A 3WDY Q? WE MAWRE AND EXTENT OF THE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT ENWHGAHON RESPONSHBILITIES GE COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES N THE EENE‘EED “AYES Thesis for the Degree of M.S. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Russell J. Arend I966 IHESIS LIBRARY Michigan State University A STUDY OF THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF THE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION RESPONSIBILITIES OF COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN THE UNITED STATES by Russell J. Arend AN ABSTRACT OF A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE School of Police Administration and Public Safety (Member) 3 ABSTRACT A STUDY OF THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF THE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION RESPONSIBILITIES OF COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN THE UNITED STATES by Russell J. Arend This study determines the number and geographic locations of sheriffs' departments and independent county police agencies that have accepted traffic accident in- vestigation responsibilities. The study also measures the extent to which these agencies are utilizing certain acci- dent prevention tools and following recommended accident investigation practices. As a part of this study, a model was developed which consisted of four specific criteria or time-tested principles that are generally recognized as good accident investigation practices in municipal police agencies. It was hypothesized that the selected criteria also had application in the acci- dent investigation programs of county law enforcement organiza- tions. To validate this or establish a null hypothesis, the researcher conducted a nationwide questionnaire survey of 3,059 county sheriffs' departments and fifty-two independ— ent county police agencies. Responses from 1,097 sheriffs and thirty-seven independent county police administrators provided the basic data for the study. The information provided by these agencies was organized into a series of twenty—one tables which covered such areas as accident investigation responsibilities, re— cruit and in-service accident investigation training, the use of accident location files and spot maps, and the for- warding of copies of accident investigation reports to the state accident records agency. Examination of the tables reveals that over three— fourths (76.3 per cent) of the responding sheriffs' depart- ments and nine-tenths (97.3 per cent) of the participating independent county police organizations have accident in— vestigation responsibilities. When comparing the accident investigation programs of the two types of agencies with the model, it was found that the percentage of agencies meeting the minimum criteria varied in the different geo- graphic regions of the United States. The percentage of agencies comparing favorably with the model also varied between population groups with the highest percentages usually located in counties with over 100,000 population. The survey data clearly indicates that the criteria selected for the model has application in the accident in- vestigation programs of sheriffs' departments and independ- ent county police agencies. A second method used to test the validity of the hypothesis was a comprehensive review of available litera— ture. Although most of the pertinent literature is directed to municipal police agencies, nothing was found that would imply that the criteria selected for the model could not also be applied in county programs. The study, based on the results of the survey and the findings from the review of the literature, concludes that the hypothesis is valid. A STUDY OF THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF THE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION RESPONSIBILITIES OF COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN THE UNITED STATES by Russell J. Arend A THESIS Submitted to the College of Social Science Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE 1966 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT S I would like to express my sincere thanks to my advisor, Mr. Raymond Galvin, for his direction and guidance in the writing of the study. I would also like to express my thanks to Mr. Ferris Lucas, Executive Director of the National Sheriffs' Association, and Mr. Rod Kendig, Field Service Director of the National Association of Counties, for their cooperation and assistance in gathering the data for the study. I am particularly grateful to the many staff members of the Automotive Safety Foundation for their encouragement and perseverance. A special thanks to Mr. James H. Lake, Director of the Safety Division of the Automotive Safety Foundation, without whom, in most probability, this paper would never have been written. Finally, I would like to express appreciation to my wife, Peg, for her understanding and encouragement. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. THE PROBLEM AND DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED. . The Problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Statement of the problem . . . . . . . . Statement of the model . . . . . . . . . Importance of the study. . . . . . . . . Limitations of the study . . . . . . . . Definition of Terms Used . . . . . . . . . County Law Enforcement Agency. . . . . . Traffic Accident Investigations. . . . . Organization of Remainder of the Thesis. . II. METHODOLOGY AND MODEL. . . . . . . . . . . . Survey Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DevelOpment and Explanation of the Model . III. REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF THE LITERATURE. . . . The County as a Police Unit. . . . . . . . Origin in England. . . . . . . . . . . . Development in America . . . . . .'. . . Historical Development of Traffic Accident Investigation as a Police Function . . . PAGE l9 l9 19 20 25 CHAPTER PAGE Highway Safety Act of 1966. . . . . . . . . . 37 IV. EXTENT OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION RESPONSIBILITIES OF COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Number and Location of Sheriffs' Departments Having Accident Investigation Responsibilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Number and Location of Independent County Police Agencies Having Accident Investigation Responsibilities. . . . . . . 57 Types of Roads Over Which County Law Enforcement Agencies Exercise Jurisdiction. 59 Jurisdiction of sheriffs' departments . . . 59 Jurisdiction of independent county police agencies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 V. COMPARISON OF COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION PROGRAMS WITH THE MODEL . . . . 66 Recruit Accident Investigation Training . . . 68 Sheriffs' departments . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Independent county police agencies. . . . . 69 In-Service Accident Investigation Training. . 76 Sheriffs' departments . . . . . . . . . . . 77 .\u4 7'“ ; I-..L :.T\ 2 J . : .. .. . _.. . .. : CHAPTER Independent county police agencies. Spot Maps and Location Files. . . . . Sheriffs' departments . . . . . . . Independent county police agencies. Forwarding Copies of Accident Reports the State Records Agency. . . . . . Sheriffs' departments . . . . . . . Independent county police agencies. VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Need for Further Research . . . . . . Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDIX PAGE 79 85 85 86 93 93 94 103 103 108 109 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE I. Number of Traffic Accident Records Received by State Records Agencies from State and 3 County Police Agencies in 1965. . . . . . . . 38 II. Numbers and Percentages of Sheriffs' Departments Compared to Number of Departments Responding, by State. . . . . . . 49 III. Numbers and Percentages of Responding Sheriffs' Departments Compared to Number Reporting Traffic Accident Investigation Responsibilities, by State. . . . . . . . . . 51 IV. Number and Percentages of Agencies Having Accident Investigation Responsibilities, by Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 V. Comparative Distributions of Sheriffs' Departments Investigation Accidents, by Population. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 VI. Numbers and Percentages of Sheriffs' Departments Investigating Accidents on County Roads, Rural State Highways, City Streets, and Interstate System, by Region 60 vii TABLE PAGE VII. Numbers and Percentages of Independent County Police Agencies Investigating Accidents on County Roads, Rural State Highways, City Streets, and Interstate 64 System, by Region. . . . . VIII. Comparative Distribution of Hours of Recruit Accident Investigation Training, 70 by Region. . . . . . . . . IX. Numbers and Percentages of Agencies That Do Not Provide Recruit Accident Investiga- 71 tion Training, by Population . . . X. Numbers and Percentages of Agencies Providing Forty Or More Hours of Recruit Accident Investigation Training, by 74 Population . . . . . . XI. Comparative Distribution of Hours of Annual In-Service Accident Investigation Training, 78 by Region. . . . . . . . XII. Number and Percentages of Agencies Providing Eight Or More Hours of Annual In—Service Accident Investigation Training, by 80 Population . . . . . . . viii TABLE PAGE XIII. Numbers and Percentages of Agencies That Do Not Provide In-Service Accident Investigation Training, by Population. . . . 82 XIV. Numbers and Percentages of Agencies Filing Accident Reports by Location, by Region. . . 87 XV. Number and Percentages of Agencies Filing Accident Reports by Location, by Population . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 XVI. Numbers and Percentages of Agencies Using Spot Maps, by Region . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 XVII. Numbers and Percentages of Agencies Using Spot Maps, by Population . . . . . . . . . . 91 XVIII. Comparative Distribution of Types of Traffic Accident Reports Forwarded to the State Records Agency by Sheriffs' Departments, by Region. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 XIX. Numbers and Percentages of Agencies Forwarding Copies of All Accident Investigation Reports to the State Records Agency, by Population. . . . . . . . . . . . 96 ix TABLE PAGE XX. Comparative Distribution of Types of Traffic Accident Reports Forwarded to the State Records Agency by Independent County Police Agencies, by Region. . . . . . . . . . 99 XXI. Numbers and Percentages of Agencies That Do Not Forward Copies of Traffic Accident Investigation Reports to the State Records Agency, by Population . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1. Division of the United States Into Four Geographical Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2. Number of Independent County Police Agencies, by State. . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM AND DEFINITION OF TERMS USED Accident facts are essential to the development of effective accident prevention programs. It is generally recognized that the police, through their accident investiga- tion efforts, provide the most reliable information available on traffic accidents. As the accident problem continues to grow, more and more demands will be made on the police to increase their accident investigation activities and improve the quality of accident information. Official and unofficial organizations at the national, state and local level have made continuous efforts to improve and upgrade the accident investigation capabilities of state and city law enforcement agencies. Unfortunately, the acci- dent investigation activities of the more than three thousand county law enforcement agencies have been largely ignored. The need for a comprehensive collection of informa- tion on the accident investigation responsibilities of county law enforcement agencies is apparent by the fact that at the present time little is known about the number of agencies which engage in this activity, and even less on the quality of work they are doing. I . THE PROBLEM Statement E; the problem. This study proposes (l) to determine the nature and extent of the accident investiga- tion responsibilities of county law enforcement agencies in the United States; (2) to show how these responsibilities vary in different regions of the United States; and (3) to compare certain characteristics of existing county law en- forcement accident investigation programs with those of an established model. Although the criteria, illustrated in the model be- low, were developed primarily for city police agencies, it is hypothesized that they have equal application to county law enforcement organizations. The model. Experience has demonstrated that there are numerous elements that are basic to good police acci— dent investigation programs at the municipal level. Four elements that are generally recognized are: 1. An adequate amount of recruit traffic accident investigation training. 2. An adequate amount of regular in-serv- ice traffic accident investigation training. 3. The filing of police traffic accident reports by location and the use of accident location spot maps. 4. The forwarding of copies of accident investigation reports to the state accident records agency. The above criteria are discussed in detail in Chapter II, "Methodology and Model." Importance gf the study. The review of available literature, plus interviews with staff of the National Sheriffs' Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the National Association of Counties revealed that a study of this type had never been performed. Authorities in the field of police traffic super- vision, when speaking and writing about police responsi- bilities for traffic accident investigations, generally con- fine their remarks to the municipal police, the state police, and highway patrols. Consequently, efforts to improve and upgrade police traffic accident investigation training and increase capabilities in the analysis and use of traffic accident data have been directed toward the municipal and state police organizations. 