That might be possible after a proposed contract that was approved for negotiations by city officials.
"City officials awarded contract rights Tuesday (Sept. 12) to a New Orleans-based firm for "civilian traffic accident investigation and support" services, a move aimed at freeing up time for New Orleans Police Department officers to pursue non-traffic work. The proposal calls for a contractor to "provide support in collecting information on non-injury, non-DWI accidents" in New Orleans and punt that information over to the police department, according to a request for proposals issued by the city.
Duties outlined in that request for proposals include:
- Collecting facts and data after being dispatched to the scene of a crash
- Handing those facts and data to NOPD supervisors, who will then determine fault and potential citations
- Maintaining records of crash responses that the police department and the city can tap into free of charge
- Providing data to "other interested parties" - like insurance companies - per a "fee schedule" annually approved by the city, in accordance with state and local laws
- Furnishing equipment for investigations, including uniforms and vehicles "equipped with emergency lighting that distinguishes them as different from NOPD/NOFD/EMS personnel"
See the full article on NOLA.com HERE: http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2017/09/civilian_traffic_accident_inve.html#incart_river_index
