7-501 - Traffic Accident Investigation Procedures

7-501 - Traffic Accident Investigation Procedures

  • Summary: Requires officers to investigate and report all traffic accidents, including assessing driver impairment and following enforcement actions.
  • Effective Date: 07-11-2007
  • See other versions

Policy

Officers notified of a traffic accident will respond and handle that accident according to State Statutes, City Ordinances and department policy. They are responsible for investigating and reporting all accidents, completely and accurately (unless it qualifies for packeting), whether it occurs on public or private property, on interstate highways or ramps, or outside city limits, except when properly relieved by a law enforcement officer from another jurisdiction.

At any accident scene, officers shall check for evidence that the driver may be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If such evidence is present, officers shall take steps to determine the level of impairment, such as field sobriety test, PBT, etc.; and follow with appropriate enforcement action.

 

Definitions

Refer to the Commonly Used Terms page for general definitions.


Document History:

Title Effective Date Revision Type Download
7-501 - Traffic Accident Investigation Procedures 07-11-2007 download PDF

Revision Types and Descriptions

  • New: Policy had been added.
  • Combined: Two or more policies were merged.
  • Definitions Update: A glossary definition was updated.
  • Terms Update: A term, not necessarily tied to the glossary, was updated in the Manual.
  • Edited - Major: Significant content or procedural changes.
  • Edited - Minor: Small edits, clarifications, or formatting changes.
  • Renamed: Policy title changed.
  • Renumbered: Policy number was changed.
  • Split: Single policy was divided into multiple.
  • Eliminated: Policy was removed and is no longer in effect.
  • PRH Implementation: Edits for the Policy and Resource Hub; no content changes.