4 This study (1) provides current information on the responsibilities of county law enforcement agencies in the area of traffic accident investigation; (2) provides in— formation for comparison with the similar responsibilities of other law enforcement agencies; (3) points out accident investigation training needs of county law enforcement organizations; and (4) measures the extent to which county law enforcement agencies are utilizing certain recommended methods in the collection and maintenance of traffic acci- dent data. Limitations. This study did not attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of the traffic accident investigation procedures or the quality of the investigations by individual officers. Nor did the researcher try to evaluate the quality of the recruit and in-service traffic accident investigation training. A good police traffic accident investigation and reporting system contains many more characteristics than the four outlined in the hypothesis. The researcher selected specific characteristics basic to a good system that would lend themselves, for comparative purposes, to a nationwide survey. Such important criteria as selection standards for —I—" personnel, accident investigation equipment, adequacy of the accident report form, and use made of special traffic studies were beyond the scope of this study. II. DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED AND ORGANIZATION OF THE REMAINDER OF THE THESIS Definition of Terms County law enforcement agengy. A county law en- forcement agency is defined as being the county sheriff's office or other county-wide police agency independent of the sheriff's office. Traffic accident investigation. In this study, traffic accident investigation is defined as the obtaining and recording of information on individual motor vehicle accidents by the police. Organization of the Remainder of the Thesis Chapter II discusses the procedures used to gather the data for the study and describes the model that was developed to test the hypothesis. Chapter III reviews the historical development of the county as a police unit and describes the role of the police in the investigation of traffic accidents. This Chapter also briefly discusses the Highway Safety Act of 1966 and the possible impact it will have on accident in— vestigation activities of police agencies. Chapter IV discusses the number and geographic location of sheriffs' departments and independent county police agencies having traffic accident investigation responsibilities. The types of roads and streets over which these agencies exercise jurisdiction are also dis- cussed in this Chapter. Selected characteristics of the accident investiga- tion programs of sheriffs' departments and independent county police agencies are compared with an established model in Chapter V. Chapter VI summarizes the study findings and sug- gests areas in need of further research. CHAPTER II METHODOLOGY AND MODEL Surveerethods There is no nationwide information on the traffic accident investigation responsibilities of county law en- forcement agencies. The little knowledge that currently exists is based on limited observation. The need for getting more complete and accurate in- formation on the extent to which county law enforcement personnel engage in accident investigation activities was brought to the attention of Mr. Ferris Lucas, Executive Director of the National Sheriffs' Association. After several meetings and consideration of a number of alterna- tives, it was decided that the most feasible way of obtain— ing such information was by mailing a questionnaire to all county sheriffs in the United States. Obtaining similar information on the independent county police agencies, posed a bigger problem as there was no central source which could furnish the names of the coun- ties having a law enforcement agency independent of the sheriffs' office. Considerable time was spent interviewing staff members of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Association of Counties and search- ing books and periodicals. As a result of this inquiry, fifty-two such organizations were located in twelve states. Mr. Rod Kendig, Field Service Director of the National Association of Counties, agreed to lend the support of his Association in surveying the fifty-two county organi- zations in a manner similar to that being done by the National Sheriffs' Association. A questionnaire was deve10ped by the researcher in cooperation with the above two organizations. The question— naire and a cover letter were mailed under the auspices of Mr. Ferris Lucas to 3,059 county sheriffs in forty-eight states and to the fifty-two independent organizations under the auspices of Mr. Bernard Hillenbrand, Executive Director of the National Association of Counties. (See Appendix A.) Because of the lack of knowledge on other aspects of county police activities, the questionnaire was designed to develop information that would not only be pertinent to this study, but which would also provide the cooperating associa- tions with additional information of interest. In organizing the study, for comparative purposes, the United States was divided into four geographical regions: Mountain Pacific, North Atlantic, North Central and Southern, as shown in Figure I. This geographical division is the same as that used by the Division of State and Provincial Police 1 of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The counties were subdivided into eight population groups rang- ing in size from under 10,000 to over one million.2 Responses from 1,097 sheriffs' departments and thirty-seven independent county law enforcement agencies furnished the basic data for the study. Charts, maps and graphs are used to depict the results of summarization of the various aspects of the study. Development and Explanation of the Model Four basic elements of a good police accident in— vestigation program were selected by the researcher as cri- teria in analyzing the accident investigation programs of county law enforcement agencies. In selecting these criteria, the researcher relied extensively on the knowledge and experience of recognized authorities in police traffic accident investigation. 1International Association of Chiefs of Police "Administrative Guide, Division of State and Provincial Police." (Unpublished paper outlining organizational and administrative structure of Division of State and Provincial Police, 1965), p. 20. 2The source used for all population figures is the United States Bureau of the Census, United States Census gf Population: 1960. Characteristics 2: the POpulation, Vol. 1 (washington: Government Printing Office, 1961). North Atlantic “fl North Central m Southern FOUR GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS .HAWAII ml I 3 10 FIGURE I \ 11 1. An adequate amount of recruit accident investigation training. The necessity of adequate recruit training is generally recognized, but there are no agreed-upon standards on the minimum number of hours needed for such training. The hours or recruit training recommended are based on the personal experience and opinion of the researcher. A minimum of forty hours of recruit training in accident investigation is recommended to enable an officer to: (l) prevent accidents from becoming even more serious -- this includes giving first aid, directing traffic to avoid additional collisions, extinguishing fires, and preventing theft; (2) prevent unnecessary traffic congestion due to the accident; (3) identify circumstances that will be useful in determining how and why the accident happened; (4) prepare an official report of the accident; and (5) take enforcement action if there is sufficient evidence of a violation.3 2. An adequate amount of regular in- service training in accident inves- tigation. The necessity of regular in-service accident investi- gation training is also generally recognized. However, like 3Based on a discussion of what a police traffic acci- dent investigation should include by The President's Committee for Traffic Safety, Pglice Traffic Supervision, a section of the Action Program for Highway Safety (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1961). P. 6. 12 recruit training, there is no agreement on the minimum number of hours needed. Based on personal experience and review of the literature, a minimum of eight hours in- service training annually is recommended to keep officers abreast of the latest available knowledge and techniques, and to correct deficiencies in the program. The elements that constitute a police traffic acci- dent investigation are the same regardless of the political subdivision in which the accident occurs. A county police officer or sheriff's deputy, who is assigned accident investigation responsibilities, needs the same type of training as municipal police officers. This applies to in-service, as well as recruit training. 3. Filing police traffic accident reports by location and main- tenance of spot maps. Adequate accident investigation training does not insure the success of a police accident prevention program. But accurate and complete facts, gathered by trained police officers at accident scenes, do provide the foundation on which programs can be built. Experience has shown that traffic accidents happen in recurring patterns, i.e., accidents are caused by specific 13 acts and conditions and unless remedial action is taken, these same acts and conditions will continue to cause accidents. A large percentage of the accidents occur as a result of a driver or pedestrian failing to obey a traffic law. The police, whether state, county, or city, have the authority to enforce the law. Since no police department has enough manpower to enforce all traffic laws at all times in all areas under its jurisdiction, enforcement efforts must be directed on the basis of need. Kreml emphasized the value of accident records in an enforcement program when he stated, "Traffic law enforce- ment must base its operation on accident facts, since accident prevention is one of its prime objectives."4 Accident records are only useful, however, if they are organized to serve the needs of the department. Ex- perience has shown that accident location files arrange re- ports so they are readily available for study. The National Safety Council illustrates this by saying: 4Franklin M. Kreml, "The Specialized Traffic Division,‘ The Annals g; the American Academngf Political and Social Science, (January, 1954), p. 66. 14 Good accident records and effective accident prevention programs go hand in hand. Without the records - the accident facts - the programs are likely to be based largely on opinion and guesswork. Since the most important use of accident re- ports is in the prevention of other accidents of similar nature, it becomes necessary to know where accidents are occurring in a city before prevention methods can be applied. For this purpose the accident reports must be filed so that the entire accident experience at a single intersection or section of a street is immediately available for detailed study to develop prevention methods. The method of filing by street locations des- cribed in this memo is recommended as the most flexible system for all uses, providing a con- venient index for reference to a particular report and at the same time arranging reports so they may be used by the traffic engineer, enforcement offi— cer, records statistician and others working on the traffic accident problem. The National Safety Council as well as numerous other organizations have also recommended the use of spot maps as an accident prevention tool: Traffic accident spot maps have long been recognized as valuable tools in city and state accident prevention programs. The primary pur- pose of a spot map is to aid in identifying 5National Safety Council, Traffic Safety Memo g9..gg, "Filing City Traffic Accident Reports by Location" (Chicago: National Safety Council, 1962), p. l. 15 high accident locations and areas. It fur- nishes a quick visual index to concentra- tions of accidents which warrant detailed analysis. An adequate spot map is necessary for good traffic engineering and it facili- tates programs of selective enforcement and selective education for traffic safety. A spot map does not replace but rather supplements a location file of reports (T.S. Memo 40), and is therefore but one of the tools in studying the danger spots in traffic. The fact that these two record keeping techniques also have application in the planning activities of county law enforcement organizations was expressed by the National Conference on Uniform Traffic Accident Statistics which stated, "Although most of this discussion is presented in terms of city police departments, the procedures are equally applicable to state police, sheriffs, and other law enforce— ment officers."7 éNational Safety Council, Traffic Safetere 0 £23.12, "Traffic Accident Spot Maps for Cities" (Chicago: National Safety Council, 1962), p. l. ZNational Conference on Uniform Traffic Accident Statistics, Uses 9; Traffic Accident Records (Saugatuck, Conn: ENC Foundation for Highway Traffic Control, Inc., 1947), p. 50. 16 4. Forwarding of copies of police acci- dent investigation reports to the state traffic accident records agency. In addition to the police, there are many other users of traffic accident information. The President's Committee for Traffic Safety, in discussing the traffic accident re- cord keeping activities of police agencies, stated, "Police should recognize this system not only as a means for gather- ing information useful for guiding their own activities directed toward reducing accidents, but also as a source of accident information for other governmental and private agencies with traffic safety Some examples of the records by agencies of state accident prevention programs responsibilities."8 uses that are made of accident and local government in their are 3 1. Two of the many engineering uses of acci- dent records, for instance, are (a) improvement of high-accident locations and (b) design of new highways and betterment of existing highways. Engineers have pointed out that the numbers and types of injury and property—damage accidents - figures easily available from accident records systems - are even more important than fatal- accident experience in determining accident fre- 8 The President's Committee for Traffic Safety, Police Traffic Supervision, A Section of the Action Program for Highway Safety (washington: 1961), p. 7. Government Printing Office, l7 quency and severity and in guiding accident— prevention measures. 