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62A – Motor Vehicle Investigations <br /> <br /> <br />Policy & Procedure Page 3 of 10 <br />B. Duties of First Officers on the Scene <br /> <br />1. Upon Arrival: <br /> <br />a. The first officer arriving shall be in charge until relieved by a supervisor <br />and: [61.2.3(a)] <br /> <br />i. If necessary, request assistance of other patrol units, emergency <br />medical personnel, and/or the fire department; <br />ii. Identify injured persons, determine the extent of injuries, if any, and <br />treat the most serious until assistance of equal or greater medical <br />ability arrives; [61.2.3(b)] <br />iii. Address scene safety issues; <br />iv. Secure the scene as a crime scene, and preserve and protect <br />evidence if necessary; [61.2.3(e)] <br />v. Identify hazardous materials or fire hazards; [61.2.3(c)] and <br />vi. In the event of hazardous material incidents, isolate the hazard <br />area and evacuate nonessential personnel. <br /> <br />b. The officers shall then be responsible for preliminary hazard identification <br />(spill, leak, fire) and identification of vehicle and container placards, until <br />the arrival of the fire department. <br />c. The officers should collect operators’ licenses, passenger identifications, <br />vehicle registrations, and witness identifications, as appropriate [61.2.3(d)], <br />and arrange for the removal of damaged vehicles from the roadway, <br />where they will not impede or interfere with the investigation. (See also <br />Department policy 61C - Towing Motor Vehicles and Inventory <br />Procedures). <br /> <br />2. Property: When officers are required to handle crash victims’ personal <br />property (such as for identification purposes), they should do so, whenever <br />possible, in the presence of witnesses, who should be identified in the officers’ <br />reports. If property is to be held, it shall be turned into the property officer and <br />documented in accordance with Department policy 83B - Property and <br />Evidence Control. [61.2.3(f)] <br /> <br />C. Preliminary Investigations <br /> <br />1. Duties of the Investigating Officer <br /> <br />a. The officer assigned to the geographical sector in which it occurs will <br />typically investigate the crash. [83.2.6] <br />b. The assigned investigating officer shall conduct a thorough investigation <br />of the crash and take the following actions: <br /> <br />i. Identify and interview operators and passengers. Check validity of <br />their right to operate, vehicle registration, and insurance status. <br />ii. Interview involved persons and witnesses. <br />iii. Examine and record vehicle damage.