Accident Reconstruction Accident Reconstruction What does it really cost?What does it really cost?

Presented by:Leslie Nelson-Taullie

Presented by:Leslie Nelson-Taullie

• Colorado State Patrol (CSP) Mission

• Facts and Figures- State of Colorado - Colorado State Patrol

• Implementation of the Accident Reconstruction Team

Topics for Discussion Topics for Discussion

CSP Mission Statement CSP Mission Statement

“The mission of the Colorado State Patrol is to ensure a safe and

secure environment in Colorado for all persons by providing

professional law enforcement through responsive, courteous, caring, and dedicated service.”

Colorado Demographics Colorado Demographics

• 8th largest state in the nation• 104,247 square miles

• 4.3 million citizens

• 20 million visitors per year

Colorado Drivers Colorado Drivers

• 2.8 million licensed drivers

• 3.9 million registered vehicles

• 70.6 million daily vehicle miles traveled

Colorado Drivers Colorado Drivers

• In 2002, 736 people died• Accounts for 27% of all injury deaths• 45% of all unintentional injury deaths• Leading cause of death for ages 1 to

34 and second leading cause for ages 35 to 84

Leading cause of death and injury Motor vehicle incidents

Colorado State Patrol Colorado State Patrol

• Responsible for safety of 65,483 miles of roadway.

• Investigates about 69% of all fatal crashes and 33% of all injury crashes.

• Conducts criminal investigations of vehicle theft, drug trafficking, and other activities.

• Provides personal security and transportation services at the Executive Residence and the Capitol Building.

Colorado State PatrolColorado State Patrol

• 2002 Activities included:– 35,245 crash investigations– 115,835 traffic citations;

• 81% for violations that could have resulted in crashes

– Half of a million motorist contacts– 12,466 felony and misdemeanor arrests– 3,306 safety presentations– Recovered 586 stolen automobiles

 

Colorado State PatrolColorado State Patrol

• Funding from Highway Users Tax Fund (HUTF) Costs each Colorado

resident less than $20 per year to fund CSP

 

Colorado State PatrolColorado State Patrol

Three Regions each commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel

Six Field Districts and Four Branches commanded by a Major or their civilian equivalent

24 Field troops and Five Communications Centers command by a Captain or their civilian equivalent

CSP Office Location AreasCSP Office Location Areas

Accident Reconstruction Funding Accident Reconstruction Funding

Division of Criminal Justice

Colorado Department of Public Safety

Office of Drug Control and System Improvement

Total Awarded

$355,100

PurposePurpose

The overall objective is to successfully prosecute individuals involved in felony or serious injury motor vehicle crashes by providing troopers with up-to-date equipment and continuing education in the area of technical motor vehicle crash investigation and reconstruction.

“The Plan” “The Plan”

Phase I (FY 2001-2002) - Evidence Collection Equipment, Case Preparation, Continuing Education

Phase II (FY 2002-2003) - Court Room Presentation Equipment, and Continuing Education

Phase III (FY 2003-2004) - Technology Update for Mobile Data Computers and Continuing Education

Phase IV (FY 2004-2005) - Development of Investigative Felony Packet forms into computerized format for submitting cases to District Attorneys Office and Continuing Education

I. Enhanced prosecution of individuals involved in a felony, serious injury or special interest motor vehicle collisions;

II. improved protection of victim’s rights; and

III. enhanced accident prevention through causation analysis

ExpectationsExpectations

The concept of the Felony Accident Reconstruction Team (ART) project is to improve the Patrol’s operational effectiveness in the area for technical accident reconstruction. Our goal is to provide our customers involved in motor vehicle collisions with quality investigations.

Accident Reconstruction Equipment Accident Reconstruction Equipment

• VC2000 Acceleration Data Acquisition System • Lasers Measuring Devices• 35mm Nikon FM10 cameras with macro lenses and

heavy-duty flash• Notebook Computers with LCD projectors• Evidence Photo Numbers• Chartran Rulers

Accident Reconstruction Software Accident Reconstruction Software

AR Pro

Auto Stats

WinCrash/WinSlam

Accident Reconstruction Training Accident Reconstruction Training

•Rocky Mountain Crash/DUI Conference (RMC2)

•Computer Assisted Drawing (CAD)

• Tire Analysis

• Physics Classes

Accidents Reconstructed FY 2002 Accidents Reconstructed FY 2002

Number of Accidents Investigated 573

Number of Hours 17743.75

Technical Assistance 126Number of Hours 674.5Number of Accidents Involving

Alcohol 214Cocaine 12Marijuana 26Depressants 3Stimulants 14

Thank You!Thank You!

Contact Information

Leslie Nelson TaullieColorado State PatrolOperational Development Section700 KiplingLakewood Colorado 80215

Telephone Number 303-239-4542E-mail: Leslie.Nelson@CDPS.state.co.us