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DO COPS DIRECT TRAFFIC AROUND A WRECK? Programmatic.me emails that “I’m not writing this to be critical of the Rio Rancho police. I think they do a great job. They just need to work on this one last thing and I will be happy. Are police not trained in how to direct traffic anymore? Whenever I come upon a traffic slowdown on N.M. 528 behind an accident that has obviously been in place for a while and multiple lanes of traffic are vying for the remaining open lanes, it is usually quite chaotic. When I finally inch up to the site of the accident, carloads of police are there, but many officers are just standing around.
“It seems that a strategically placed officer or two could surely help ease and speed up the dangerous congestion that is building behind the accident site.”
According to police Sgt. Nicholas Onken, “this one is difficult to answer without knowing what specific crashes the reader is speaking in reference to. Nonetheless, there are a number of factors that determine the number of officers on a scene.”
Those include “the complexity of the crash, the number of injuries, or if it involves a fatality all play a role.”
That said, police know there are still drivers who need to get from Point A to Point B.
“We are truly aware of the impact that a crash has on the motoring public,” the sergeant says, “and do everything in our power to return the roadway to full use as quickly as possible after a crash. Many times, if both vehicles are safely operable, we will have them removed from the roadway within minutes of our arrival. In other, more serious crashes, our officers are tasked with providing first aid, protecting the crash scene, determining what other resources may be needed and beginning an investigation.”
And while “it may appear that there are officers standing around, they may be discussing the details of the investigation, debriefing, determining what actions need to take place next, or even determining what resources are not needed at the scene and can be released back to regular duty.”
When it comes to the investigation, “it is not uncommon at the scene of a very serious injury or fatal vehicle crash that the roadway will be limited or closed for a number of hours. Once vehicles or evidence is removed from the roadway, its contextual value is diminished. This being the case, it is imperative that every item of evidentiary value is recorded accurately so that later crash reconstruction can be as accurate as possible.”
When it comes to keeping/getting cars moving, Onken says “our officers are trained in traffic control and directing, and whenever necessary will do it. This primarily takes place when crashes occur in intersections where there may be some confusion as to what path oncoming traffic should take to avoid interfering with the scene.”
And they also have faith most drivers know what they need to do. “When a crash occurs that essentially blocks a lane or lanes of through traffic,” Onken says, “most motorists know that as they approach the emergency vehicles parked with flashing lights at the scene, it is necessary to slow down and move safely out of the path of the crash. At this time, our staffing levels are very low compared to the size of the population we serve, and we can not afford to have officers taking up space on a crash scene if there is not a purpose for their presence. The community expects our officers to be available to respond to incidents in a timely manner, and we do our very best to ensure that our resources are allocated appropriately.”
That said, the department appreciates the email “for bringing this concern to light.”
Assistant editorial page editor D’Val Westphal tackles commuter issues for the Metro area on Mondays and West Siders and Rio Ranchoans on Thursdays. Reach her at 823-3858; road@abqjournal.com; P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, NM 87103; or go to ABQjournal.com/traffic to read previous columns and join in the conversation.
