As the Insurance Journal explains, Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, signed the bill this month after it moved through the Republican-controlled legislature with “overwhelming support.” Both the “N.C. Association of Police Chiefs and the N.C. League of Municipalities endorsed the law.”
State Senator Michael Lazzara, a Republican, told local television news station WRAL that enlisting civilian traffic investigators …
“is just a way that we can help cities and towns fill the gap and have availability for officers to respond to actual emergency calls, rather than take their time to be at a traffic accident that can normally take several hours to complete … They basically do the investigation, they file the reports, and they also have the ability to appear in court … If there’s an issue involving criminal activity, they just call for an officer and an officer will come and do their job.”
Here are three highlights from the bill:
- “Investigators will wear uniforms that are different from police, cannot carry weapons, and have no power to arrest people.”
- “They can work only on accidents involving property damage, not injuries.”
- “Investigators shall have the same authority as a law enforcement officer to tow or remove a vehicle that is obstructing a public street or highway.”