Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have officially launched a new unit to assist with reporting and investigating minor crashes in Charlotte — without involving sworn officers.
The new Civilian Crash Investigation unit comprises 15 units in marked pickup trucks who will now respond to minor vehicle crashes in Charlotte. The F-150 Lightning and Hybrid trucks will have amber lights and marked with the units names on the side of the trucks.
So far in 2024, CMPD officers have spent over 35-thousand service hours responding to and reporting crashes. This year’s amount is on pace to match 2023, when CMPD officers spent 40,323 service hours in relation to minor vehicle accidents.
CMPD hopes the civilian unit will cut down on the amount of time sworn officers spend on small crashes. When people call for assistance, CCI units will respond to minor crashes like fender benders that don’t have any injuries. They'll investigate and write reports.
The program was made possible after Gov. Roy Cooper signed House Bill 140 into law, which allows Charlotte and other municipalities to create civilian crash units. As the new unit begins patrolling across Charlotte, CMPD Deputy Chief Jackie Bryley said she hopes the program frees up officers for more high-priority calls.
“Obviously, first, we believe in this program, we will think there will be a lot of success,” Bryley said. “So again, this is just another opportunity to serve the community in a capacity where again, someone's not waiting an hour and a half for someone to come and help them navigate through a traffic accident.”
When CCI members arrive on the scene, they will wear bright uniforms — but ones that are different from traditional police uniforms. The members of the unit will also wear body-worn cameras and will operate under similar rules as sworn officers.
While most crashes end up being calm scenes, CMPD Capt. Brian Hofert said emergency dispatchers will help determine when to send an officer along if things get hostile.
“When they’re on scene and tensions are high and a lot of that will be determined also by the 911 call taker,” Hofert said. “So if they hear tension in the call, they'll dispatch a police officer with the CCI. The CC I can still take that report, but they will have an officer with them to kind of make sure things stay calm."
CCI units will also call for officers when there is a potential DUI or hit and run situation.
