61 - Traffic Safety - 2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

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61 – Traffic Safety Policy & Procedure Page 14 of 19 5. Collisions [61.1.5(k)] a. GENERAL ACTION: Officers are expected to take enforcement action whenever investigation or reporting activities produce reasonable grounds that a civil motor vehicle infraction has occurred or when probable cause to believe that a violation of Massachusetts criminal law has occurred. b. SPECIFIC ACTION: Enforcement action arising from traffic collision investigation or reporting (e.g., physical arrest, citation, written warning, etc.) will be consistent with the nature of the alleged violation and with all written directives concerning traffic law enforcement. c. VIOLATIONS NOT WITNESSED BY AN OFFICER: Violations that the officer has not personally witnessed must be established through investigation, which may include but are not limited to: i. Statements or admissions made by the alleged violator; ii. Statements of witnesses; iii. Crash scene measurements; iv. Physical evidence; and v. Video recordings (i.e. property security cameras) vi. Other information that may be available d. ALTERNATIVE ENFORCEMENT: When a citizen reports an alleged violation that is not witnessed by an officer, officers may conduct a registration check and follow-up with the registered owner of a vehicle to attempt to determine the operator and verbally advise the subject of safety concerns. e. COLLISIONS OCCURRING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY – NO RIGHT OF ACCESS: Collisions occurring on private property which is not normally open to the public, such as a private residence, involving injury or excessive property damage will require a complete report of the incident. Citing an operator in these situations for a civil infraction is not an option but criminal violations may be applicable. f. COLLISIONS OCCURRING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY - PUBLIC HAS RIGHT OF ACCESS: Crashes occurring on private property where the public has a right of access will be processed where appropriate as if they had occurred on a public street and the necessary forms completed. Officers should be familiar with this and the common criminal violations that they are likely to cite for. D. Speed Measuring Devices 1. EQUIPMENT SPECIFICATIONS: Members of the Department shall use mobile or stationary traffic Radio Detecting and ranging units (RADAR), or Light Detecting and Ranging (LIDAR) provided by the Department. Specific information on these units may be found in the operator’s manual that accompanies each unit. [61.1.9(a)]