2. Accident records can be used to guide the traffic safety information and education program, directing it into productive channels and furnishing material for the educational effort. The records may show, for instance, an increasing number of accidents at inter- sections. Data on the time of these accidents, the types of vehicles involved, and driver viola- tions contributing to the accidents, might well be publicized through local informational media. Another analysis might indicate that pedes- trian accidents were extremely high in a particu- lar area of a city. Further study might in- dicate that school children of a particular age group were involved, with the majority of the accidents occurring after school hours. This information would be of value in an educational program directed toward parents through com- munity newspapers, churches, and civic and fraternal associations, and making use of leaf- lets, sound-slide films, and personal pleas in various media. 3. The police enforcement program needs to be based to a greater extent on accident ex— perience. Of course, many States have attempted in a more or less general fashion to base their rural enforcement on accident experience - using routine monthly or annual summaries. But the best application of this experience can come only as the result of special tabulations - such as studies of rural accidents by police areas, in- cluding information on time, specific locations, and violations involved. Unfortunately, these special tabulations have been made in relatively few States and actually used in still fewer. Enforcement planning in cities presents a similar problem, with the single difference that 18 the problem is concentrated in a relatively small area. Accident records again tell where, when, and why accidents have occurred, and enable the police administrator to plan his assignments accordingly. 4. Driver-improvement or driver—discipline work commonly uses accident records, usually in combination with other evidence of unsafe driving such as complaints and convictions for traffic violations. Many States use a driver's accident record as a basis for issu- ing an advisory letter, for holding an inter- view, for reexamination, for clinical treat- ment, or for suspension or revocation of his license to drive. 5. Accident records serve a number of general administrative uses. They are a particularly valuable tool to the traffic administrator trying to convince other of- ficials of the need for a proposed program. There is far less opposition, generally speak- ing, to remedial measures that are supported by accident experience representing human suf- fering and economic loss. ‘ In view of the large number of agencies using traf- fic accident data and the many purposes for which it is used, The President's Committee recommended that police departments forward copies of police traffic accident in- vestigation reports to the State records agency.10 9The President's Committee for Traffic Safety, Traffic Accident Records, A Section of the Action Program for Highway Safety (washington: Government Printing Office, 1961), pp. 15-16. 10Ibid., p. 18. , CHAPTER III REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF THE LITERATURE To establish a foundation for the data gathered in this study, this chapter briefly reviews the role of the county as a police unit and traffic accident investigation as a police responsibility. I. THE COUNTY AS A POLICE UNIT IN THE UNITED STATES Origin in England. The county as a police unit can be traced back to Anglo—Saxon England which was divided in geographical areas called shires. The shire had a legisla- tive and judicial body called a shire—moot which met semi- ? annually under the direction of an earl. The earl had an - assistant called a shire-reeve, or sheriff, who had im- portant police, financial and judicial powers.11 After the Norman Conquest, the sheriff gained in- creasing power becoming the administrative head of the l:lHerbert S. Duncombe, County Government lg America, National Association of Counties (washington: Arrow Print- ing Service, 1966), pp. 18. 20 county, as the shires came to be called.12 Between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries, many of the functions formerly performed by the sheriff were transferred to a new class of peace officer known as justices of the peace}3 However, the sheriff, as an ap- pointee of the king, still retained a position of importance in the court system. Development in America. In the seventeenth cen- tury, when the first colonist arrived in North America, the county was the primary unit of English local government. The sheriff, while not the once powerful figure of the Norman Period, was still one of the most important county officers in England.14 Many local government institutions were brought to America by the English colonists. Initially, there was little distinction made in the thirteen colonies between 12John A. Fairlie, Local Government ig_Counties, wans, and Villages (New York: The Century Company, 1906), p. 6. 13 Ibid. I PP. 7-8. 14Herman G. James, Local Government in_the United States (New YOrk: D. Appleton and Company, 1921), p. 151. 21 the local and central government of each colony. However, as population increased and spread over a larger area, it became necessary to establish forms of local government. The levels of government that were formed were based on the colonists familiarity with the local institutions of their homeland and modified to meet the needs of their new en- vironment. In 1634, Virginia was divided into eight counties. The county became the unit of representation in the colonial assembly, and the unit of military, judicial, highway and fiscal administration.15 The chief officer of the county as an administrative and judicial unit was the sheriff, who was selected by the governor of the colony. The sheriff served as executive officer of the court, election officer, collected provincial and county taxes and acted as county treasurer. It appears that the sheriff was assisted by court—appointed constables who acted as local police officers in designated precincts. The Virginia system of strong county government, which, among other things, performed certain police functions, had a distinct influence on the development of the county as 15Fairlie,gp. cit., p. 19. 22 a police unit in America, particularly in the South. The colonists who settled in Massachusetts and the other New England colonies established the town rather than the county as the fundamental unit of local government. The town or townships performed many of the administrative and judicial functions that were provided by the county in Virginia, including that of policing. The constable was the police officer of the town. Eventually, all of the New England colonies created counties, but they were primarily judicial and military districts, with limited administrative jurisdiction. The office of sheriff was created in the New England counties, but his function was mainly a judicial one. The sheriff was appointed by the governor of the colony or the general court. The Middle Atlantic colonies of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania adopted forms of local government that were a compromise between the strong county governments of Virginia and the towns of New England. As new counties were created and old counties reorganized, the governor of the 16 James, gp. cit., pp. 72-82. h' I" r.” I" 23 colony would appoint a sheriff of the county. The American Revolution and the Constitutional Con— vention did not produce any radical change in American county government.17 The adoption of state constitutions by the original colonies tended to reduce the power of state governors in making appointments to county positions. Con- sequently, the sheriff became one of the first county of- ficers to be elected.18 As new territory was settled, familiar forms of local government were adopted. By the time of the Civil war, counties had been established on the west coast. Today, all states, with the exception of Alaska and Louisiana, are divided into geographical subdivisions called counties. In Louisiana, these divisions are known as parishes and are equivalent to counties. Alaska is divided into election districts which, for the purpose of this report, are not considered counties. Almost all county governments in the United States today have some degree of law enforcement responsibilities. 17Duncombe,‘9_p. cit., p. 22. 18James,gp. cit., p. 151. 24 The nature and extent of these responsibilities varies con- siderably from county to county. The chief law enforcement officer of the county is generally a sheriff who, in all states but Rhode Island, is elected by popular vote. In Rhode Island the sheriffs are appointed by the governor.19 In most counties, the sheriff serves as (l) keeper of the county jail; (2) officer of the county court system; and (3) the police force in the unincorporated areas and the small incorporated communities of the county.20 Since the turn of the century, some counties have established police forces that are directed and supervised by an administrator other than the sheriff. For the most part, these independent county police agencies have been established in urban counties. They usually have broad police powers and, in some instances, serve the incorporated areas as well as the unincorporated areas of the county. Consequently, the sheriff is usually relieved of his re- sponsibility for police duty and serves as a civil and 19National Sheriffs' Association, 1966 Directory 2: Sheriffs (washington: National Sheriffs' Association, 1966), p. 37 20Duncombe,_o_p. cit., p. 53. 25 criminal process server and keeper of the county jail. II. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION AS A POLICE FUNCTION The police departments of the large cities were the first law enforcement agencies in the United States to as- sume traffic responsibilities. In the 1800's, before the development of the automobile, police officers were assigned to intersections to regulate the movement of pedestrians, bicycles and animal-drawn vehicles in the central business districts. The police also were responsible for enforcing laws and ordinances designed to regulate the movement of people and goods during this period in history. In the early 1900's, police traffic accident in- vestigation, as we know it today, did not exist. The traf- fic accidents that were investigated by the police were those that occurred in the large cities. The primary pur- pose of these early police investigations was to fix per- sonal responsibility.21 21National Conference on Street and Highway Safety, Proceedings 2: the First National Conference pp Street and Highway Safety, 1924, Report of Committee on Statistics, (washington, D.C.). P. 21. 26 Police investigations of traffic accidents outside incorporated areas came at a much later date. During the first few years of this century, rural roads capable of handling motor vehicle traffic were a rarity. There were few gravel roads in rural areas and those that did exist seldom exceeded five miles in length. Paved roads were almost non-existent.22 Between 1900 and 1920, the motor vehicle began to prove itself as a dependable method of transporting people and goods. During this period, road improvements became a matter of Federal and state concern. Federal aid to states for road construction started in 1916. By 1917, every state had some form of state participation in highway construction.23 The hard-surfaced road developed quickly with the monetary assistance provided by the Federal government. As the rural road system was being improved, the number of motor vehicles and accidents multiplied rapidly. 2 . . . Automotive Safety Foundation, Federal Extens1on Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Vehicles, Roads, People (washington: undated), p. 57 23Ibid., p. 58. 27 By 1920, there were over nine million registered vehicles in the United States24 and an annual traffic death toll of over 11,000.25There is no way of knowing how many of these traffic fatalities occurred in rural areas as deaths were charged to the jurisdiction where the victim died, not where the accident occurred.2 When traffic accidents which involved injury or death occurred in rural areas, drivers were required by law in most states to stop and return to the scene. In many states, drivers were required to render assistance to the injured and, if necessary, to aid in getting the injured person to a physician or hospital.27 24Automobile Manufacturers Association, Automobile Facts and Figures, 1966 Edition (Detroit: Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc., 1966), p. 18. 25National Safety Council, The Trend 2; Public Accidents (Chicago: National Safety Council, 1922), p. 13. 26Ibid., p. 14. 27United States Department of Agriculture, N93: Uniformity 2: State Motor—Vehicle Traffic Lawspreport to the 75th Congress, 3rd Session, Part I, January 3, 1938 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1938), p. 75. 28 Generally speaking, drivers in rural areas were not required to report accidents to the police, con— sequently, few were investigated. In 1919, only six auto- mobile accidents were reported to the Michigan State Police28 and there is no record as to how many were re- ported to the sheriffs. In 1924, the Committee of Statistics of the First National Conference on Street and Highway Safety reported that twenty states kept no traffic accident data and in those states that did collect accident data it was far from complete.29 A questionnaire was prepared by the Committee and submitted to chiefs of police of 287 cities with a popula- tion of 25,000 or more. Of the 214 cities that responded, seventy seven stated that the accident reports were made by the parties involved, sixty nine stated that reports were made by police officers to whose attention the accident had come. Thirty four replied that the report was made by either the police officer or the parties concerned, while a few 28National Conference on Street and Highway Safety, Proceedings of First National Conference 9g Street and Highway Safety, Report of Committee on Statistics, p. 21. 291bid., p. 22. 29 secured reports from witnesses and hospital personnel.30 Between 1920 and 1935, traffic deaths increased from 11,000 to over 35,000 annually.31 Motor vehicle acci- dents and congestion reached the point that traffic law enforcement, accident investigation, and traffic direction and control constituted a major portion of the police activity in our larger cities. During this time, the rural areas were also feeling the impact of the automobile. In 1933, the Federal govern- ment assigned $400,000,000 to states for highway con- struction in an effort to provide work for the unemployed 32 The effect of and improve the nation's highway system. the automobile on rural law enforcement officials was noted by Smith, when he wrote "Another recent departure in the sheriff's function has resulted from the increasing gravity 30Ibid., p. 22. 