The books listed on this page were authored by police officers.
Sergeant Timothy Staab began his
career with the Glendora Police Department (California) in June 1983 as a Police Cadet. In February 1985, Sergeant Timothy Staab was hired as a Glendora Police Officer, and attended the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department Academy. Upon graduation, he served as a Patrol Officer for two years. In 1987, Sergeant Timothy Staab was assigned
as a motorcycle traffic officer where he spent nearly six years; enforcing traffic laws and investigating traffic accidents.
In 1992, Sergeant Timothy Staab was appointed to the rank of Agent.
Throughout his career, Sergeant
Timothy Staab has taken a special interest in investigating traffic collisions. In 1993, he became an” Accredited Traffic
Accident Reconstructionist,” joining an elite group of approximately 800 such accredited individuals worldwide. Sergeant
Timothy Staab is a nationally published author on accident investigation, and has qualified numerous times in court as an
expert on the subject. He frequently lectures to the public, law enforcement, legal community, and insurance company representatives. Timothy Stabb is the author of The Pocket traffic Accident Reconstruction Guide.
According to the book description
of The Pocket traffic Accident Reconstruction
Guide “Traffic accident investigators and reconstructionist probably have the common speed and sliding formulas
memorized. However, there likely are formulas out there that you haven’t committed to memory. And, while it’s
not practical to carry around a large textbook to every accident scene, having some type of reference would make your job
easier. That is why the Pocket Traffic Accident
Reconstruction Guide was created.
Timothy Stabb, the author, created
the Pocket Traffic Accident Reconstruction
Guide to be an easy to use reference for anyone investigating a traffic accident. The guide is a pocket-sized booklet
containing over eighty equations to compute vehicle velocity/speeds, distance, time acceleration rates and more. Designed
to fit in a shirt pocket or briefcase, this handy guide also contains a glossary of traffic collision terms, a table of roadway
friction coefficient values and a conversion multiplier.
The Pocket Traffic Accident Reconstruction Guide
contains equations for: Converting speed from MPH to FPS; Converting velocity from FPS to MPH; Airborne projectile motion;
Center of gravity mass; Pedestrian impact; and, many more.
David A. Casteel, senior
collision analyst, provides consultation and expert witness services to governmental and private sector clients in the areas
of traffic collision causation, analysis and reconstruction. Before joining the Ayres Group in 1992, David A. Casteel worked
for the San Diego City Attorney’s Office as a litigation investigator and collision analyst for more than six years.
He was member of the San Diego Police Department for thirteen years. Casteel is qualified as an expert in accident reconstruction
in superior, municipal, federal court and arbitration. He has completed a variety of accident investigation, collision analysis,
biomechanics and other related courses at the University of North Florida, Long Beach State University, University of California,
San Diego and holds a B.S. in mathematics (engineering emphasis). He also is lecturer in the field and co-author of Basic Collision Analysis and Scene Documentation and Pedestrian Accident Reconstruction and Litigation.
R. W. “Bob” Rivers (Inspector,
Officer-in-charge, Traffic Branch, Royal Canadian Mounted Police - Retired) is the author of various internationally recognized
and utilized traffic crash investigation and reconstruction textbooks published by Charles C. Thomas, Publisher, Ltd., Springfield,
Illinois, and the Institute of Police Technology and Management (IPTM), University of North Florida.
As an IPTM adjunct faculty member,
he acts as a technical advisor, directs IPTM's correspondence training programs and carries out various projects such as the
development of traffic crash investigation courses and Traffic, Crime Scene, Marine and Aircraft crash investigation templates.
Bob Rivers travels internationally,
carrying out research involving traffic crash investigation and reconstruction training programs. Upon request he will provide
assistance, advice and/or suggestions on an international basis in terms of training programs and arrangements for lecturers/speakers
for Accident Investigation and Accident Reconstruction related seminars and conferences.
Inspector
R.W. “Bob” Rivers is the author of: Traffic Accident Investigator’s Manual: A Levels 1 and 2 Reference, Training and Investigation Manual; Traffic
Accident Investigators' Lamp Analysis Manual; Technical Traffic Accident Investigators' Handbook: A Level 3 Reference, Training,
and Investigation Manual; Traffic Accident Investigators' and Reconstructionists' Field Measurements and Scale Diagrams Manual;
On-Scene Traffic Accident Investigators' Manual; Basic Physics: Notes for Traffic Crash Investigators and Reconstructionists
: An Introduction for Some a Review for Others; Evidence in Traffic Crash Investigation And Reconstruction: Identification,
Interpretation And Analysis of Evidence, And the Traffic Crash Investigation And Reconstruction Process; and, Tire Failures
and Evidence Manual: For Traffic Accident Investigation.
According to the description of Traffic Accident Investigator’s manual:
A Levels 1 and 2 Reference, Training and Investigation Manual, “many traffic "accidents" are someone's fault.
Some are intended, while others can be foreseen. It is the traffic accident investigator's role to determine, through the
gathering of evidence and an analysis of circumstances, that which is an accident and that which is not. This manual launches
the trainee on the road to the scientific approach to determining which incident falls into what category. The text clearly
outlines the steps to be taken when the report of a traffic accident is received, travelling to the scene, the at-scene investigation,
and any follow-up investigation that may be required. An introduction to scientific speed analysis based on thorough at-scene
investigation is provided.
