Policy Text
Field Services Page 1 of 2 03/01 (REV 1/04)
Accidents Involving Sheriff's Vehicles
The purpose of this order is to provide a policy for handling r eports and investigating
accidents involving Sheriff's Department Vehicles. I. Personnel Involved In An Accident
A. Make a complete report of the incident immediately per Gener al Order
6/03, and submit the report to a F ield Services Supervisor.
B. Complete an equipment r oom vehicle repair request.
1. Note nature of damage.
2. Indicate if the accident was caused by mechanical failure.
II. Supervisor's Responsibilities
A. Conduct a complete and thorough investigation per General Or der 6/04.
1. Interview all witnesses.
2. Complete a vehicle acciden t report if the person involved in the
accident is unable.
3. Obtain investigative r eports from outside agencies.
B. Notify the watch commander o f the employee-involved accident , the
seriousness and all known facts.
C. If the vehicle is assigned to Field Services:
1. Forward the original acci dent report to records bureau.
2. Complete any necessary emplo yee injury forms (OSHA, First Ai d.)
3. Forward a copy of the acci dent report and inter-departmental
correspondence to the appropriate watch commander.
4. Make recommendations relativ e to any corrective action.
Field Services Page 2 of 2 03/01 (REV 1/04) D. If the vehicle is assigned to a service other than Field Ser vices forward a
copy of the accident report and the inter-departmental correspo ndence to
the appropriate bureau or divisi on commander within that servic e.
E. If a vehicle accident report is required to effect vehicle r epairs, but your
determination is that the damage is not attributable to driver error (i.e.. The
cause of damage is vandalism, unavoidable contact with road deb ris,
etc.), the report may be classifi ed as a "Non-vehicle Accident" at the
discretion of the division co mmander. If you fell that an acci dent qualifies
as a "Non-vehicle Accident", atta ch a note to the original repo rt and
forward it to the division co mmander, who will decide whether t o stamp the
"face sheet" accordingly.
Division commanders shall contro l the "Non-vehicle Accident" st amps.
III. Watch Commander's Responsibilities
If the vehicle is assigned to Field Services, the watch command er shall:
A. Notify the respective divis ion commander and/or Chief Deputy of Field
Services if accident is major or serious in nature.
B. Review all reports.
C. Make corrective recommendations.
D. Ensure that the complete r eport is forwarded to the appropri ate Field
Services division commander.
IV. Field Services Division Commander
The appropriate division commander shall review all reports and make corrective
recommendations. The report will then be forwarded to the Vehi cle Accident
Review Committee.