31National Safety Council, Accident Facts 1965 Edition (Chicago: National Safety Council, 1966), p. 58. 32American Association of State Highway Officials, Public Roads 9; the Past, Historic American Highways (washington, D.C.: American Association of State Highway Officials, 1953). p. 124. 30 of the traffic problem in the regions surrounding great cities.33 In the October, 1935, issue of Reader's Digest, J. C. Furnas wrote an article titled "And Sudden Death" which outlined in shocking detail the price in death and injury the American people were paying for traffic acci- dents. The article, reprinted and distributed in great numbers, is generally given credit as being the catalyst for the traffic safety movement that followed. Traffic safety efforts were intensified by public officials, automobile manufacturers, private organizations and professional associations. Police traffic efforts improved rapidly in the next few years. In 1936, Frank Kreml was selected to head a police traffic training program at Northwestern University sponsored by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the University's new Traffic Institute. In the same year, the Traffic Division of the International Associa- tion of Chiefs of Police was established to assist police 33Bruce Smith, Rural Crime Control (New York: Columbia University, Institute of Public Administration, 1933), p. 71. 31 departments in organizing programs of accident investigation, recording and analysis. It was also during that year that the Automobile Manufacturers Association provided a grant to the Inter- national Association of Chiefs of Police for specific pro- jects in traffic law enforcement.34 In June 1936, Congress directed the Bureau of Public Roads to make a study of the problems involved in street and highway traffic. One of the reports resulting from this directive was entitled "Skilled Investigation at the Scene of the Accident Needed to Develop Causes."35 Prior to this time, the police, for the most part, had been handling traffic accidents as routine extensions of their responsibility to aid the injured. Accident reports served mainly as a record of an incident that had occurred. Through the efforts of the Traffic Division of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Northwestern 4Norman Damon, "The Action Program for Highway Safety," The Annals g£_the American Academy g§_Political and Social Science (November, 1958), pp. 18—19. 35 , Ibld., p. 19. 32 University's Traffic Institute, the National Safety Council and other interested organizations, the traffic accident in— vestigation activities of the police began to be viewed in a new perspective. Many muncipal police administrators began to recognize the need for good accident investigations and collection and analysis of accident data as an aid in acci- dent prevention activities. A number of large cities developed accident investiga- tion programs designed for the primary purpose of reducing traffic accidents. In some cities, such as Detroit and Cleveland, specialized traffic divisions were established and officers assigned traffic accident investigation duties were given special training and equipment. In other cities, such as Wichita, Kansas, effective programs were developed without setting up a special division.36 The peOple involved in the traffic safety movement were also becoming increasingly aware of the need for more and better accident information in rural areas. State legis- latures were urged to create state police organizations. 6Franklin M. Kreml, “The Specialized Traffic Division," The Annals g£_the American Academy 9: Political and Social Science, Vol. 291, (January, 1954), pp. 64-65. 33 Between 1919 and 1939, 44 states created state police or state highway patrols.37 As pointed out by Smith, many of these organizations were primarily concerned with traffic regulation and control in the rural areas: The development of state highway patrols has made rapid strides since the advent of the motor car, and the vast network of hard-surfaced state highways has brought new problems of traffic regulation and accident prevention to the rural districts. For in addition to certain of the states listed above, which adhere more or less closely to the Pennsylvania plan, and hence en- force all laws, including traffic regulations, throughout their several jurisdictions, there have sprung up no less than 24 state highway patrol forces which are usually organized as subordinate units of the department of high— ways, of the commissioner of motor vehicles, or other state officials. In reviewing the proceedings of various national conferences on highway and traffic safety that have been held over the years, it is interesting to note that all ef- forts to improve and upgrade the traffic accident investiga- tion activities of police were directed to city and state law enforcement agencies. 37Council of State Governments, The Book.g£ the States, 1943-1944 (Chicago: Council of State Governments, 1943) p. 277. 38Smith, 9p. cit., p. 133. 34 One of the results of these long and continuous ef- forts has been the development of time-tested principles to serve as guides for municipal police administrators in their accident investigation programs. Kreml and Larson outline these principles in broad terms by saying: Good accident investigation will require enough personnel, however organized, to do the activity properly, and attention by management to its needs in equipment, supervision, and training. Such training must include the pur- poses of the activity as well as its procedures and techniques. Management must review and evaluate investigation activity at least as carefully as it will review and evaluate other critical police operations. But most of all, management must use the data derived from acci- dent investigation, and assure the receipt of such data by other agencies needing it. Other- wise this important stimulus to good accident investigation will be lost, and the data—gather- ing function will degenerate into mere activity. Unfortunately, the traffic responsibilities of the county police organizations have not received the same at- tention even though many of these agencies have actively en- gaged in important police traffic supervision activities, including the investigation of traffic accidents for the past forty years. In the early 1930's Smith wrote: 9 . . . Northwestern University Traffic Institute, Municipgl Police Traffic Supervision (Chicago: Northwestern University Traffic Institute, 1955), p. 7. 35 A county highway police is the increasingly common result. Sometimes this is organized as a unit independent of the sheriff's office, in which event the sheriff ceases to perform his police function. In other instances, the high- way police consists of so—called "police depu— ties" who are officially designated and con- trolled by the sheriff. Regardless of the ex- tent of the territory to be patrolled, the numerical strength of such police forces is rarely imposing, or in any sense adequate to the task, largely because they are superimposed upon the village and township police systems, which are in themselves hopelessly inadequate. In the strictly rural counties, it is not un— common to find special authorizations for "patrol deputies," 28 which the sheriff has taken no advantage. In 1937, eleven states had laws that required drivers of motor vehicles involved in accidents resulting in injury or death to make a report to the police or sheriff of the locality in which the accident occurred.41 In 1938, the National Conference on Street and High- way Safety, in revising Act V of the Uniform vehicle Code, recognized the sheriffs' responsibility in accident report- ing by approving Section 44 which read as follows: 40Smith,.gp. cit., p. 72. 41United States Department of Agriculture, Non-Uniformity .gf State Motor-Vehicle Laws, Report to the 75th Congress, 3rd Session, Part I, January 3, 1938 (washington: Government Printing Office, 1938) p. 76. 36 The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person shall immediately by the quickest means of communication give no- tice of such accident to the local police department if such accident occurs within a municipality, otherwise to the office of the county sheriff or the nearest office of the (State highway patrol) department.42 Subsection (c) of Section 45 stated the following: Every law enforcement officer who, in the course of duty, investigates a motor ve- hicle accident of which a report must be made as required in this section, either at the time of and at the scene of the acci- dent or thereafter by interviewing partici- pants or witnesses shall, within 24 hours after completing such investigation forward a written re ort of such accident to the department. The above provisions are substantially the same in the latest revised edition of the Uniform Vehicle Code.44 Another indication that county law enforcement agen- cies had accident investigation responsibilities is the fact that some state police and highway patrols were restricted 2 National Conference on Street and Highway Safety, Uniform Vehicle Code, Act V (Washington: Government Print- ing Office, 1939). p- 10. 43 Ibid., p. 10. 4National Committee on Uniform Traffic Laws and Ordi- nances, Uniform Vehicle Code, Revised 1962, (Washington: National Committee on Uniform Traffic Laws & Ordinances), pp. 105-107. 37 to the state highway system. Consequently, the county roads outside of the municipalities were under the juris- diction of the county police agencies. The fact that many sheriffs' departments and other county law enforcement organizations are currently per- forming traffic accident investigations is demonstrated in Table I. Details on the nature and extent of these activities are found in later chapters. III. HIGHWAY SAFETY ACT OF 1966 The increasing number of traffic accidents this country has eXperienced in recent years has placed a new emphasis on the accident investigation responsibilities of law enforcement organizations. In addition to the added work load resulting from this rising trend, new demands are being made on the police to obtain more complete and accurate accident data. During the recent congressional hearings on the Highway Safety Act of 1966, numerous witnesses testified that present methods of accident investigation and data collection and use are inadequate and unreliable. The impact that the testimony had on members of the TABLE I NUMBER OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENT RECORDS RECEIVED BY STATE RECORDS AGENCIES FROM STATE AND COUNTY POLICE AGENCIES IN 1965.* 38 State County State County Police Police Police Police Alabama 17,421 a Montana a a Alaska 1,983 b Nebraska 5,955 f Arizona 5,866 3,118 Nevada e e Arkansas a a New Hampshire 2,125 a California 124,217 c New Jersey 17,694 3,341 Colorado 20,454 1,121 New Mexico 6,108 574 Connecticut 10,401 0 New York e e Delaware 7,964 624 N.Carolina 50,188 768 Florida 38,716 22,960 N. Dakota 6,800 700 Georgia 17,444 9,734 Ohio 53,670 24,755 Hawaii d 9,498 Oklahoma 13,165 a Idaho 2,998 3,808 Oregon e e Illinois 32,677 5,200 Pennsylvania 39,215 0 Indiana 24,532 14,014 Rhode Island 659 3,991 Iowa a a S. Carolina 26,939 3,660 Kansas 6,975 7,954 S. Dakota 2,820 1,857 Kentucky 17,395 a Tennessee a a Louisiana 25,904 a Texas 45,000 10,000 Maine 9,773 943 Utah 6,126 4,206 Maryland 16,528 29,439 Vermont 5,020 a Massachusetts e e Virginia 30,280 15,275 Michigan 32,320 46,130 washington 20,262 1,222 Minnesota 8,354 3,915 W. Virginia 27,687 341 Mississippi 9,814 f Wisconsin 2,417 26,369 Missouri 25,913 3,125 wyoming 2,648 350 Data compiled by Inventory Division, Traffic Department, National Safety Council. H1O Q10 6 m I - State did not furnish information. - No county police organizations. - County information incomplete. No state police organization. - State records agency does not separate state and county reports. - State records agency does not separate county and city reports. 39 House of Representatives' Committee on Public WOrks is demon- strated in the following statement by the Committee in its report transmitting the Highway Safety Act to the Whole House for consideration: Through improved accident investigation pro- cedures and the establishment and maintenance of effective accident record systems are two separate subjects for action, they necessarily go hand in hand. The most efficient computer— ized record dsystem that can be devised will be nly as go as the accident— investigation that suppliesIEEd with raw data (italics not in the original). Conversely, the most definitive, objective, and specialized accident investiga— tion of which we are capable will be useless unless its results can be fed into a record system, correlated with other relevant data, and made to serve some purpose other than mere accumulation. This is not to suggest, however, that we are not in need of more accumulation; we are. Few States collect adequate accident statistics; the Federal Government collects practically none at all. The only source of long-term accident data is the National Safety Council, and even the Council concedes that its limited statistics leave considerable room for improvement. There are statistics scattered throughout this report. All of them were obtained from reputable reliable organizations, but in the field of accident statistics no one is really willing to say that any given set of figures is accurate. We must work, for the present, with what there is. On this subject, the committee invited the in- surance industry, which presumably has substantial quantities of impersonal but significant accident statistics available to it, to testify during the hearings on highway safety. The industry declined to participate. 