Yesterday the Charlotte City Council officially approved the CMPD spending $1,271,000 to launch a new ‘Civilian Crash Investigation Unit’.
Most of the money will go toward buying CCI vehicles for civilians to investigate crashes in. The new unit, set to launch this summer, comes from new NC legislation passed last year permitting the employment of civilian personnel for the investigation of traffic incidents that do not involve injuries but result in property damage.
The program will initially deploy 16 Civilian Crash Investigators, who will operate Monday through Friday in a fleet that includes both hybrid and fully electric vehicles.
This move is designed to alleviate the workload of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) officers, who, in 2022 alone, dedicated over 31,000 hours to responding to nearly 24,000 traffic crashes around Charlotte.
Tonight, @CLTCityCouncil approved the appropriation of $1,271,000 for the purchase of vehicles for the Civilian Crash Investigation Program. Last year, legislation was passed that allows cities to employ civilian personnel to investigate traffic crashes that solely involve… pic.twitter.com/dann0OTQ0L
— CMPD News (@CMPD) February 27, 2024
Civilian Crash Investigators (CCI) cannot arrest, cannot issue citations, or conduct any kind of enforcement. If enforcement of any kind is needed, the CCI will notify a Sworn law enforcement officer.
CCIs will be trained and certified to direct traffic.
— CMPD News (@CMPD) February 28, 2024
Further details regarding the program’s official launch, including job postings, training protocols for civilian investigators, and uniform designs, are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
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