ACCIDENT DETECTIVES

April 4, 1938

Finding the "why" of automobile accidents before the inauguration of the Accident Investigation Bureau of the Baltimore Police Department was a guesswork proposition. But, in the two months that the three "crash cars", of that division still white and shiny have been on the streets, finding the mathematics, chemistry, and biochemistry, taken on the dignity of science. Like as not, any member of the department in the course of his daily duties will make use of physics, mathematics, chemistry and biochemistry, psychology, medicine and human anatomy. For good measure, he'll throw in a smattering of law, engineering, and art.

Men Trained

In two Schools The men got their intensive and varied schooling at two schools at the University of Maryland and at police headquarters here under Sergeant Clarence O. Forrester, who now commands the bureau. It is that training which resulted in the squad's being commended for the thoroughness of their evidence by all three Traffic Court magistrates. For the men have more than merely a passing acquaintance with the science they use in their investigations. Under the subject of biochemistry, for instance, they have learned how to identify the types of human blood and saliva, and they know how to preserve specimens for further experiments. The officer in the crash car knows his mathematics-especially his trigonometry-and he uses it in determining the relative positions and paths of the vehicles involved in an accident after he has made his steel tape-measure readings. He uses a decelerometer to test the brakes of cars in a crash, and with its readings along with his mathematical, calculations, his knowledge of the laws of moving bodies, of negative acceleration, of force and of gravity, the officer can often reconstruct the accident without even asking any information of the drivers of the vehicles. Psychology helps the men to more easily approach drivers and witnesses-etiquette enters, too-and the officers know the rudiments of human anatomy, as taught to them by a doctor and the different types of bone breaks and of injuries in order that they may better administer first aid. Art and engineering enter with the diagramming of the accident. Moulage work-the making of impressions-is sometimes necessary to preserve tire tread marks in hit-run cases.

Knows Chemistry And Law

The investigating officer understands the physics that governs the working, of his camera and the chemistry used to develop pictures of accidents taken by himself. He knows a good deal of law in order to properly present his case in court, and he has been taught what is legal and what is illegal evidence. Besides this training, two members of the squad have bachelor's degrees, says Sergeant Forrester. And he concludes, "I could talk about the things my men studied all afternoon. It was an intensive training course-I didn't let up on them for even one minute. The sergeant himself expects to get a degree within a year. He attended Northwestern University traffic school in 1935 and again in 1937. This training resulted in a commendation on the thoroughness of the squad's evidence by the Traffic Court Magistrates William F. Laukaitis, William J. Stocksdale, and George Eckhard. With three cars at his command now, Sergeant Forrester hopes eventually to have ten. As it is, one car covers a beat extending from Pratt Street to North Avenue between Charles Street and Patterson Park Avenue, the second covers an equal area west of Charles Street and the third takes the territory north of North Avenue between the Belair road and Charles Street. The cars are sent off their beats when necessary and the police say they can be at the scene of an accident within three minutes. There are sixteen men in the division. they work eight-hour shifts day and night.

Baltimore Sun Collection

Baltimore Sun Collection

 Baltimore Sun Collection

20 Sep 1938

31 START TRAFFIC COURSE FOR POLICE
A Staff Correspondent
The Sun (1837-1989); Sep 20, 1938; pg. 24

Picked men from three states enroll in classes and College Park

Test lectures fill first day’s session of two-week curriculum

College Park, Maryland, September 19 – with rain – worst roads and strikes holding down the attendance, and 31 picked policeman, including ten from Baltimore, assembled here today for two weeks of study on traffic congestion and accidents.

Seated at the University of Maryland School of art and culture Auditorium, just off the Washington Boulevard, please from three states and the District of Columbia pencils to them papers and took notes and lectures.

They heard W. L. Drawn, traffic engineer of the Baltimore Police Department, asserting that the hope of less city congestion lies in the judicious use of one-way streets.

No parking laws scouted

No parking laws will not eliminate loading and unloading, he said, and may even tend to reduce the city’s commerce. The expense of other methods is prohibitive, he added.

Kirk A. Keegan, of the National Safety Council, Chicago, told the policeman that solution of the problem of the “accident – prone driver” is a major factor in reducing accidents. The car and the highway cause only 20% of the accidents, he declared.

As members of the University’s traffic officers training school, conducted by the school of engineering, the students had been chosen by the police departments to master the three “E’s” of traffic control – education, enforcement, and engineering – with a view to reducing accidents in their communities.

Browse are wrinkled

Browse was often wrinkled during the first days' session. A police sergeant from Washington cast a perplexed I and a neighbor from Greenwich Connecticut, during the explanation of medical friction; the 100 questions adaptability test caused many puzzled expressions.

Just as often a good-natured just brought laughter to all commerce, as when notes were compared revealing opposite interpretations of the teachers remarked.

With all many problems were discussed, everyone weathered the examination, and all were receptive to five hours of lectures on the functions of a good traffic officer and the value of the records that take so much time and patience to make it.

Strike Detains Students

Of the 31 in attendance, several from Washington, two from to get, one from Delaware and the remainder from various parts of Marilyn. A contingent from Wilmington Delaware was unable to come because of a truck driver strike.