40 Uniform, complete, and accurate accident reports, stored in one center in every State, subject to rapid retrieval and analysis, and compatible with a national record system at the Federal level, can tell us not only how many accidents we have, but what kind of acci- dents they are, where and when they occur, the physical circumstances and the people, and the injuries and death and damage they involve, what emergency services and enforcement agen- cies responded and how, and what judicial actions resulted, to mention only the most ob- vious possibilities. This information, at both the State and Federal level, can help us to determine which safety program elements need strengthening and which ones are good prospects for productive expansion. It can be useful for education, licensing, traffic engineering, highway design and maintenance, vehicle inspection, traffic surveillance,and virtually every other aspect of highway safety. If we are capable of designing and pro- ducing the system that put Surveyor on the moon on target, we certainly must be capable of devising this record system, and in short order. Indeed, the accident record system is the one aspect of the total State program that the committee believes can and should be de- ve10ped and at work by the end of 1967. There is equally little doubt that we are capable of putting at the scenes of our acci- dents personnel who are capable of examining all the factors involved, so that accident in- vestigation will be comprehensive and meaning- ful. Only in this way are we going to learn all the contributing causes and then be able to act to correct those causes. Only in this way, too, will we learn what elements con- tribute specifically to injuries and deaths, and how these can be alleviated or prevented. we do not now foresee the day when auto- mobiles will have ceased to collide, with each other or with something, but we do be— lieve that it must be possible to substanti- ally reduce the number and results of col— lisions. This will reguire data equipment, and people trained tg operate the equipment. 'It will require personnel competent lg acci- dent investigation and reporting. This kind .9; capital investment and personnel will pg expengive, gt least initially, and it will involve all 2f the agencies responsible for all areas 9; highway safety. ‘Ng other part success, nor gs demanding 2; complete coopera- tion gt every jurisdictional level. That ig another reason why it ig undoubtedly the ele- ment 13 which 32 should invest the most time and the most money 1g 1967 (italics not in the original).45 The Highway Safety Act, which became law on Septem— ber 9, 1966, will undoubtedly have far-reaching effects on the highway safety programs of this country. The Act pro- vides for a three-year expenditure totaling $267 million for state and local highway safety programs. After deduct- ing administrative costs, 75 per cent of the funds will be distributed to the states on the basis of population and 25 45U. S. Congress, House, Committee on Public WOrks Report on Highway Safety Act of 1966, Report NO. 1700, 89th Cong., 2nd Session, 1966, pp. 10-11. 41 42 per cent at the discretion of the Secretary of Commerce.46 A minimum of 40 per cent of the funds going to a state are for local highway safety programs.47 To be eligible for these funds, states will have to meet certain requirements. One such requirement is that a state must have a highway safety program, approved by the Secretary of Commerce, designed to reduce traffic accidents. In addition, the state programs must be in accordance with certain uniform standards promulgated by the Secretary. Accident investigation procedures and accident records systems are specifically mentioned as areas to be covered by the standards.48 Any state not having a highway safety program, ap- proved by the Secretary of Commerce, by January 1, 1969, can lose up to ten per cent of its Federal-aid highway funds.49 In addition to the $267 million for state and local highway safety programs, the Act provides $55 million for safety research and development. The development of im- 46A Cabinet-level Department of Transportation was established on October 15, 1966. This function will be transferred to the Secretary of this department. 47 80 Stat. 735 (1966) 23 U.S.C.A., Chapter IV. 48Ibid., 731. 49Ibid., 732. 43 proved accident investigation procedures is singled out as an area in which these funds can be spent.50 The above described legislation does not take the right to regulate and control motor vehicle traffic away from the states and their political subdivisions. It merely provides financial resources to the states and localities so they will be better equipped to meet their responsibilities in this area. The statement by the House Public Works Committee clearly reflects Congress's intention to give accident in- vestigation and accident records at all levels g£_govern— mggt a tOp priority under this new legislation. States will undoubtedly be given financial assist- ance to centralize traffic records including accident re— ports. Due to the volume of data to be collected, high speed electronic computers capable of combining many sources of accident data, digesting the information quickly, and preparing accident summaries and making comparisons will be utilized. These systems will only be as good as the raw data 50Ibid., 733. 44 they receive. If police agencies, whether state, county or municipal, are not capable of collecting complete and accurate information at accident scenes, the system will be rendered ineffective. The emphasis that is going to be given to acci- dent investigation and data collection was illustrated by Secretary of Commerce, John T. Connor, in an address to the 73rd Annual Conference of the International Associa- tion of Chiefs of Police, October, 1966, in the following statement: "As police executives, you are among the leaders of the nationwide, professional safety team that must improve our national performance in relation to each of these three phases of highway safety-—in estab- lishing and carrying out state and local programs both within your own police or- ganizations and in conjunction with the other segments of your governments. "Specifically, the requirements of these phases translate into a vast number of in- dividual initiatives. Many are included within your current activities. Others may not be. Recently, someone compiled a list of very general categories of action that should be covered by the highway safety programs. Some two dozen items were listed, the last one of which was, Many more. "So the range is great and covers a broad Spectrum. It includes adequate availability of first aid kits, consideration g£_improved 45 acgigent gepogting, broadened training 1p accident investigation gt police academies, and imppoved evaluation and utilizatigp pf statistics (italics not in the original). "The challenges are yours, and the spot- light will be on how you and your colleagues in every state respond to them. Emphasis will be laid on varying aspects of the total problem on the basis of local conditions. But everywhere the aim must be the same--to deal with the end result that threatens many thousands of our citizens every day of every year."51 51Secretary John T. Connor, United States Department of Commerce, Address to the 73rd Annual Conference, Interna- tional Association of Chiefs of Police, October 4, 1966, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. CHAPTER IV EXTENT OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION RESPONSIBILITIES OF COUNTY LAW ENFORCE— MENT AGENCIES Historically, the law enforcement agencies of this country have had the primary responsibility for the protec— tion of life and property against acts resulting from viola- tion of the law. Accident investigation, as a police function, is an outgrowth of this broad responsibility. Quinn Tamm, Executive Director of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, aptly stated this when he said, "The Police mission in highway safety is the same as it is in all other phases of police service — the protection of life and property, preservation of the peace and maintenance of public order through the application of the law."52 Most municipal and state law enforcement agencies have recognized accident investigation as a valid law en- forcement responsibility. However, this same generalization 52Quinn Tamm "The Police Mission in Highway Safety," The Police Chief, (July, 1965), Editorial. 47 cannot be made in regard to county sheriffs' departments. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, in its 1965 report on Epimp_ip.th§_ypited States, indicated the varying responsibilities of sheriffs agencies by saying, "It must be recognized that the law enforcement responsibilities of sheriffs' departments differ considerably in various sec- tions of the United States. In some jurisdictions, for example, the sheriffs' activities are limited in a large part to civil functions’f53 The data contained in the following tables are designed to show the number of sheriffs' departments and independent county police agencies having responsibility for traffic accident investigation, and to measure the extent, fluctuation and distribution of this responsibility by geographical location and population groups. I. NUMBER AND LOCATION OF SHERIFFS' DEPARTMENTS HAVING ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION RESPONSIBILITIES The questionnaire was filled out and returned by 53Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime ip the United States, Unifopm_Crime Reports - 1965 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1966), p. 32. 48 1,097 (35.9 per cent) of the 3,059 sheriffs' departments surveyed. Only three states were not represented, Alaska and Hawaii§4Which have no county sheriffs, and Delaware, from which no response was received. (See Table II.) Of the 1,097 agencies that responded, 837 (76.3 per cent) reported they had traffic accident investigation responsibilities. Table III indicates the above informa- tion by state. The data on the responsibilities of sheriffs' departments based on geographical location is shown in Table IV. The region with the largest percentage of sher- fiffs' departments performing accident investigations is the North Central with 94.2 per cent. The next highest percentage is found in the Mountain Pacific region with 67.1 per cent. Responses from the Southern region indicate that 58.7 per cent of the sheriffs' departments have this responsibility. The lowest percentage is in the North Atlantic region where only 48.9 per cent of the agencies reported investigating accidents. 54Hawaii has a state sheriff, appointed by the State Attorney General, who performs civil functions only. 49 TABLE II NUMBERS AND PERCENTAGES OF SHERIFFS' DEPARTMENTS COMPARED TO NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS RESPONDING, BY STATE Total No. of County Sher- STATE iffs' Depart- Number Who Per Cent_Who ments Responded Responded Alabama 67 11 16.4 Alaskaa 0 - - Arizona 14 7 50. Arkansas 75 14 18.7 California 58 43 74.1 Colorado 63 27 42.8 Connecticut 8 2 25. Delaware 3 0 0 Florida 67 29 43.3 Georgia 159 28 17.6 Hawaiib o - 0 Idaho 44 16 36.4 Illinois 102 38 37.3 Indiana 92 43 46.7 Iowa 99 58 58.6 Kansas 105 42 40. Kentucky 120 40 33.3 Louisiana 64 29 45.3 Maine 16 6 37.5 Maryland 23 8 34.8 Massachusetts 14 3 21.4 Michigan 83 54 65.1 Minnesota 87 44 50.1 Mississippi 82 13 15.9 Missouri 114 32 28.1 Montana 56 18 32.1 Nebraska 93 36 38.7 Nevada 17 10 58.8 New Hampshire 10 3 30. r111. 50 TABLE II (Continued) NUMBERS AND PERCENTAGES OF SHERIFFS' DEPARTMENTS COMPARED TO NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS RESPONDING, BY STATE Tbtal No. of County Sher- STATE iffs' Depart- Number Who Per Cent Who ments Responded Responded New Jersey 21 7 33.3 New Mexico 32 10 31.3 New York 58 29 50. North Carolina 100 30 30. North Dakota 53 22 41.5 Ohio 88 52 59.1 Oklahoma 77 13 16.9 Oregon 36 18 50. Pennsylvania 67 25 37.3 Rhode Island 5 1 20. South Carolina 46 10 21.7 South Dakota 64 19 29.7 Tennessee 95 12 41.4 Texas 254 63 24.8 Utah 29 12 41.4 Vermont 14 3 21.4 Virginia 96 34 35.4 Washington 39 18 46.2 West Virginia 55 14 25.5 Wisconsin 72 40 55.6 wyoming 23 11 47.8 Total 3,059 1,097 35.9 a. No county sheriffs b. Hawaii has no county sheriffs. However, it does have a state sheriff appointed by the State Attorney General. JLIHHE . TABLE III 51 NUMBERS AND PERCENTAGES OF RESPONDING SHERIFFS' DEPARTMENTS COMPARED TO NUMBER REPORTING TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION RESPONSIBILITIES, BY STATE Total No. of Number With Per Cent With STATE Sheriffs A-I Responsi- A-I Responsi- Responding, bility bility Alabama 11 5 45. Alaskaa - - - Arizona 7 7 100. Arkansas 14 13 92.8 California 43 11 25.5 Colorado 27 18 66.6 Connecticut 2 0 0 Delaware 0 0 0 Florida 29 23 79.3 Georgia 28 18 64.2 Hawaii - - - Idaho 16 16 100. Illinois 38 35 92.1 Indiana 43 42 97.6 Iowa 58 58 100. Kansas 42 42 100. Kentucky 40 31 77.5 Louisiana 29 12 41.3 Maine 6 3 50. Maryland 8 2 25. Massachusetts 3 0 0 Michigan 54 53 98.1 Minnesota 44 44 100. Mississippi 13 12 92.3 Missouri 32 23 71.8 Montana 18 14 77.7 Nebraska 36 36 100. Nevada 10 10 100. New Hampshire 3 0 0 TABLE III (Continued) 52 NUMBERS AND PERCENTAGES OF RESPONDING SHERIFFS' DEPARTMENTS COMPARED TO NUMBER REPORTING TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION RESPONSIBILITIES, BY STATE Total No.of Number With Per Cent With STATE Sheriffs A-I Responsi- A-I Responsi- Responding bility bility New Jersey 7 0 0 New Mexico 10 5 50. New York 29 24 82.7 North Carolina 30 11 36.6 North Dakota 22 22 100. Ohio 52 52 100. Oklahoma 13 3 23. Oregon 18 17 94.4 Pennsylvania 25 l 4. Rhode Island 1 1 100. South Carolina 10 3 30. South Dakota 19 19 100. Tennessee 12 11 91.6 Texas 63 36 57.1 Utah 12 12 100. Vermont 3 3 100. Virginia 34 18 52.9 washington 18 14 77.7 west Virginia 14 14 100. Wisconsin 40 33 82.5 wyoming 11 10 90.9 Total 1,097 837 76.3 a - No county sheriffs 53 m.>m mm hm m.o> bmm hmo.a Hmuoa o.am HH NH h.mm HHH mma aumnpsom .00H m m N.¢m om¢ omm Hmuuamo nuuoz .OOH 0H ma m.m¢ we mma uaucmaud nuuoz .ooa g g H.50 05H mmm Damaomm aflmucsoz .mmwm .>GH .mwmm .>CH mcfipcommwm .mmmm .>GH .mmwm mafipcommwm .U.OU¢ QDHS .©.UUm SDHB mucwfiuummmn .O.oo¢ zuflz .>GH .O.UU¢ muswfiunmmmn onwmm .mummn Mo K. .mumma.oz mo .02 .mumwn mo x_£ufiz.mummn.oz mo .02 mmfiocmmd moaaom mucsoo DGEUGOQOOGH mucmfiuummon .mmmanmsm ZCmem Mm .mMHBHQHmHmZOmme ZOHBfiUHBmW>ZH BZHQHUUfi UZH>¢$ WMHUZMO¢ m0 mmwfifizmommm QZ¢ mMflmSDZ >H Wflmflfi 54 There were six states - Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Ohio - in the North Central region and four states — Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah - in the Mountain Pacific region where 100 per cent of the responding agencies reported having responsibilities in this area. When referring to the North Atlantic region, it is significant to note that 56 (84.8 per cent) of the agen- cies with accident investigation responsibilities are located in three states - New York, Virginia, and West Virginia. Only one of the 25 responding agencies from Pennsylvania reported having this responsibility, while none of the responding agencies from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New Jersey, reported hav- ing any responsibilities for the investigation of accidents. Table V compares the number of responding agencies to the number reporting accident investigation responsi- bilities, by population group. This indicates that the highest percentage of sheriffs' departments with accident investigation responsibilities are found in those counties with less than 10,000 population and the lowest percentage in the 250,000 to 500,000 p0pu1ation group. 