Civilian Traffic Investigation Unit starts in Durham, will give officers time for serious crimes

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Durham Police Department has launched a new program with the goal of improving response time whenever there's a minor accident, as well as give officers more time to investigate violent crimes.

"This is a tremendous, tremendous help for our team," said Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews.

The Civilian Traffic Investigation Unit has started patrols in the Bull City.

Civilians are being hired for this program.

They have to undergo dozens of hours' worth of training in a classroom, followed by weeks of work in the field.

The City of Raleigh has a similar program and it was launched about a year ago.

Burlington, Greensboro and Wilmingtion additionally have programs.

Gerald Wallace was the first to go through the Durham program and he can call for officer backup during an incident.

"Every crash is different. Every situation is different. Everyone's response to a crash is different," said Wallace.

Andrews says there is strain on front-line staff working on investigations around the city.

The announcement comes less than 24 hours after there was a shooting on Fayetteville Road.

A 17-year-old was shot in the leg and a 17-year-old was also grazed by a bullet.

The latest weekly crime data shows there have been 32 violent crime incidents in Durham, and that is slightly down from this time last year.

Andrews tells me there's still a lot of work that needs to happen and this new unit will help officers prioritize serious crimes.

"There's a lot of work to be done in and around the space of figuring out why it's happening, and what can we do about it right and what resources can we provide," said Andrews

Durham is adding more people to this unit. There will be three dedicated investigators by August 1st.

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