The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Accident Reconstruction Team’s primary mission is to investigate and reconstruct fatal and serious injury motor vehicle crashes that often result in the prosecution of felony vehicular homicide and vehicular assault charges.

Team members are trained as Traffic Crash Reconstructionists which includes collision analysis, vehicle dynamics, occupant kinematics, scene photography, surveying equipment, crash scene mapping and computer aided drawing programs.  The team also has Crash Data Retrieval Technicians and Analysts who can image stored computer information from the vehicles that were involved in a collision.  These investigations include the examination of the roadway, physical evidence, and analysis of vehicle damage.  Concepts derived from the application of physics are applied using mathematics to reconstruct the crash.

The Traffic Unit uses a FARO Focus Laser Scanner, a highly specialized tool designed for precise scene mapping. This equipment allows for the accurate documentation of crash or crime scenes with millimeter-level precision. Once the scene has been scanned, the collected data is processed using FARO Zone software to generate detailed and accurate diagrams. These diagrams serve as a critical component in investigations and are frequently used by the Traffic Unit’s crash reconstructionist to create comprehensive scene reconstructions, including scaled diagrams and, when necessary, 3D animations.

Additional measurement and collection devices utilized by the Traffic Unit include the FARO Scanner, drag sleds, Vericom Performance Computers, and a drone.