55 .mm m.¢m 4.6m m.am m.¢m .ooa m.mm .OOH .p.ou¢ .>:H x mHH HmH ooa mm mm A m H .p.ou< .>cH # HNH Hma OHH 64 mm A m H .Omom .mummo # Hmnuawu suuoz m.mm v.mm m.mo m.n¢ m.mm ~.ma m.¢a .om .p.ou« .>:H R m ma Hm HH 0 N a H .O.oo¢ .>GH # m mm mm mm ma AA A m .mmmm .mummn # oaugmau< :uuoz H.ss ¢.Hn o.m6 6.Hm ¢.Sw .om .os .ooa .p.oom .>:H x Sb km Hm SA a m A m .p.uo¢ .>:H # pm mm mm Hm ma 6 0H m .mmmm .mumwn # uwmwumm GHMDGSOS ooo.oa ooo.mm ooo.om 000400H ooo.omm 000.com ooo.ooo.H coflaafis HOUGD on CD Op On Op Op 0:0 ooo.oa ooo.m~ ooo.om ooo.ooa ooo.omm 000.com H0>0 onOmm mmpomo onsmquom = ZOHBEADAOE Ozm onwmm Em .meszHoom OHEGEEB OzHBEEHemm>zH mazmzsmmmmm .mmmHmmmm mo onaDmHmsmHO m>He¢m«mzoo > mamEG I i I ‘ .om m.mu m.nn .¢m o.mo mwmv .oo m.mm .v.oo¢ .>cH x mam mum vna om mm «a ma m .w.oo¢ .>cH # omm m¢m mmm mma om mm om o .mmmm .mummn # Hmuoe m.nm o.mm .mm .mm H.Ho .ow .Om u .w.oo¢ .>aH x Hm mm on ¢H HH N m I .u.uo< .>:H # wm mo om mm ma m w u .mmmm .mumma # cumnusom ooo.oa ooo~mm ooo.om ooo.ooa ooo¢omm ooo¢dom ooo~ooo~a aoflaaflz umUCD 0# on Op on on ou mco ooo.oa ooo.mm ooo.om ooo.ooa ooo.omm ooo.oom uw>o onwmm mmoomw ZUHe«mnmom ZOHBflADmOm Q24 ZOHUWM Mm .mBZHQHUU¢ UHmmflmB OZHB<0HBmm>ZH mBZWZHmflme .mthmmmm m0 ZOHBDmHMBmHQ M>HB¢M¢QSOU Awmscflucoov > mqm¢e 56 In all four regions, sheriffs' departments of coun- ties with less than 50,000 p0pu1ation are more likely to have accident investigation responsibilities than those with over 50,000 p0pu1ation. This is especially true in the North Atlantic region where 60.8 per cent of the agencies from the smaller counties investigate accidents compared with 34.4 per cent in the larger counties. This variation also exists in the Mountain Pacific region with only 55 per cent of agencies in the over 50,000 p0pu1ation group having this responsibility, compared with 71.7 per cent for the under 50,000 group. It should be noted that in all four regions many of the smaller agencies reported that although accident investigation is not one of their normal duties, they often do assist state and city police at accident scenes. While these agencies are not reported in this study as having accident investigation responsibilities, they are indirectly involved and should also be adequately trained in such areas as traffic direction and first aid. 57 II. NUMBER AND LOCATION OF INDEPENDENT COUNTY POLICE AGENCIES HAVING ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION RESPONSIBILITIES As shown in Figure II, forty-three of the fifty—two independent county police agencies are located in the North Atlantic and Southern regions of the country. Of the re- maining nine, five are in the North Central region with Kentucky having four and Missouri one and four are located in the Mountain Pacific region, all in Hawaii. As noted in Chapter III, the majority of police organizations of this type are located in more populous metropolitan counties. This is demonstrated by the fact that thirty-two (61.5 per cent) of the fifty-two agencies lie within a standard metropolitan statistical area.55 Thirty-seven (71.2 per cent) of fifty-two agencies surveyed returned the questionnaire. Of these, thirty-six (97.3 per cent) reported having accident investigation 55Standard metropolitan statistical areas are generally made up of an entire county or counties having at least one core city of 50,000 or more inhabitants, with the entire area meeting certain metropolitan characteristics. For further in- formation see Bureau of Budget publication, Standard Metro- politan Statistical Areas (washington: Government Printing Office, 1961). r 43 .I— l r1 1 rr 1 i ‘j*—~;—~3t cf: “LS-“W? 1:; 2313:: ".‘_.:_..____.. 3“'» :::ZZZMT-~——‘ .. J M7: { x l W ‘ 58 .‘ o «la u m c: u m .u F4 G JJ 0 {3 ¢ C) H a) .1: .II .S: p 4) .u H H :1 o o o z 25 m L E3 v; 215%.“ ?___%g mg N [I] ‘5‘ U H m NUMBER OF INDEPENDENT COUNTY POLICE AGENCIES BY STATE 59 responsibilities. (See Table IV.) The one agency not investigating accidents is located in Horry County, South Carolina. III. TYPES OF ROADS OVER WHICH COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES EXERCISE JURISDICTION Both types of county law enforcement agencies with accident investigation responsibilities share this in- vestigative responsibility with municipal and state law enforcement organizations. At the onset of this study, it was assumed that the majority of county police agencies would confine their accident investigation activities to county roads with city streets coming under the jurisdiction of municipal police agencies and state highways being primarily the concern of the state law enforcement body. As the following discussion points out, this assumption was not entirely correct. Jurisdiction of Sheriffs' Departments As shown in Table VI, the largest percentage of sheriffs' departments investigate accidents on county roads (public roadways outside of incorporated areas, but not part 6O m.mm mom m.mm was N.Hm mmn m.mm mom Hmuoe m.n~ Hm o.mm we m.mn mm .ooa HHH cumnusom m.vm moa v.vm mmm v.om «me .ooa mow Hmuucwo apnoz H.mm ma m.mm mm ¢.om em .ooa om oflucmau< nuuoz m.mm hm H.om Hoa n.mm mma o.¢m mma oamaumm CHMNcsoZ x .02 x .02 x .02 x .02 smumSm mmmznmflm onomm mumuwumucH mummuum huflu mumum Hmnsm momom macsoo ngadom m0 mmMB onomm am..smemwm meZH mazm29m¢mmn .mmmHmmmm m0 mmwdfizmvmmm Q24 mmmmSDZ H> mnmdfi 61 of the state highway system). Of the 804 agencies report— ing the roads over which they have jurisdiction, 795 (98.9 per cent) indicated responsibility on county roads. Contrary to what might be expected, many of these agencies do not restrict their accident investigation activity to county roads. Seven hundred and thirtyothree (91.2 per cent) reported investigating accidents on rural state highways (roadways outside of incorporated areas that are part of the state highway system). The percentage drops considerably for city streets (roadways within incorporated areas) with only 422 (52.5 per cent) indicating responsibility. The lowest percentage is found on the Interstate System (National System of Interstate and Defense Highways) where 268 (33.3 per cent) reported accident investigation activity. The nine counties not performing this function on county roads are located in California where some of the larger counties, such as Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Santa Clara, provide total police service, including the investigation of traffic accidents, to a number of cities on a contractual basis. In these cases, the sheriff's department confines it's accident in- 62 vestigation activity to the contracting cities with the accidents in the rural areas coming under the jurisdiction of the California Highway Patrol. Generally speaking, sheriffs' departments report- ing accident investigation responsibilities on city streets confine their activity to the smaller municipalities with- out their own police department or those that have a department but insufficient personnel for 24—hour coverage. The exception to this is the nine California counties previously discussed. When interpreting the data for the Interstate System, it is important to realize that the 41,000 miles of the System are not scheduled for completion until 1972. At the present time, only 21,570 miles of the roadway are open to the motoring public.56 Consequently, some of the responding agencies not now investigating accidents on the Interstate System may assume this responsibility as new sections open for public travel. However, even when com- 56Bureau of Public Roads, "Quarterly Report on the Federal-Aid Highway Program, June 30, 1966," Bureau of Public Roads, United States Department of Commerce, August 4, 1966. 63 pleted, the Interstate System will still by-pass many counties. Jurisdiction of Independent County Police Agencies County roads and rural state highways were the most frequently mentioned by responding agencies as being under their jurisdiction. Thirty-four (94.4 per cent) of the thirtyasix departments investigate accidents on these two road systems. Twenty-two departments (61.1 per cent) reported accident investigation responsibilities on city streets and twenty-one agencies (58.3 per cent) stated they perform this function on the Interstate System. (See Table VII.) As mentioned previously, the number of departments investigating accidents on the Interstate System may in- crease as new sections are opened to the motoring public. As might be expected from the preceding discussion, certain problems are created as a result of overlapping jurisdictions of police agencies at the different levels of government. In spite of this, responses to the questionnaire and personal interviews with police administrators in all sections of the country revealed that while the potential 64 m.mm Hm H.Ho mm «.mm mm ¢.¢m mm Hmuoe ©.mo h m.mH m .ooa Ha .OOH AH sumausom .om w .om ¢ .00H m .ooa m Hmuusmo nuuoz .mm m .mb NH m.nm ca m.nm wa vaucmaud suuoz .mm H .00H m ooa m .00H g oamaomm samussoz .x. .02 X .02 X .02 .x. .02 smummm mmmssmflm onomm wumumumucH mpmmuym huHO mumum amusm momom >uszou WflBQfiOm ho mmMB HH> mqmdfi ZOHUHM Mm ~SHBmMm MBflfimMMBZH 02¢ .mBHMMBm MEHU ~mN§SEOHm mafifim Q¢MDM .mD¢Om M92500 ZO WBZMQHUU¢ OZHB¢UHBmm>ZH mmHUZm0¢ HUHQOA MBZDOU BZHQmemQZH m0 mm0¢92m0mmm QZ< mmmmSDZ 65 for friction between agencies is great, in reality, rivalry over traffic responsibilities are infrequent. When problems do arise, they usually involve state and county law enforce- ment agencies. Disagreement or friction if it exists is usually at the administrative level and generally involves counties that have a fairly large police agency. Conflicts are most likely to occur when one agency receives substantially more favorable publicity than the other. Agencies at both the state and county levels of government have a tendency to ignore or discount the work being done by the other, when appearing before state and county legislative bodies on budget matters. While there is a minimum of conflict between agencies, the main weakness appears to be lack of coordination and planning of accident investigation activities. In the major- ity of cases, there is no inter-agency planning of manpower assignments or patrol areas. Accidents are usually investi- gated on a first-come-first-served basis, with the agency first on the scene making the investigation. Obviously, such procedures militate against the development of close coopera- tive working relationships. CHAPTER V COMPARISON OF COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION PROGRAMS WITH THE MODEL As shown in the previous two chapters, a large per— centage of sheriffs' departments and independent county po— lice agencies have assumed traffic accident investigation responsibilities. The facts gathered by sheriffs' deputies and county police officers at accident scenes, serve a far more im- portant function than determining who caused the accident. These facts, combined with those gathered by state and munici- pal police officers, provide safety officials with the means for determining where accidents are occurring, why they are occurring, and what should be done to correct the situation. Obviously, then, the completeness and accuracy of such facts are essential to sound safety programs. In view of this, many safety officials at the state and local levels have made continuous efforts to improve the accident investigation capabilities of investigating officers and increase the uses being made of accident reports. Accident investigations made by untrained or in- sufficiently trained personnel produces questionable data 67 that is of little value. Accident investigations must be made by trained officers to produce a foundation of factual data on which an effective program can be built. However, a good police accident investigation program does not end with adequate training. To be useful, the data must be kept in a highly accessible form. Accident reports should be filed in a manner that will make them easily obtainable for analysis purposes. In addition, the data should be processed, summarized, and analyzed so that intelligent en- forcement programs can be developed. Many times, special studies have to be undertaken in order to obtain necessary information. This could in- volve the use of special accident report forms or in-depth investigations at certain locations or of certain types of accidents. Also important to the success of the overall pro- gram is the routing of reports and data summaries to other official and unofficial users. All of these elements plus many more are basic to a good police accident investigation program. For the pur- pose of this study, four basic elements were selected as criteria to evaluate the accident investigation programs of county law enforcement agencies. 68 I. RECRUIT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION TRAINING Recruit training is that training given to an of- ficer either before or shortly after his appointment to the department. This training should equip the officer with the knowledge needed to perform the responsibilities assigned, both to the satisfaction of the department and the general public. A deputy sheriff or county police officer responding to an accident call needs the same basic knowledge required of a state trooper, highway patrolman or city police officer. A citizen involved in a traffic accident deserves, and should expect, the same quality of police service regardless of the size of the department or the level of government it represents. Sheriffs' Departments Of the 618 sheriffs' departments with accident in- vestigation responsibilities that reported on their recruit training program, only nineteen (3.1 per cent) indicated that recruits were given forty or more hours of accident investiga- tion training. One hundred and sixty-four (26.5 per cent) re- ported recruits receive less than forty hours, while 197 (31.9 per cent) stated that recruits reveive training, but did not 69 indicate the number of hours. (See Table VIII.) One fact that is particularly distressing is that 238 (38.5 per cent) of the agencies investigating accidents provide no recruit training in this area. This lack of training is even more significant when one realizes that in the North Central region which has the largest number of sheriffs' departments investigating accidents, almost one- half (48.8 per cent) provide no recruit training. Of the 538 agencies located in counties with less than 100,000 population, 229 (42.9 per cent) indicated that accident investigation is not part of their recruit train- ing program, as compared to nine (20.2 per cent) of the eighty-four agenciesin.the larger population groups. (See Table IX.) The need for more accident investigation training in smaller departments is further illustrated by the fact that 96.2 per cent of the agencies not providing training are located in counties with less than 100,000 inhabitants. Independent County Police Five (16.1 per cent) of the thirty-one county depart- ments that reported on their recruit training program, indi- cated that newly-appointed officers are given at least forty 7O m.m a H.6H m m.