So, you wrecked your sled. Hopefully, you were V2. If not, this article about vehicle collisions and the vehicle collision board (VCB) is for you. Each month, the VCB meets at the Traffic Bureau to review our Department members’ “at-fault” wrecks.

However, let us start at the beginning. You are involved in a collision in a Department vehicle. First and foremost, hopefully you and whomever you are in the collision with were not injured. Always consider completing an occupational injury report to memorialize the injuries you sustained, even if it is soreness. 

So, what do you do when you are involved in a wreck? If you are responding to an officer(s) who needs immediate assistance with a dynamic event and there is a Code Red on your channel, switch to the adjacent area commands channel and advise dispatch there is a Code Red on your channel, and you were involved in a collision. Don’t be the guy who interrupts an already screwed-up situation to create another one. 

Request the appropriate resources, medical care for anyone who is injured or complaining of injuries, additional patrol units for PIC, traffic and a supervisor. Obviously, if there is not a red on your channel, all of this can be accomplished on your primary radio channel.  

You will be required to complete a report in Blue Team memorializing the fact that you were involved in a collision. Remember to always review your body-worn camera prior to authoring the report. Keep the report concise. This is not the narrative of an arrest report. Simply articulate what happened. Remember, traffic officer(s) will respond, conduct an investigation and complete a report based on their observations and measurements. Your supervisor will require you to complete a “check ride” as well. 

The time range for your VCB hearing could vary. Typically, within two to three months, you will receive a “notice” to appear before the board. Keep in mind that this hearing is no different from an internal affairs interview. Your employer is compelling you, under threat of termination, to appear and answer questions regarding an allegation that you caused a vehicle collision involving a Department vehicle. 

About one to two weeks prior to the hearing, the PPA will be provided the packets. We will call you to provide an overview of what to expect and ask you details about what occurred. During the conversation, we will prepare you for your interview. 

On the day of the hearing, you will report to the Traffic Bureau. If you are on duty, you will already be wearing the uniform of the day. If you are being required to report on your day off, wear appropriate clothing, dress slacks and at least a collared shirt. Remember to complete and submit an overtime slip. You are not expected to appear for free, and the Department must compensate you for your time. 

The interview itself will not take long. You will typically be asked two questions. What happened, and was it preventable? You are expected to explain what happened, how it happened and what you could have done or what you will do in the future to prevent it. 

There are many reasons for at-fault accidents. The most common are driver inattention, distracted driving and Code 3 operations. Something as simple as backing into a pole or another patrol car, reading an MCT while driving, and the most dangerous, operating in a Code 3 capacity and failing to properly clear intersections that are fresh or stale red. 

It is weird to think we have gone backward in MCT screen technology. When first introduced, the screens were small; they were more difficult to use. During the early and mid-2000s, we used larger devices, larger on-screen push buttons. They were easier to use while driving. It is absolutely asinine that you could be two pages into reading the details of the call and have to start over because someone updated the call, causing the screen to reset to the beginning.  

Regardless, we have to be aware that while the capabilities and available resources at your disposal have increased, the operational friendlessness of an MCT has decreased. They are simply harder to use while driving. 

Do not allow your head to get buried in your MCT. If you need to, pull over and read it. Or consider stopping a block or two away from your target location so you can read or reread the data on the MCT. You can even do what our predecessors did — listen and remember shit. 

Regarding Code 3 driving, please remember to fight the urge to get sucked in. whether it’s the details of the call, the type of radio traffic or a squad mate who is fighting it out with a savage. Do not get sucked into the radio. Do not outdrive you and your patrol car’s capabilities. People operating other vehicles do not hear our sirens. They freak out when you approach them from behind. We have to always expect them to do the opposite of what they should do because, more times than not, that’s what happens. 

When you are operating Code 3 and are approaching an intersection with a red traffic signal, you have to bring your sled to a stop. You have to. Failing to do so could result in you, your partner, and even worse, innocent civilians getting hurt or killed. These are typically high-speed collisions and impact the most vulnerable parts of a vehicle, the driver or passenger side doors. Wrecking out during a dynamic event splits already depleted resources. 

So what happens after you answer those two questions? Your representative will have an opportunity to speak on your behalf. To present any mitigating facts that should be considered. If there are facts supporting a finding of “non-preventable,” we will argue that. Your sergeant and your captain will also have an opportunity to speak on your behalf as they, too, are compelled to attend. The board will deliberate and determine if the collision was preventable and if so, what level of discipline is appropriate. The level of potential discipline will vary depending on many factors, some of which include the severity of the collision, the severity of negligence, injuries, property damage and prior at-fault collisions. 

At the conclusion of the hearing, you will be notified of the discipline rendered. The LVPPA has negotiated with the Department that creating an “accident prevention bank,” per the contract, “hours will only be accrued on a non-negligent and/or an accident-free basis and will be credited at the end of a two-year eligibility period. This eligibility period is established based on an employee’s graduation date from the Academy. All hours will be recalculated based on this formula. Based on the above parameters, employees will accrue 20 hours of bank time per two-year period. The maximum accrual will be capped at 40 hours.” This bank has the ability to mitigate the loss of wages.  

Operating your sled safely is as important as the four firearms safety rules. Those of us pushing a black-and-white become very good at doing things that are not normal. We often times lose sight of the fact that it is not normal to drive a vehicle through heavy traffic with lights and sirens blaring while reading a computer screen, reading a map, talking on a radio and drinking a Big Gulp!

Fight the urge to be complacent. Remember to slow down a bit. Slow your mind down; expect drivers to do the opposite of what they are supposed to. Focus first on driving and not the MCT, do not get sucked into the crazy shit, and arrive so you can make a difference.