Target Audience: Crash Investigators, Detectives, Patrol Officers and Evidence Collection Technicians

The latest statistics reported by NHTSA, was that there were an estimated 737,100 hit-and-run crashes in 2015 and of those crashes, 1,819 were fatals. (NHTSA, 2016). In 2016, the number of fatalities in hit-and-run crashes rose to 2,049 fatalities, the highest number ever recorded (NHTSA, 2017).

Solving hit-and-run crashes can be difficult to solve as according to police forces, just 8 to 10%  are solved. While authorities put the blame on lack of evidence, staffing shortages are also an issue. Major cities usually must deal with 300 to 400 hit and runs every month, but routinely just 4–5 investigators handle them. In many cases, through no fault of their own, officers are not trained well enough when it comes to forensically collect evidence at the scene of a hit-and-run crash, which now becomes a crime scene.

At a crash scene, many items may be overlooked like shattered glass from headlights that have codes embedded that help police determine the make of the vehicle, flakes of paint on a victim’s clothing, trim from a car or a broken windshield wiper may both eliminate certain makes of vehicles or focus on others.  Skid marks may lead you to a type of tire or no skids mark may prove they never braked before or after impact. Thies 1-day course goes over everything below and more. Most importantly, it will provide you with a lot more to think about at your next hit-and-run scene.

Origin of Forensics and Forensic Responsibilities: This portion of the course is designed to provide a brief background as to the origin of forensics and its introduction into the realm of being utilized in criminal investigations. It also outlines the responsibilities of forensic detectives at motor vehicle crash scenes.

Dealing with Crash/Crime Scenes: This section covers basic search and seizure laws to prevent officers and detectives from seizing/collecting evidence without search consent or a search warrant. This section also covers methods and techniques used to secure and preserve crime scenes and crime scene evidence. 

Processing the Crash/Crime Scene: This section covers the latest techniques and methods used to document and process an crash scene. It covers developing team composition, ensuring contamination control, protecting evidence, basic photographic methods, accident scene diagrams to include baseline and triangulation methods, measurements of items in the crime scene, collection of evidence, and more. This portion will cover protocols of handling and preservation of electronic devices if recovered at the scene, BERLA, and more. 

Cost:  $249.00 per person