MA State Police Chosen for Crash Investigation Commission

Thursday, June 04, 2015

GoLocalWorcester News Team

The Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction (ACTAR) as selected the Massachusetts State Police has a participating organization on ACTAR's Governing Board of Directors. ACTAR oversees national training standards for motor vehicle crash reconstruction and is responsible for certifiying investigators in that field.

Lieutenant Andrew S. Klane, the commanding officer of the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section (CARS), will be the department’s representative on the ACTAR board. Lt. Klane has held an ACTAR accreditation since 1995.

“By obtaining this esteemed designation, the Massachusetts State Police intend to bring the continued professionalism of ACTAR to more agencies in Massachusetts and New England, support those departments who currently have ACTAR accredited officers, and assist the Commission in training the crash investigators of tomorrow,” said Colonel Timothy P. Alben, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police. “We would like to thank the ACTAR Board of Directors for the opportunity to be a participating organization and to serve on the board.”

The commission’s goal is to promote, within the legal and scientific communities, recognition of the minimum standards for crash reconstruction training established by NHTSA, as well as developments in the discipline made possible by new technology.

“I believe that our experience and commitment to having the latest training, equipment and technology in crash investigation and reconstruction make the Massachusetts State Police an ideal addition to the list of participating organizations of ACTAR,” said Lt. Klane.

The State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section (CARS), part of the department’s Special Operations Troop, is staffed by highly trained, professionally certified troopers. Troopers assigned to CARS respond to 500-600 requests for service each year, any time of day, anywhere in the state. More than half of the collision reconstruction requests come from municipal police departments, with the remainder coming from five geographic State Police troops and two additional troops covering Massachusetts Turnpike and Port Authority properties. CARS troopers routinely testify as expert witnesses for the prosecution at district and superior courts across the Commonwealth, testimony that is crucial for the successful prosecution of motor vehicle homicide cases.

Every trooper assigned to CARS is required to obtain ACTAR accreditation once he or she has received the necessary training and experience. CARS offers annual accredited training to its troopers and often hosts crash investigation training courses for Massachusetts municipal police departments and out-of-state police agencies. Several troopers are highly skilled instructors, providing crash investigation training to State Police recruits, municipal recruits, and campus police recruits, as well as in-service training to veteran officers. Currently, approximately half of the troopers assigned to CARS are ACTAR-accredited, while the other half are working towards accreditation.