Dr. S. S. Steinberg, Dean of the engineering school, welcomed the men cited that 3000 persons are injured or killed daily traffic accidents and congratulated Sgt. Clarence Forrester, head of the Baltimore accident investigation division, for the manner in which he had organized the course.

Inspector Stephen G. Nelson, the acting Police Commissioner of Baltimore, was unable to appear and was represented by Capt. Henry C Kasie, head of the traffic division.

Work is reviewed

Capt. Kasie studied the history of his unit (Traffic) from its founding in 1905. When the men carried canes to guide traffic, the days when the traffic division was heralded as the “Beauty Squad” because of the requisite six-foot height of its members to the present day [1938], when there are 239 men. Major E. F. Munshower, the superintendent of the Maryland State Police, whose department has five students in the course, spoke of the necessity for strict attention and, of the responsibility placed on those attending.

School officially began when Sgt. Forrester took the chair. He cautioned the men not to oversleep in the morning, and to take notes without assistance and, on their own, words.

“Exams during the course,” he said, “will not be judged on your handwriting.” This brought smiles all around. “But I don’t want any of you to turn in papers with identical answers, and don’t fool me by jumbling the words around a bit.”

Before lunch Sgt. Forrester passed out the adaptability test, to be finished in 50 minutes. An anxious circle of large men surrounded him, “I’m alright and remembering things, but, kind of, poor at putting them on paper,” said one huge fella with a bald head.

Sample of questions

“There never was an exam that could jump up and bite a man, or kill him, or even knock them down.” The Sgt. reassured the class, “I just want your reasoning.”

The men began their papers. They found questions like “What causes lower taxi fares?” – With the discontinuance of streetcars, competition among taxies, goals forbidding the operation of large buses, conventions, and fares, etc. were no parking laws as the five possibilities for the correct answer.

Several of the men were finished the test in the allotted time in a few obtained 100%, marks. This was reported to be an unusual figure.

A Practical Picture

The Washington Boulevard separated the men from the In where lunch was served. In crossing, everyone became conscious of the great traffic problem as vehicles have skidded by. In front of the inn, the wrecking truck itself had been wrecked.

Mr. Braun spoke after a luncheon. He said the traffic control problem had become a reality with the advent of skyscrapers, having no provision for parking for office workers, and with a significant increase in the speed and number of automobiles.

Sgt. Martin D. Brubaker, head of the accident prevention Bureau of the Maryland state police, reopened the classroom sessions. He described as a good traffic officer as a man with a “please – your – employer” attitude toward the citizen and recommended Dale Carnegie to the police as a first step toward needed psychology.

Keegan Last Speaker

Mr. Keegan, the last speaker, sympathized with the pupils for the first-day ordeal of a lecture course. Many of them had been working late the night before in their police duties.

Speaking of the three “E’s” Mr. Keegan declared that they had made possible a 60% decrease in industrial accidents in the last 25 years. The same decrease with savings of more than 285,000 lives, could be made in traffic accidents, he said.

“There is plenty to be done in the two weeks,” said Sgt. Forrester.

“You’ll need plenty of midnight oil.”

First-aid – and remarking that a knowledge of simple first-aid was a necessity to the traffic officer. Sgt. Brubaker told of an accident near Baltimore three weeks ago. A small girl with a harmless looking cut under arm bled to death because no one thought to use a tourniquet.

Tunnel Vision – records are important in eliminating the bad driver element. Mr. Keegan said. He cited one man in Evanston Illinois who had been in 13 accidents. Records revealed that all these accidents had involved cars coming from his right. His glasses were found to hinder his vision from that side. In 18 months the van has not had an accident with the broader vision glasses.

Psychology – hotel clerks are taught to read your name upside down as you register, said Sgt. Brubaker, likewise, a good officer should learn the name of the driver he is questioning an address them by his name. “A man’s name is the sweetest thing in the English language to him. He will cooperate with you.”

Observant Police – Sgt. Brubaker ready with anecdotes told of an accident on the Eastern Shore. A small child had been killed by a motorist while riding a bicycle. The case was so flagrant and looked deliberate. A state police officer noticed the man was blinking his eyes. He was asked to read a large sign across the street. He could

Fair Treatment – a Baltimore jurist, said Sgt. Brubaker was tagged by a policeman for going, unavoidably through an amber light. The policeman seemed to take personal pleasure in prosecuting him. Later the same policeman appeared with a case before a magistrate – the same man. The magistrate dismissed the case, saying that on that occasion and on another some years ago, the policeman was not impartial

Baltimore Sun Collection

Baltimore Sun Collection

Departmental accident at the intersection of Monument Street and Kresson.  Officer Lauren Wilson (now Sgt.) was seriously hurt.  It occurred in Aug 1981

 

BALTIMORE POLICE PHOTO COURTESY TONY PETRALIA

BALTIMORE POLICE PHOTO COURTESY OFFICER TONY PETRALIA

Fatal that occurred on Erdman Avenue. Since this occurred in a 35 MPH zone speed might have been

BALTIMORE POLICE PHOTO COURTESY OFFICER TONY PETRALIA

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