CdwJava
Senior Member
Maybe you have not been asked to review the good ones. If you are a hired gun, then you are likely brought in when an attorney identifies a problem in the report, and when the matter is serious (or costly). Yes, many are not complete, and many may not be done well. But, they do not have to be.This is very true. I've been investigating accidents for over 20 years and I have probably seen less than 15 accurate and well-documented police reports among the thousands I've reviewed.
In case you do not understand it, traffic collisions are largely a civil matter and not criminal. It is already an odd thing to see the police conducting investigations for matters that are, essentially, civil matters.
You are right. Most officers are trained only in the very basic elements of traffic collision investigation. That training generally involves simply gathering information and taking some often cursory measurements. They are neither required nor expected to conduct an in depth investigation. Unless the collision is a very serious injury or a fatal collision, the truly well-trained officers are not going to be called out to spend the many hours it might take to do it right.Even when they think they are doing a super job, they aren't. They just don't have the proper training or experience to handle even simple crash investigations or reconstructions.
True ... True ... Not true.They have no duty to investigate anything, and they have no duty to investigate anything correctly. And they are ALWAYS looking for somebody to charge with a crime.
You do not indicate what state you are in, but in my state we are not always looking for someone to charge with a crime. The PCF is generally an infraction, and a trained investigator can issue a citation based upon the investigation should they choose, but often the "Recommendation" is simply, "None."
In CA the vast majority of traffic matters are infractions for which no arrest can be made, so the thought that all cops are hunting for the arrest is simply NOT true.
Then you have not attended the ones out here. I am not sure how it is taught in your un-named state. But, I will agree that collision investigations are very cursory in the academy. Generally, that very rudimentary knowledge is sufficient for most collisions. From there we have greater levels of training that is required before an officer can write a citation based upon the investigation. Additional training up to and including reconstruction are generally conducted by renowned experts in the field - at least mine were. Hardly a "blind leading the blind" situation.I've attended some of the schools that train cops how to investigate accidents, and frequently it's like the blind leading the blind.
If you are going to castigate all such training, have experience with ALL such training.
That's fine, but they face the very real possibility that the investigation will be completed prior to the submission of that statement. Many officers like to get simple collisions written up quickly. And, in CA we generally have 10 days to get them submitted. With only one statement at the scene, that can have a direct effect on the outcome of the collision with regard to fault. And while the insurer is not obligated to agree with the police conclusion, in CA that designation of fault can result in a point on a driver's license.The advice I give to everybody I know is that they should NEVER provide a verbal statement to police at the scene. Just give them your information and tell them you will provide a WRITTEN declaration after you collect yourself and have a chance to think about what just happened.
Personally, I would not recommend that anyone delay the statement ... unless, of course, they know they are at fault.
Hardly "offended," though I am stunned at your arrogance and what may be a lack of knowledge of how the rest of the nation is trained on or addresses collision investigations. How it is done in your locale or state is not the national standard.And if any police officers are offended by this, good.
I understand that quite well - and so do most officers. The problem is, these are largely civil issues that the police are being asked to take the time to look in to. I have yet to ever be subpoenaed to criminal court for a collision investigation that was not related to a DUI or reckless driving matter, and have only twice been subpoeaned to civil court - and was never actually called in either case.You officers, deputies, and patrolmen really need to clean up your act in this regard and realize there is a whole world related to crash investigation that goes far beyond making arrests and writing down license plate numbers. And you have the power to ruin peoples' lives so please start being more responsible with that.
In CA there is generally no legal obligation to even do collision reports unless they involve injury or death. Here, they rarely involving non-infraction criminal activity. Collisions are largely a civil matter. If the insurance industry or others want to increase the quality of training and investigations, they will have to pony up the money to PAY for the training and maybe even allow for compensation to police agencies who prepare the reports.