¢o om H.6H m Hmuoe H.HH H m.mm m m.mm m m.~m N cumnusom o o o o .00H m o o Hmnucmu Sguoz o o m.ma m 5.00 OH .om m Ufipcmaum Sunoz o o o o .ooa g o o oamaumm cwmpcsoz woaaom mucsoo HCOUGOQOUGH m.mm mmm m.Hm hma m.mm gma m.m ma Hmuoe .H¢ em n.mm mm m.om 5H m.v w cumsusom m.m¢ ova ¢.mm oHH m.¢~ hm m.m m Hmuusmo nuuoz ¢.Hm ma m.mm ma ¢.Hm 6H m.H H owucmaum nuuoz m.mm we m.s~ mm m.¢m we .4 m oamnomm campuses mucmfiuummvn .mmwflumzm X .02 X .02 x. .02 fl. .oz Umpmoflch p02 musom ow musom og ZOmem mcflcflmafi oz mun—Dom MO HOQESZ swnfi mmmm cmna mnoz 205% Mm . 6522mm. ZOHBdGHEmm>ZH BZMQHUU¢ BHDmUmm m0 mmDOE ho ZOHBDmHMBwHQ W>HB¢M¢QEOU HHH> Hflmdfi 71 ooo.ooa ou ooo.om > mpomo #0 ooo.om~ 0» ooo.ooa >H moomo 0m 000.com on ooo.omm HHH moomo ad 000.000.H 0» 000.00m HH mbomw ma 000.000.H um>o H mDOMO mcflcflmua 0QHUH>OHm msflcflmue mcfipfl>onm uoz Hmnfisz mafipcommm mucmfiuummm mcflcflmua mGHUH>OHm msflcflmua 0CHUH>oum “oz Hmnfisz DCHUGOQmmm mucmfiuummmn Hmnfisz mmbomw ZOHBdADmOm mmflocmmfl OUHHom mucsoo unoccmmmUcH mucmfiuummmn .mmmaumnm onscqomom mm .oszHmme ZOHBflUHBmm>ZH BZHQHUUfi BHDMUHM NQH>OMm 902 on Bdmfi mMHOmefi m0 mmwflfizmommm 32¢ mmmmZDZ NH mqmfle 72 I I 0 m.mm fin oga 000.0H HOUGD HHH> Abomw I o m h.v¢ mm hmH ooo.mm 0» 000.0H HH> abomo .om H m m.mm he mmH ooo.om 0» ooo.m~ H> mbomo mcflcflmue maflgHmue mcflpcommmm msflcflmue msflcflmna mcflpcomwmm msH©H>OMm mcHUH>oum mucmfiuummmn mGH©H>OHm mGHUH>OHm mpcmfiunmmmm mmsomw “02.x uoz “@9852 umnfisz #02 X uoz Hmnfizz HmQEDZ onamamem mmHocmmm OOHHom wussou ucwpsmmmch mucmfiunmmmn .mmmaumnm onemHomom Sm .oszHZH BZMQHUU¢ BHDmumm WQH>Omm 902 on B m00m0 I 0 0 .m g 0m 000.0mm 0p 000.00H 1 >H macaw m.m¢ m n H.m H HH 000.00m ou 000.0mm HHH mbomw I O 0 I 0 0H 000.000.H ou 000.00m HH Abomw I O N I O m 000.000.H Hm>0 H mDOMO musom mnzom mchcomwwm musom musom mchsommmm mmbomw muoz no 0g mnoz HO 0% mucmEuummma mnoz H0 0% mac: no 00 musmfiuummma onaflabmom mchH>oum4$ msHpH>oum.oz HmQEnz mchH>oum X msHpH>oum .oz Hmnfisz meocmmm mUHHom muasou pampcmmmch mucmfiuummmn .mMMHHOSm ZCHBQHDmOm Mm .02HZHfiMB ZOHBflUHBmm>ZH BZMQHUUfi BHDmUmm m0 mMDOE mmoz m0 Mfimom OZHQH>OMm mmHUZm0¢ m0 mmO mDOMO .om H m .m w 50H 000.mm on 000.0H HH> m00m0 .0N H m m. H mmH 000.0m ou 000.mm H> mbomw musom musom mchcommm musom mnsom mchnommmm mmpomw wuoz H0 00 muoz no 0% mysmfipnmmmg muoz no 0g mnoz no 0v mucmEuummmo ZOHBmHDmOm mchH>oum x. OGHUH>oum.oz‘ Hmnfisz mchH>oum x. mGHUH>oum .oz Hwnfisz meocmm¢ mUHHom muzsoo vampcmmmch BI mpcwfiunmmmn .mMMHHwnm ZOHBfiHDmOm Mm .UZHZH¢MB ZOHBfiUHBmm>ZH BZHQHOUfl BHDMUHM m0 mMDOE mmoz m0 MBmom GZHQH>Omm WWHozmwm m0 mmwfifizmommm QZ¢ mmmmZDZ ApmscHucouv X mqmfie 76 evidenced by the fact that the average amount of time al- lotted to this subject by the independent agencies is twenty-three hours as compared to six and one-half hours by the sheriffs' departments. The average time allotted, however, by both types of organizations is considerably below the forty-one hour average of state police and highway patrol agencies.57 II. IN-SERVICE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION TRAINING In addition to recruit training, an officer should receive regular in-service accident investigation training throughout his career. When commenting on the need for in- service traffic training, the President's Committee for Traffic Safety said, "The traffic problem for police is a dynamic one, requiring adaptability as well as basic know- ledge and skills. Training acquired during the recruit period is not enough to equip a police officer for his entire career. He needs refresher training on a regular basis."58 57Based on data supplied by forty-one states in the Police Traffic Supervision section of the 1965 Annual Traffic Inventory of the National Safety Council. 58The President's Committee for Traffic Safety, Police Traffic Supervision, A Section of the Action Program for High- way Safety (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1961), p.6. 77 This training should enable officers to keep abreast of the latest available knowledge and accident investigation techniques and be geared toward correcting deficiencies in current practices. Sheriffs' Departments Sixty-three (12.1 per cent) of the 519 sheriffs' departments which reported on their in-service training pro- gram provide eight or more hours in—service accident investi- gation training annually. One hundred and fifty-two agencies (29.3 per cent) stated that training is provided but did not indicate the number of hours and forty-one (7.9 per cent) reported less than eight hours. .Over one-half (50.7 per cent) of the agencies stated that officers receive no regular in- service training in this area. (See Table XI.) When viewed geographically, the percentage of depart- ments meeting the eight-hour criteria varies from a high of 15.5 per cent in the North Atlantic region to a low of 8.2 per cent in the Southern region. The North Atlantic region, has the lowest percentage of departments providing no in-service training while the Southern region has the highest percentage. (See Table XI.) 78 m.¢m HH m.¢m HH NN 5 ¢.m m HmuDB m.NN N 0.00 0 H.HH H 0 0 cumnusom m.mm H m.mm H m.mm H 0 0 Hmnuamo nuuoz m.m¢ 5 .mN g m.NH N 5.0H m UHHGMHHN nunoz .mm H 0 0 .05 m 0 0 UHMHUMm GHMHGSOE mUHHom Nucsoo ucmpcmmmUcH 5.00 m0N m.0N NmH 0.5 Hg H.NH m0 Hmupa .Nm mm 0.0N HN .HH 0 N.m 0 cumsusom m.0m 00H ¢.mN Hm 5.5 NN m.mH mm Hmuucmo spuoz 5.0g HN 0.0N MH 0.0 w m.mH 5 UHHGMHH¢ nuuoz 5.Hm 00 0.Hm 5m .0 5 «.OH NH UHMHUmm GHmucsoz mucwfiuummvn .mMMHHmSm .x. .02 .5 .oz .5 .02 N .02 mchHmue cmumoHcaH uoz mason uaaHm musom uanm onomm moH>ummICH oz musom mo anEsz cmSB mmmH Gaga 0H0: ZOHOHM Mm .OZHZHde ZOHBfiGHBmm>ZH BZMQHUU4 MUH>mmmIZH HHB¢M¢ASOU HN mammfi 79 On the basis of population, the highest percentages of agencies providing eight or more hours of in-service accident investigation training are located in counties with more than 100,000 population. Nineteen (25 per cent) of seventy-five agencies in these more highly populated counties meet the criteria, compared to forty-four (9.9 per cent) of the 444 agencies in the less populated counties. (See Table XII.) Two Hundred and forty—two (54.5 per cent) of the 444 agencies in the less than 100,000 population groups do not provide in—service accident investigation training. This percentage drops considerably in the over 100,000 population groups, where only twenty-one (28 per cent) of the seventy-five agencies failed to provide any training. (See Table XIII.) Independent County Police 0f the thirty-two county agencies reporting on their in-service training program, only three (9.4 per cent) met the minimum criteria of eight hours annually. Seven agen- cies (22 per cent) provide less than eight hours and eleven (34.3 per cent) reported that regular training is provided 80 .mm H ¢ H.MH m H0 000.00H on ooo.om > mDOMO 5.0a H 0 ¢.¢N HH mfi 000.00N Ou 000.00H >H mDOMU m.¢H H s m.mm m m coo-oam Ou 000.00N HHH mDOMO I O 0 m MN $ 5H 0» 000.com HH mDOMG I o m ImMI lied, a Hm>o H mDOMU musom musom mcHucomnmm musom musom mCHUsommmm no: no ugmHm no: no uanm musmEuHmmma muoz n0 usmHm muoz H0 uanm mummEuHmmmn mmDOMO mCHpH>oum X CH0H>OHm.OZ Hmnfisz msHpH>oum X msH0H>oum .02 quE52 ZOHBZH BZWDHUU¢ MUH>mmleH HflDZZfl m0 mMDOE HMOZ m0 Bmem UZHQH>Omm mmHUZmO¢ m0 mmwfiazmommm 92¢ mmeEDZ HHN mqm¢9 81 I I 0 .m 0 mHH 000.0H prsD HHH> mDOMU I 0 N ¢.5 HH mfiH 000.0N Ou 000.0H HH> ADOMU I 0 m ¢.0H 0H 0HH 000-00 0“ 000.mm H> mDOMG mHsom mHsom mchcommmm mHsom mHDom msHpco mmm H02 HO usmHm H02 HO uzmH ucmEuHmme mHoS HO uzmHm mHoz H0 uanm musmEuHmmmn mmpomw mchH>0Hm x. msHpH>0Hm.omfi Hmnfisz mchH>0Hm.& 0GH0H>OHm .oz Hmnfisz ZOHBZH BZHQHUUd WUH>mmmIZH HfiDZZfl m0 mmDOE HMOS m0 BEGHN UZHQH>Omm mmHUZm0¢ m0 mmwfiazmummm 92¢ mmmmZDZ AUODGHHGOUV HHX mamfie 82 I 0 w 0.N¢ 0N H0 000.00H ou 000.00 > mbomw m.mm N 0 0.0N MH mg 000.0mN 0» 000.00H >H 000mm m.Nv m 5 0.0m m m 000.com ou 000.0mN HHH mbomw .om m 0 5.5H m 5H 000wd00.H ou 000.com HH mbomw .om H N I 0 w 000.000.H Hm>0 H mbomo mGHCHMHB dechHB msHocommmm ImchHmHB mchHMHB mchaommwm msHUH>0Hm msHpH>0Hm mucwEuHmme mchH>0Hm mchH>0Hm musmEuHmmwQ mmbomw uoz x Hoz Hmpssz Hmpssz uoz_x uoz Hmnssz Hmnssz onHHHDmom mmHocmmm mUHHom mussoo uswvcmmmch mucmEpHmmwQ .mMMHHwSm onHHHomom Hm .oszHame onaaoHamm>zH azmoHoom moH>mmmIzH maH>omm 902 OD B mbomw .00 H N H.00 mm mfiH 000.0N op 000.0H HH> 000mm .0N H 0 0.0v 00 0HH 000.00 ou 000.0N H> mbomw mchHmHB mchHMHB mchcommmm mcwcHMHB mCHsHMHB 0CHpsommmm mchH>OHm 0cH0H>0Hm ucwEuHmmmn mcHUH>0Hm mchH>0Hm musmEuHmme mmbomw uoz R #02 HmQEDz HmHEDZ #02 X. #02 Hmafisz HmHEsz ZOHBNHDmOm mmHocm0< mUHHom mucsou usmpcmmwch mucmEHHmme .mMMHHmnm onemqpmom Hm .oszHmms ZOHBdOHBmm>ZH BZMDHUU¢ WUH>MMMIZH MQH>Omm 902 CO BHX mqmflfi 88 j ooo.00H 0.00 N 0 5.0H 0H 05 CH 000.00 > 000mm 000.00N ¢.H5 0 5 H.¢N 0H 00 on 000.00H >H mbomw 000.000 5.00 0 5 0.00 m 0H CH 000.00N HHH mbomw 00040004H .00H 0 0 m.mH m 0H ou 000.000 HH mbomo 0004000.H .00 H N .00 0 0 Hm>o H mbomw soHu GOHH GOHH soHu Imooq ummHum Imooq ummHum IMUOH umeum IMUOH ummHuw mmbomo mm mcHHHm Hm mcHHHm mancommmm Hm mcHHHm Hm mcHHHH mcchommmm onememom .mumwa X .mummm .oz .mumma .oz .mumma X .mpme .02 .mummo .oz mmHoswm¢ mOHHo mucmfiuHmme mussoo ucmpcwmwch .mMMHHmSm = ZOHBflHDmOm Mm .ZOHBdUOH Mm mBmOmmm EZMQHUU¢ UZHHHm mMHUZm0¢ m0 mmwfiezmummm 92¢ mmmmEDZ >N mqmfle 89 0.00 HN 00 0.00 00N N05 Hmuoe 0.0v 0 HH ¢.¢H 0H ¢0H :Hmnpsom .ov N 0 0.N¢ 00N 0Nv HMHusmo zuHoz .05 NH 0H 0.0N NH 00 0HHGMHH¢ nuHoz .00 N v N.¢N 00 0¢H UHwHomm sHmuasoS man: #000 mam: uomm mschommmm mam: Homm mam: Homm mGHocommmm mchHmuchz mchHmuchz mucmEuHmmmn mchHmucHMZ mcHCHmuchz mucmEuHmmwQ ZOHOMM vcmu Hmm .mumwn .oz Hmnfisz smo Hmm .mummm .oz HmHEsz mmHUa00¢ mOHHom hucsoo pampammmUGH mucmfiuHmmmn .mMMHHmnm ZOHUHM Mm .mmflSVBOmm BZMQHUU¢ OZHmD mmHUmefl m0 mmwfifizmvmmm QZ¢ mmmmzfiz H>N MHm¢E I I I 0.H0 00 NmH 000.0H HmUcD HHH> 090mm .00 H N H.0H H0 NON 000.0N ou 000.0H HH> macmw 5.0H H 0 5.0N 00 0¢H 000.00 0H 000.0N = H> 09020 GOHHMUOH coHumuoq muscommmm coHumuoq COHHMUOH mchcommmm mmbomw ummHum hm mcH ummHum 5m mcH ucmEuHmme ummHum hm mcH umeum hm mcH mucmEuHmmwQ ZOHB¢HDmOm IHHmdummn X HHmdummodL $8.52 1393me X IHHH.mwmmbI.oz 3852 mmHocmm< moHHom mpcsoo usmusmmmccH mucmEuHmme .mMMHHmnm 2OHB¢99909 Mm .20HB¢UOH 29 mfimommm B299HUO¢ U2H9Hh mmHU290¢ 90 mmw¢B2mummm 92¢ m299292 “UmDGHHGOUV >x mqm¢9 90 36.4 per cent in the Southern region. (See Table XIV.) As shown in Table XV, the agencies in the more highly populated counties utilize location files most frequently. Eighteen (81.8 per cent) of the twenty—two counties in the over 100,000 population groups use this filing method, as compared to four (28.6 per cent) of the fourteen with less than 100,000 p0pu1ation. Spot maps are maintained by twenty-one (58.3 per cent) of the thirtyHSix agencies. The region with the highest percentage of agencies using this technique is the North Atlantic with 75 per cent. (See Table XVI.) On the basis of population, less than one-half (49.9 per cent) of the agencies in counties with less than 100,000 popula- tion maintain spot maps compared to more than two-thirds (68.2 per cent) in the over 100,000 p0pu1ation groups. (See Table XVII.) When comparing the two types of organizations, the percentage of departments filing by location and maintain- ing spot maps is much higher for the independent county agen- cies. 91 5.00 w 0 0N 05 000.00H CH 000.00 > mDOMO IIHJH INN H. %I 8on on 000.00H >H mbomw H.Hm a s m1 08 o m 0» 000.00N . HHH 990mm 0.00 0 0 0 on 000.000 HH mDOMO .00 .H. N v m ooo.ooo.(H.. 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ZUHBflHDmom Mm .Wuzmwm wQ2OUm2 28480 OE m920222 ZCHBmGHBmm>ZH BZMQHUU< UH22¢2B HUHAO2 20 mMH200 9223202 802 on 9228 mMHUzmwfl mo mWO¢BZMU222 Q22 m2mmSDZ HNN mgmflfi 101 000.0H m.0H Hm mom nmpc0 HHH> 20020 ood¢mm .om H m m.