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Date: 08/20/91 Revision: 09/03/25 Reviewed: 09/03/25 HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE CHAD CHRONISTER , SHERIFF STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE Number: GEN 401.00 Page: 1 of 8 SUBJECT: SHERIFF’S OFFICE MOTOR VEHICLE DAMAGE, CRASH, AND REVIEW P ROCEDURES I. PURPOSE : The purpose of this standard operating procedure is to define guidelines for the accurate reporting and review of motor vehicle crashes involving Sheriff's Office vehicles. II. SCOPE : This procedure shall apply to all Sheriff's Office personnel involved in motor vehicle damage or a crash while operating a Sheriff's Office vehicle. III. DISCUSSION : Motor vehicle damage or crashes involving Sheriff's Office vehicles will be reviewed by the employee’s chain of command . Motor veh icle crashes will be further reviewed by the Motor Vehicle Crash Review Board (MVCRB) for the findings and disposition. IV. DEFINITIONS : A. Avoidable Motor Vehicle Crash - A motor vehicle crash which could have been avoided by the operator of a Sheriff ’s Office vehicle through the use of reasonable defensive driving techniques. B. BlueTeam Vehicle Accident Report - The administrative report completed by a supervisor in the Blue Team database to document a motor vehicle crash involving a Sheriff’s Offic e vehicle, even if the crash is detailed in other documents such as a Florida Traffic Crash Report or Sheriff’s Office General Offense Report. C. Defensive Driving Techniques - The act or practice of operating a Sheriff’s Office vehicle in such a way as to minimize accidents by anticipating and /or avoidin g dangerous situations, despite adverse conditions and/or the mistakes of others. D. Florida Traffic Crash Report - The method used by law enforcement officers in Florida to report traffic crashes to t he Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) in accordance with Florida Statute 316.066. * E. Minor Crash - A collision between a Sheriff’s Office vehicle and any other motor vehicle or object which does not have the potential for serious bo dily injury or property damage (e.g., backing slowly and hitting a hidden stump, slow motion forward and bumping another vehicle). F. Motor Vehicle Crash - A collision between a Sheriff’s Office vehicle and any other motor vehicle or object which results in any property damage , injury , or complaint of injury to any person. G. Motor Vehicle Crash with Extenuating Circumstances - Contact between a Sheriff's Office vehicle and any other motor vehicle or object which results in property damage, injury, or co mplaint of injury to any person that is mitigated by circumstances associated with the accomplishment of a specific law enforcement function. H. Non-Reportable Vehicle Crash - A collision betwee n a Sheriff’s Office vehicle and any other motor vehicle or object which results in combined property damage less than $500 and no injury or complaint of injury to any person . GEN 401.00 09/03/25 Page 2 of 8 I. Non-Traffic Crash Event - Contact between a Sheriff’s Office vehicle and any other motor vehicle or object which results in no property damage , injury , or complaint of injury to any person . J. Property Damage - Harm to real or personal property through another person’s negligence, willful destruction, accident , or by some act of nature. K. Sheriff’s Office Vehicle - A vehicle owned or leased by the Sheriff’s Office , to include golf carts and other service utility vehicles used in detention facilities. L. SmartCOP - A computer database which contains all DHMSV approved traffic crash forms used by the Sheriff’s Office. M. Unavoidable M otor Vehicle Crash - A motor vehicle crash which cou ld not have been avoided by the operator of a Sheriff’s Office vehicle through the use of reasonable defensive driving techniques. V. PROCEDURE : A. Notification Requirements: 1. Any Sheriff's Off ice employee involved in a motor vehicle crash , non-traffic crash event, or a non-reportable vehicle crash while operating a Sheriff's Office vehicle outside a Sheriff’s Office detention facility shall immediately notify the Communications Bureau and their immediate supervisor. If the immediate supervisor is not available , the closest available supervisor to the motor vehicle crash location shall be notified. 2. Detention personnel involved in a motor vehicle crash or a non -traffic crash event involving inmate occupants which occurs inside a Sheriff’s Office detention facility shall immediately notify their immediate supervisor . If the immediate supervisor is not available , the closest available supervisor to the motor vehicle crash location shall be noti fied. 3. If an injury or fatality occurs as a resul t of the crash , prompt notification shall be made to the Legal Division or on -call attorney by the supervisor on scene. 4. The responding supervisor shall provide all appropriate documentation to the Legal Division Risk Manager as soon as possible by emailing a scanned copy of the traffic crash report (if applicable) and a draft of the BlueTeam Vehicle Accident Report . 5. If the other driver requests information regarding repair to their vehicle, they should be advised to contact the Risk Manager in the Legal Division . 6. Property damage to any Sheriff’s Office vehicle which is not the result of a motor vehicle crash shall be documented via a memorandum to the Fleet Operations Section through