Published on Thursday, May 5, 2005
in the Lake City Reporter

FHP, sheriff's deputies partner for wreck investigation course

In an effort to facilitate a closer working relationship, the Columbia County Sheriff's Office and Florida Highway Patrol teamed up for refresher courses on wreck investigations.

Held at the sheriff's office's new operations center, FHP Sgt. Chet Tomlinson, a veteran wreck investigator, directed the classes for all deputies at the rank of lieutenant and below.

Sheriff's deputies received wreck-response education during their training to be an officer, but the weeklong series of courses are meant to update them on any new forms or regulations they may not be familiar with, FHP Maj. Rick Carpenter said.

Carpenter and Sheriff Bill Gootee discussed the idea of their agencies conducting such a class shortly after Gootee took office.

Carpenter said of his three years working in Lake City, no such collaboration had taken place before. In his previous experience with FHP, when he worked large metro areas, Carpenter said he didn't see this kind of close relationship with other local law enforcement agencies.

"It's a refreshing change," Carpenter said. "Rural areas are tough," he said.

Both Carpenter and Gootee said the main purpose of the training sessions is to save the public time.

Instead of waiting sometimes for more than a half hour for a busy FHP trooper, those involved in a moderate crash on a county road is met earlier by a well-trained deputy.

"As a citizen waiting on an officer after a crash, this is in fairness to them, so the sheriff's office can respond," Carpenter said.

Currently, when a wreck is reported via 911, it is the sheriff's office's responsibility if it occurred outside of city limits. The sheriff's office then will either work the wreck or turn it over to FHP if it's serious and injuries are involved.

Delegating wreck investigations has never been a problem, but FHP and the sheriff's office wants to make the process even easier. "It's just a matter of communicating with each other," Gootee said.

Carpenter's FHP district also includes Hamilton and Suwannee counties, but Columbia, being more populated, sees more serious wrecks every year, he said.

In 2004, there were 1,339 wrecks that FHP responded to, 764 of which involved serious injury.

Though fatal and serious wrecks are FHP's territory, helping to train sheriff's deputies is another way the two agencies are looking to increase their connection.

"We're all police officers, that's the bottom line.

"We just wear different color uniforms," Carpenter said.