The Clark County Sheriff’s Office announced this week that it would no longer respond to what it calls as “non-injury, non-blocking vehicular crashes”—a decision that has been met with criticism by the insurance industry.
The agency reasoned that the decision was due to personnel shortages and a surge in calls for service. Oregon Public Broadcasting noted that the agency, as of April 24, had 14 openings.
“What we’re talking about it is the fender-benders,” remarked Clark County Sheriff’s Sgt. Fred Neiman. “Our service demands are so high and our staffing levels are so low that this is one of the areas that were going to have to curtail at this time.”
“It’s a colossally bad idea,” said NW Insurance Council president Kenton Brine of the announcement.
Brine observed similar trends across the country and pointed out that the decision raises a number of potential issues related to public safety and the accuracy of driving records, among many other things.
“It’s a concern to a driver if they are involved in an accident with another driver who is not insured,” he said. “It’s hard to exchange insurance information with someone who doesn’t have any insurance and there’s no way to hold that person accountable if they leave the scene.”
Brine also noted that the presence of law enforcement adds a public safety element to the scene of an accident by diffusing tensions. Law enforcement also helps reduce instances of fraud and keeps insurance rates accurate.
Neiman recognized the need for a law enforcement officer’s presence at any accident and stated that the agency could reconsider its position sometime in the future.
“Of course we’re still going to injury crashes,” Neiman added. We’ll still respond to crashes if there appears that one of the drivers is under the influence or impaired in some way.”
Washington state law obliges motorists involved in accidents with over $1,000 in damage to accomplish a motor vehicle collision report—a process that could get a lot messier with less sheriff’s deputies on call.
