Accident Investigation Unit
Homepage >
Operations >
Accident Investigation Unit
The McHenry County Sheriff's Office utilizes an on-call team to
investigate and take enforcement action on serious injury and fatal
traffic crashes. Members of the accident investigation unit
specialize in the documentation, preservation, and reconstruction
of traffic crash evidence. Members further specialize in
enforcement of DUI laws and procedure.
On scene, members document evidence through photographs,
extensive notes, and the use of a Topcon GPT-7505 total
station. The total station allows for documentation of
evidence accurate to one tenth of an inch and produces a digital
map of the scene allowing for the production of detailed crash
maps. Further information is gathered through the crashed
vehicle's event data recorders allowing for a better picture of
what led to the crash.
Six members of the unit are graduates of the Northwestern Center
for Public Safety Traffic Crash Reconstruction program and have
obtained their Crash Reconstruction Specialist certification
through the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board.