COLUMBUS, Ind. — The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s department will use new technology to start cutting down on those long and unexpected delays on local roads following traffic accidents.
The department will use geographical scanners and other equipment that will allow investigators to perform most crash reconstruction at a location away from the accident site, deputies said in a presentation to the Bartholomew County commissioners.
A total of $76,265 will be invested on purchasing four drones for deputies, as well as mapping software, training and drone flying authorization clearances. The money was obtained through a grant from the State Homeland Security Program.
An additional $74,204 will be spent on what is essentially a surveying system created mostly for crash site measuring, Sheriff’s Capt. Brandon Slate said. Some of the funding will come from fees generated by issuing crash reports, he said.
“Whatever the difference is will come from asset forfeiture and drug seizure money,” Slate said. The requested purchases were unanimously approved by the commissioners.
Built by Trimble Forensics Solutions of Sunnyvale, California, the surveying system works in conjunction with the drones and mapping software, Slate said.
Together, the equipment can scan and map out a crash site quickly and precisely, Slate said.
According to the Trimble Forensics Solutions website, the new equipment should reduce disruption, costs and the risk to law enforcement personnel, as well as clear accident scenes in significantly less time.
Once the data is loaded, investigators will be able to recreate in scale the crash scene in either 3-D or 4-D at any location they choose, Slate said.
“It’s pretty mind-blowing,” the deputy told the commissioners. “Through this software, you can put yourself in the scene, walk around, take measurements and recreate the motion of the accident,” Slate said.
Traditionally, a crash scene reconstructionist has to keep backed up traffic at an indefinite standstill as a distance measuring wheel and marking paint is used to manually calculate relevant distances, he said.
Although Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz said he wondered if the new high-tech equipment might be too complicated, Slate responded the system is extremely effective.
“This is what I would describe as cutting edge technology,” Slate said. “It’s much more precise and quicker to get data with this system, so you can get the roads opened up.”
Indiana State Police and several other law enforcement agencies are already using this technology, he said.