> Hm mom on 000.0H HH> 20020 000.0m I o 0 m.0H 5H 20H 00 000.mm H> 20020 munomm2chH muno2m2 wcH muuo2m2 02H muuomm2 00H IUHMBHom uoz Ipum3no2 uoz mcHUco2mm2 IUHMBHom uoz IUHM3H02 uoz mcHUc02mm2 020020 .0”..me “Nu .0N—.202 .02 .mummfl .02 .muhmmfl .N. .mumwn .OZ .muhmwfi .02 ZOHEngm mmaucmm2 moHHO2 . . . mucmfiunm2m0 .mMMHHmsm hucsoo pampcw2mUGH one4quom 2m .202262 momoomm msmsm on 0920222 20HB20H802>2H B22QHUU2 UH2222B 2UH202 20 02H200 2223202 902 02 B229 02H02202 20 02029220222 222 0222202 Awmquucoov Hxx mummy a 102 When comparing Table XVIII and Table XX, we find that a higher percentage of sheriffs' departments meet this criteria than do independent county police agencies. CHAPTER VI SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS I. SUMMARY The increasing number of traffic accidents this country has experienced in recent years has placed a new emphasis on the accident investigation responsibilities of the police at every jurisdictional level. The importance of the accident investigation activities of state and city police agencies has been recognized for a number of years. Consequently, long and continuous efforts have been made to improve and upgrade the performance of these agencies. Today, most state and city police administrators recognize the impor- tance of good accident investigation and the collection and use of data in successful accident prevention programs. Unfortunately, the county law enforcement organizations of this country have received little attention and their accident investigation activities have been almost entirely ignored. This study has attempted to fill this lack by determining how many sheriffs' departments and independent county police agencies have accepted accident investigation responsibilities and measuring the extent to which these 104 agencies are following certain accident investigation prac— tices and utilizing accident prevention tools that have long been recommended for city police agencies. The researcher hypothesized that many of the prac- tices and procedures that were developed to guide the acci- dent investigation programs of municipal law enforcement organizations also have application in the programs of the counties. Three steps were used to test the validity of the hypothesis. First, the researcher developed a model which consisted of four specific criteria or time-tested principles that are generally recognized as good accident investigation practice. Second, the model was compared with available literature to determine whether or not the selected criteria has application in county programs. Third, a nationwide questionnaire survey of sheriffs' departments and independent county police agencies was conducted so existing programs could be compared with the established model. The following paragraphs summarize the findings of the review of the literature and results of the survey as they relate to the established model. First, review of available literature, or what might be better termed lack of literature, would lead one 105 to believe accident investigation activities of the county law enforcement organizations, both sheriff and other, are relatively insignificant and unimportant. The survey, however, indicates that this is a false impression. Responses from 1097 sheriffs' departments and thirty-seven independent county police agencies revealed that over three-fourths of the former and nine-tenths of the latter are actively engaged in this activity. Their importance is further illustrated by the fact that in at least five states, the county law enforcement organizations are in- vestigating more accidents than the state police organizations. It does appear, however, that the accident inves- tigation activities of sheriffs' departments vary consider- ably in the different geographical regions. For instance, in the North Central region, over ninety per cent of the agencies reported accident investigation responsibilities compared to less than fifty per cent in the North Atlantic region. The model recommends an adeguate amount 9; recruit traffic accident investigation training. Both the litera- ture and model agree that accident investigation is a sufficiently complex task to justify the need for specialized training. For the purpose of this study, forty hours 106 training in this area was considered adequate. The researcher feels that while forty hours is adequate at the present time, it is a minimum and a higher number of hours would be desirable. When comparing the recommended criterial with existing programs, we find that only three per cent of the sheriffs' departments and sixteen per cent of the independent county agencies meet the forty-hour criteria. The second criterial recommended in the model is an adequate amount 9; regular iprservice traffic accident inves- tigation training. Both the model and the literature agree that training acquired during the recruit period is not sufficient to equip an officer during his entire career. The researcher suggests that eight hours in-service accident investigation training is needed annually. In contrast to the previous discussion on recruit training, a higher percentage of sheriffs' departments (12.1 per cent) meet the eight-hour criteria than do independent county police agencies (9.4 per cent). 107 The third criteria recommended in the model is the filing 2;,police traffic accident reports by street loca- tion and the use 2: spot maps. All pertinent literature strongly recommends the use of location files and spot maps as accident prevention tools. While these techniques are generally recommended for use by city police agencies, there is nothing in the literature that implies that they could not also be used by county law enforcement organiza- tions. In fact, one source suggests that they should be utilized by county administrators. The survey results indicate that 26.7 per cent of the sheriffs' departments file by street location as do 61.1 per cent of the independent agencies. Spot maps are maintained by 33.6 per cent of the sheriffs' departments and 58.3 per cent of the independent county agencies. It does not appear that the size of the agency, the population characteristics of the county, or its geograph- ical location are determining factors in whether or not these tools can be utilized. This is illustrated by the fact that some large and small departments in urban and rural areas in all regions of the country are using these techniques. 108 The fourth criteria recommended in the model is the forwarding 2; copies of police accident investigation reports 52 the state records agency. Both the literature and the model agree that many governmental and private agencies, in addition to the police, utilize the data collected by the police at accident scenes. This cri- teria is especially significant in the unincorporated areas where both the county and state police organizations have accident investigation responsibilities on the same roadways. Both agencies need the benefit of all accident data regardless of which agency conducts the investigations. The survey responses indicated that 86.4 per cent of the sheriffs' departments meet this criteria as do 68.6 per cent of the independent agencies. II. NEED FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Now that a comprehensive collection of information is available on the number and geographical location of sher- iffs‘ departments and independent county police agencies that have traffic accident investigation responsibilities, it would be possible to do some in—depth study of such things as per- sonnel selection criteria, accident investigation equipment, a. 3 :3! IRE Ell paw-12......- 109 quality of training, and traffic law enforcement activities. There is a definite need to determine how the smaller agencies can provide more training in this area. The possi- bility of combining resources with municipal and state po- lice agencies,or other counties, should be explored. A problem that needs considerable research is that of over—lapping jurisdictions. The present methods of both county and state police agencies deploying personnel with little or no inter—agency planning is inefficient and un- economical. The possibility of transferring the accident records keeping function to a state records agency where reports could be summarized and analyzed and results fed back to the county should be further explored. III. CONCLUSION The findings from the review of the literature and the results of the survey support the key hypothesis, i.e., the criteria illustrated in the model have application to the accident investigation practices of sheriffs' departments and independent county police agencies as well as municipal law enforcement organizations. BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY A. BOOKS Fairlie, James A. Local Government ig'Counties, Towns and Villages. New York: The Century Company, 1906. James, Herman G. Local Government in the United States. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1921. King, Everett M. Sheriff's Manual. Washington, D.C.: National Sheriffs' Association, 1960. Smith, Bruce. Rural Crime Control. New York: Columbia University, 1933. Smith, Bruce, Jr. Police Systems in the United States. Second Revised Edition. New York: Harper and Brothers Publisher, 1960. Weston, Paul B. The Police Traffic Control Function. Springfield: Chas. C. Thomas Publisher, 1960. B. PUBLICATIONS OF THE GOVERNMENT, LEARNED SOCIETIES, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS American Association of State Highway Officials. Public Roads 2: the Past, Historic American Highways. washington: American Association of State Highway Officials, 1953. Automobile Manufacturers Association. Automobile Facts and Figures, 1966. Detroit: Automobile Manu— facturers Association, Inc., 1966. Automotive Safety Foundation and the Federal Extension Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture. Vehicles, Roads, People. washington: (undated). 111 Baker, J. Stannard. Traffic Accident Investigator's Manual for Police. Evanston, Ill.: The Traffic Institute, Northwestern University, 1963. Council of State Governments, The Book 2£_States, 1943- 1944. Chicago: Council of State Governments, 1943. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, Uniform Crime Reports - 1965. washington: Government Printing Office, 1966. The Institute for Training in Municipal Administration. Municipal Police Administration. Fourth Edition. Chicago: The International City Manager's Association, 1954. Kreml, Franklin M. "Traffic Law Enforcement." 1952 Beecroft Memorial Lecture delivered by Franklin M. Kreml at the National Safety Congress in Chicago, October 21, 1952. National Committee on Uniform Traffic Laws and Ordinances. Uniform Vehicle Code. Revised 1962. washington: National Committee on Uniform Traffic Laws and Ordinances, 1962. National Conference on Street and Highway Safety. Proceedings 9: the First National Conference 23' Street and Highway Safety, 1924. washington: Government Printing Office, 1925. .l_- Uniform Vehicle Code. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1939. National Conference on Uniform Traffic Accident Statistics. Uses 2; Traffic Accident Records. Saugatuck, Conn.: Eno Foundation for Highway Traffic Control, Inc., 1947. National Safety Council. Accident Facts, 1965. Chicago: The National Safety Council, 1966. 112 . Traffic Safety Memo N2, 42, "Filing City Traffic Accident Reports by Location." Chicago: National Safety Council, 1962. . Traffic Safety Memo N2..Z§, "Traffic Accident Spot Maps for Cities." Chicago: The National Safety Council, 1962. . The Trend 2: Public Accidents. Chicago: The National Safety Council, 1922. National Sheriffs' Association. 1966 Directory 93 Sheriffs. washington: National Sheriffs' Association, 1966. The President's Committee for Traffic Safety. Police Traffic Supervision. A Section of the Action Program for Highway Safety. washington: Government Printing Office, 1961. . Traffic Accidents Records. A Section of the Action Program for Highway Safety. washington: Government Printing Office, 1961. Traffic Institute, Northwestern University. Developing_ .3 Police Traffic Records System. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University, 1959. . Improvement gf the Present System.g£ Traffic Accident Records. Washington: Office of Highway Safety, U. S. Bureau of Public Roads, 1963, (Mimeographed). United States Bureau of the Census. County and Citnyata Book, 1962. A Statistical Abstract Supplement. washington: Government Printing Office, 1962. . United States Census 2; Population: 1960. Characteristics 2£_the Population, Vol. I. washington: Government Printing Office, 1961. United States Congress, House, Committee on Public WOrks. Highway Safety Act 9£_l966. Report No. 1700, 89th Congress, 2nd Session, 1966. 113 United States Department of Agriculture. Non-Uniformity 2f_State Motor—Vehicle Traffic Laws. Report to the 75th Congress, 3rd Session. washington: Government Printing Office, January 3, 1938. C . PERIODICALS Damon, Norman. "The Action Program for Highway Safety," The Annals g: the American Academy 2; Political and Social Science, (November, 1958), 15-26. Gladstone, Edward A., and Thomas W. Cooper. "State Highway Patrols: Their Functions and Financing," The Police Chief, (May, 1966), 31-36. Hickey, Edward J. "Trends in Rural Police Protection," The Annals Q; the American Academy.g£ Political and Social Science, Vol. 291 (January, 1954), 22-30. Kreml, Franklin M. "The Specialized Traffic Division," The Annals g; the American Academy 2: Political and Social Science, V01. 291 (January, 1954), 63-72. Tamm, Quinn. "The Police Mission in Highway Safety," The Police Chief, Editorial, (July, 1965). APPENDIX 1. APPENDIX A QUESTIONNAIRE Which of the following duties does your department perform? (Check those that apply.) Traffic accident investigation Traffic law enforcement Criminal investigation Jail duties Court duties (criminal including traffic) None of the above How many sworn, full-time deputy sheriffs (all ranks) are in your department at this time? How many days a week do officers work? How many hours per day do officers work (excluding overtime)? What is the starting monthly salary for newly appointed deputies? What is the maximum monthly salary for deputies (do not include promotions)? Are your deputies under a county or state civil service or merit system? List the number of vehicles your department uses for regular patrol: NUMBER Automobiles 2-wheel motorcycles 3-wheel motorcycles Aircraft Boats Other (Specify) 9. Check the roads on which your department: INVESTIGATES PATROLS TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS County rural roads State rural highways Interstate system City streets None 10. How many traffic accidents did your department investigate in: 1964 1965 Fatal accidents Personal injury accidents Property damage accidents Total accidents 11. Are newly appointed deputies trained by your depart- ment? If you answered NO, who does this training? (Specify) 12. Do newly appointed deputies receive training in: ESTIMATED NO. OF HOURS Firearms First aid Criminal investigations Criminal law Traffic law Traffic accident investigation Rules of evidence Court testimony Laws of arrest Other Total hours 13. Do you feel your newly appointed deputies receive a sufficient amount of training? If not, what steps do you feel should be taken to provide sufficient training? 14. Do your deputies also receive regular in-service training in: ESTIMATED NO. OF HOURS Firearms First aid Criminal investigation Criminal law Traffic law Traffic accident investigation Rules of evidence Court testimony Laws of arrest Other Total hours 15. Are copies of all your traffic accident investigation reports sent to the state accident records bureau? If not, what traffic accident investigation reports are sent to the state? 16. Do you file traffic accident investigation reports by: (check those that apply) Complaint number Location of accident Names of persons involved In other ways (specify) 17. Do you maintain an accident location spot map? 18. If available, would you please forward under separate cover a copy of your department's latest annual report? Name of County State Name and title of person completing questionnaire Edward F. Gm Co. Book Binder! Vk‘é‘ingfon, D. c. MICH GAN STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 3 1193 03082 3490