Title
Carfax Municipal Assistance Program - Approval
History
Currently all request for copies of traffic crash reports are processed by staff as they are received. In the vast majority of cases the requests are coming from the motorists’ insurance company by mail. Staff is required to review each request, ensure that all information required is present and that a check is included for the fee. Staff locates the report and prepares a copy for the response that is sent out via the USPS mail.
Some request, though few come in from walk-ins at the reception window. All crash reports copies are provided for a fee of $5.00.
In 2010 the Department responded to 3,500 traffic crash. Very nearly every report filed results in a request for copies. Many crashes result in multiple requests for copies. This process obviously requires a considerable amount of staff time.
The Carfax Municipal Assistance Program offers a program known as the Docview/Carfax Traffic Accident Reporting Solution (Docview). DOCVIEW provides law enforcement agencies with a no-cost ecommerce solution to manage, sell and store traffic crash reports using modern day imaging and web technologies. Through this program the Department would provide DOCVIEW with digital images of all crash reports filed. Requestors could then access the report through the internet where they could pay the fee and print the copy in a much more efficient process.
The Department proposes to direct all mail requests for crash reports to the DOCVIEW program. Residents would still receive services if they requested a copy at Police Headquarters. There is no contract or service agreement required. Should the Village decide to discontinue this program the Department would just stop providing crash reports to Carfax.
Carfax charges a fee of $6.00 for each traffic crash report requested. This fee would be added to the Village fee of $5.00 for a total cost of $11.00 for any report accessed through DOCVIEW. Counter requests would still be processed for $5.00 at Police Headquarters.
It is suggested that this program could save considerable costs in staff time, postage and other materials without the loss of the revenue provided. DOCVIEW also provides additional investigative tools for law enforcement by providing the vast Carfax database to police investigators.
Financial Impact
There would be no direct costs related to this program and therefore no Budget Impact.
Recommended Action/Motion
I move to recommend to the Village Board to approve the Police Department request to engage the Carfax Municipal Assistance Program and provide for requests for traffic crash reports through the DOCVIEW Traffic Accident Reporting Solution at a total cost of $11.00 per report.