Liu’s Office Outlines Benefits of Investigating All Serious NYC Traffic Crashes

John Liu's office recently published a brief analysis of the newly-expanded NYPD Collision Investigation Squad. Liu has already proposed increasing the number of NYPD crash investigators, and now Doug Giuliano, senior policy analyst for the comptroller's office, has put up some more numbers that illustrate how woefully inadequate CIS staffing is.

Giuliano estimates that it would cost about $12 million to hire 198 additional crash investigators, enough to "review every fatal or serious injury crash." That figure does not include overtime and other costs associated with an increase in staffing levels, nor does it take into account the potential benefits of investigating all serious crashes. The city could save millions in civil payouts if more evidence were gathered from crash sites, Giuliano says, and more crash site data could be used to improve safety.

"Finally, and most important, more than 13 percent of victims and their families deserve to know the circumstances of fatal and serious crashes," writes Giuliano. "Expanding the CIS would not only bring peace of mind, but also the evidence necessary to secure justice."