The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) Traffic Sub-committee has been working to develop a national standard for all levels of collision investigation. By leveraging this national standard, a two-part blended learning program has been developed that incorporates an online (Part I) and practical (Part II) approaches for Collision Investigation Level II training.

Part I

This blended learning approach aims to reduce the conventional three training days of Level II theory into approximately 6.5 hours of online learning. Part I of this program reviews theory-based information on how to gather information that will be used to determine the cause of a collision. This course will demonstrate the importance of fully understanding events before and after a collision occurs, how to properly record evidence, and what specific types of evidence are required by an Analyst or Reconstructionist to determine of the cause of a collision. Using animated movies, graphics and interactive tools, this elearning course provides a practical representation of the events of a collision. Part I is a pre-requisite to Part II.

On completion of the Level II program (Part I & II), participants will be able to competently assist a Level III Analyst (or higher). Successful participants may be required for court purposes to describe the manner in which they identified, preserved and/or gathered evidence, but will not acquire the necessary knowledge to provide a complete technical analysis. Upon approval of the facilitator, participants who successfully complete this program may also be called upon to assist a Level III or IV Investigator deliver a Level II course.

Part II

The practical component of this blended program must be facilitated by a Level III Analyst (or higher) from a recognized Canadian police service or training academy. Part II may be delivered by a police service or training academy or participants may attend scheduled sessions at the Atlantic Police Academy (APA).

The APA provides a recommended syllabus for Part II that covers approximately 2 - 2.5 days of practical training. This syllabus may be modified by a police service or academy to meet specific training needs. Training Coordinators from police services and/or training academies, or Level III (or higher) Collision Investigation Specialists can obtain a copy of this syllabus by contacting CPKN Support at 1-866-357-2756.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course you will be able to:

• Explain what actions to take at the different stages of a collision investigation
• Differentiate between pre-scene and on-scene series of events
• Explain how road and weather conditions can contribute to, or cause, a collision
• Describe the different types of physical evidence found at a collision scene
• Explain how to properly measure common skid marks found at a collision scene
• Determine if a lamp was active or inactive at the time of a collision
• Describe how to photograph and video record a collision scene properly
• Explain the importance of sketching, mapping and diagramming a collision scene
• Explain how to use the features of the Blue Blitz traffic template to create scaled diagrams depicting collision scenes
• Explain the formulas needed to calculate speed estimates of vehicles based on measurements of tire marks

Target Audience

Participants in this program should have a minimum of six months of policing experience. However, the program is open to any police officer interested in collision investigation.

Certification

The APA will issue Collision Investigation Level II certification to participants that complete Part II at its academy. Otherwise, certification must be issued by the delivery agency on completion of the program.

Subject Matter Experts

Content for this course was developed by the Atlantic Police Academy. For additional details, please view the Course Training Standard.

Course Details

Content Provider: Atlantic Police Academy Course Type: Blended Price: $150.00 + GST Languages: English Course Duration (Part I): 6.5 hours Release Date: February 22, 2006 Date of Last Revision/Review: December 2009