets
where one collided head on with the victim. The investigation
is ongoing, and both drivers are in custody pending murder charges.
Mapping the scene was extensive because of the size of the area
involved and the number of evidence points that needed to be recorded.
Since street racing is an increasing problem in the southland,
I am sure this case will be looked at very closely. When we go
to court our evidence will be scrutinized; therefore, we will
need to be extremely precise because of the scope of the charges.
We know with MapScenes we'll go into court with all our i's dotted
and our t's crossed.
In the future
we would like to develop the Santa Ana Police Department Traffic
Division so that more officers have the skills to map crash scenes
and know the correct type of information to collect. Most of our
traffic officers have attended the Basic and Intermediate Collision
Investigation schools. By allowing them to rotate into the Collision
Investigation Unit they become proficient with all aspects of
the collision investigative process and acquire the necessary
skills to enhance their professional ability. I get a lot of gratification
knowing we have well trained traffic officers investigating serious
crashes. Each knows what to look for when they investigate a scene.
I know that it's going to take time for this cross training, but
this benefits the department and ultimately the community.
Return
to October 2003 Newsletter |
