Specialized Collision Investigation Division

Specialized Collision Investigation Division
Patches used by LAPD Collision Investigators
Abbreviation	SCID
Organizational structure
Part of	Los Angeles Police Department Office of Operations Special Operations Bureau
Command staff
Commanding Officer	Captain II

The Specialized Collision Investigation Division (SCID) of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) responds to complicated collision scenes throughout the entire Los Angeles area, and completes traffic collision reconstructions for detectives and the District and City Attorney's offices.

Functions of SCID

Investigative responsibilities

• conducting compelled interviews of Department employees involved in traffic collisions on SCID call-outs
• conducting vehicle examinations
• handling all traffic crash reconstructions for detectives and the District and City Attorney's offices
• investigating traffic-related crimes on SCID call-outs
• on-call availability to investigate:
  • any traffic collision resulting in a fatal injury which may result in a felony criminal prosecution where the investigation is beyond the scope of the investigating officer's expertise
  • any traffic collision resulting in a suspected serious injury or fatal injury and involves a city-owned/operated vehicle, or was influenced by city property or a city employee acting within the scope of their employment and has substantial city liability issues
  • any major unusual traffic occurrence that is beyond the expertise of the concerned geographic traffic division
  • other complex traffic collisions
  • any request made by Commanding Officers, with the approval of the Department Traffic Coordinator
• providing expert testimony in court

Administrative/support responsibilities

• conducting the 16-hour Collision Investigation Officer Test
• conducting the 40-hour POST Collision Investigation Schools (Basic, Intermediate, and Enhanced)
• conducting the 40-hour POST Vehicle Dynamics School
• conducting the Traffic Accident Reconstruction School
• maintaining the LAPD Traffic Manual
• roll-call and training day instruction

Gallery

SCID Truck (“Medical Causes”)

SCID Truck (“Reality Check”)

SCID Collision Investigator (“Intersection”)

SCID Collision Investigator (“Intersection”)

Notes

The Specialized Collision Investigation Division is a fictional division which only exists in the Major Crimes Universe. In the real world, SCID is actually the Specialized Collision Investigation Detail, a component of the Traffic Support Unit.

While that means that the division's investigative responsibilities are mostly accurate to it's real world counterpart, its presumed size has been hugely increased, warranting a status as a "division" headed by a Captain, rather than a "detail" generally headed by a Sergeant. While unconfirmed, it's possible that this fictional SCID has also assimilated more of the Traffic Support Unit's components into itself, rather than being just a supersized Specialized Collision Investigation Detail. It is also possible that SCID has assumed some collision investigation responsibilities from the Geographic Traffic Divisions, as SCID was seen investigating a rather standard (even if it was tragic) hit-and-run in “Intersection”.

These reasons could explain why SCID is a Division, and not a Detail, as merging these functions with SCID would dramatically increase the amount of personnel assigned to it. However, at least in “Borderline”, the West Bureau Traffic Division was shown investigating a traffic collision involving Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, suggesting that not all traffic-related investigative responsibilities have been transferred to SCID.

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