Traffic Safety Unit
About Our Team
The Traffic Safety Unit (T.S.U.) is comprised of specialized, highly trained officers dedicated to enhancing roadway safety throughout Richland County. Their daily mission focuses on creating safer roads through education, engineering, and enforcement. By adhering to these core principles, the Unit works to reduce aggressive driving, impaired driving, and ultimately decrease the number of fatalities, injuries, and collisions on Richland County roadways.
The T.S.U. is an active member of the 5th Circuit Law Enforcement Network and has earned both Gold and Silver awards in the Annual Law Enforcement Challenge program in recognition of its traffic safety initiatives. Several officers within the Unit have also been honored with the DUI Hero Award for their efforts in combating impaired driving.
In addition to proactive enforcement, the T.S.U. manages high-profile vehicle escorts, conducts traffic safety checkpoints, addresses roadway safety concerns, responds to neighborhood traffic complaints, and leads community outreach and traffic education initiatives. Officers assigned to the Unit maintain proficiency in speed measurement devices, standardized field sobriety testing, and traffic collision investigations, ensuring a high standard of professionalism and effectiveness in all aspects of their duties.
Safety Check Points
Each region of Richland County is assigned specific officers who are responsible for addressing the unique traffic safety needs of their designated areas. These officers assess local concerns, collaborate with community members regarding traffic complaints, and gather relevant data to identify effective solutions.
They work closely with the South Carolina Department of Transportation and the Richland County Transportation Division to develop and implement strategies aimed at improving roadway safety and enhancing overall traffic conditions within their regions.
Accident Reconstruction
The Traffic Safety Unit (T.S.U.) responds to select major collision incidents and conducts advanced collision reconstruction when required. Collision reconstruction is a specialized discipline within law enforcement focused on analyzing traffic crashes to determine how and why they occurred.
Trained reconstructionists apply principles of physics, engineering, and mathematics to interpret physical evidence, including skid marks, vehicle damage, roadway gouges, debris patterns, and data retrieved from event data recorders (EDRs). By utilizing established mathematical formulas related to speed, momentum, and energy transfer, investigators can estimate vehicle speeds, angles of impact, and driver actions before and during a collision.
Advanced technology, such as total station surveying equipment and computer simulation software, is used to create detailed diagrams and accurate scene models. The results of these reconstructions often play a critical role in criminal investigations and court proceedings, providing objective, evidence-based analysis of the incident.
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