According to the description of Evidence in Traffic Crash Investigation and Reconstruction:
Identification, Interpretation and Analysis of Evidence, and the Traffic Crash Investigation and Reconstruction Process,
the book “begins with a detailed description of the entire investigation process. The material then graduates into the
various phases and levels of investigations, showing the levels of training and education normally associated with the levels
of investigations and consequently the duties and responsibilities of the investigator and reconstructionist. Using narrative,
schematics, and photographs, the mechanical inspection process is described in detail by identifying various vehicle parts,
explanations of their functions, and methods of identifying failures. Human-related factors in traffic crash investigations
are discussed at length, including the traffic crash viewed as a systems failure. Looming vulnerability, a recently developed
theoretical construct that helps to describe and understand social, cognitive, organizational, and psychological mechanism,
is described.”
John B.
Sweatt is a technical associate with ATA Associates, Inc. A retired, twenty-two-year veteran of the Houston Police Department,
he worked extensively in the hit and run accident detail and accident investigation division. He received his BS in 1978 from
the University of Houston and has continued to develop expertise in advanced accident reconstruction, radial tire belt separations,
restraint systems examinations, truck brake failure analysis, vehicle damage analysis, ground base aerial crush photography,
airbag technology and development, and tractor-trailer rollovers and underride accidents.
John Sweatt’s
areas of specialized expertise include: accident investigations, accident reconstruction, and commercial vehicle investigations
and reconstruction. He is a licensed private investigator in the state of Texas and is HAZWOPER certified. John B. Sweatt is the co-author of Handbook of Charts and Tables for Vehicle Dynamic Analysis.
According
to the book description of Handbook of Charts
and Tables for Vehicle Dynamic Analysis, it “is a complete reference tool that is a composite of engineering
data expressed in formulas, charts, tables and graphs. It is the ideal resource for those initiated in the basics of accident
reconstruction, specifically designed as a quick reference supplement to traditional textbooks. The formulas are those recognized
by educational institutions and practitioners in the accident reconstruction arena.
Topics
covered include: Acceleration; Basic formulas; Braking; deceleration and stopping; Curves; Maneuvering; and, Speed. This book is directed toward: Accident reconstructionists; Personal injury attorneys;
Claims adjusters; and, Consulting experts”
Neil Robar
retired at the rank of lieutenant from the Hollywood Police Department (florida), where he either commanded or worked in every
division and unit. For five years he was the coordinator of the Institute of Police Technology and Management’s Traffic
Crash Investigation and Reconstruction section. Neil Robar is now a private consultant in traffic crash investigation and
reconstruction and he continues to teach at all levels in the area as an adjunct for the Institute of Police Technology and
Management. Neil Robar is the author of Inspection of Motorcycles after Impact; Motorcycle Helmet Inspection after Impact
and the co-author of Advanced Traffic Accident
Investigation and Advanced Traffic Crash Analysis.
According
to the book description of Advanced Traffic Crash Analysis, it is”filled with the latest technology, techniques and
information in the field of traffic crash investigation. The IPTM’s Advanced
Traffic Crash Analysis is an expanded and updated version of its predecessor, our popular Advanced Traffic Crash Investigation
manual.
The authors,
Mr. Neil Robar and Mr. George Ruotolo, present material that goes far beyond the basics taught in at-scene investigation courses.
This manual contains updated photos, charts and formulas in the more advanced areas of crash investigation as well as five
new chapters that deal with safety belt examinations, crash data retrieval systems, forensic visual perception, energy, and
trial preparation and courtroom testimony.
This new
text is used by IPTM in our Advanced Traffic Crash Investigation course. It can also be used as a reference and training guide
if you wish to brush up on your skills in this field.
The book
includes the following chapters: Mathematics Review; Vehicle Damage Analysis; Safety Belt Examinations and Occupant Restraint
Systems; Crash Data Retrieval System; Forensic Visual Perception as it Affects Nighttime Traffic Crashes; Laws of Motion and
Vehicle Dynamics ; Acceleration and Deceleration; Energy Time and Distance; Airborne Equations; Conservation of Linear Momentum
and Vector Analysis; Photography; Advanced Measuring and Diagramming; and, Trial Preparation and Courtroom Testimony.”
Walter
A. “Butch” Kennedy served in the US Army from 1965 to 1968. Shortly
after his discharge he joined the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (Florida). During
his 17 year law enforcement career he has worked patrol, traffic and training. In
1983, he was awarded a Medal of Merit for Bravery. Between 1986 and 1992, he
was a full-time instructor at the Institute of Police Technology and Management (Florida).
Walter Kennedy is the author Conservation
of Linear Momentum Using Vector Sum Analysis and Impact Velocity from Conservation of Linear Momentum for the Traffic Accident Investigator and reconstructionist.
According
to the book description of Conservation of
Linear Momentum Using Vector Sum Analysis, it “is difficult for even the experienced reconstructionist to visualize
the momentum components of colliding vehicles. To conquer this problem, W. A. Kennedy has drawn a series of “pictures”
that present a graphic solution to the momentum equations. In this book, the author uses a coordinate system to graphically
illustrate the vector components of the vehicles involved. To clarify the graph, he uses a distinct color for each vehicle
and provides an explanatory text, complete with the momentum formulas and all of the variables needed, to solve the problem.
The graphical
solutions provide an alternative to formulas in determining pre-impact and post-impact vehicle speeds. They also provide a
check on the accuracy of computations that use formulas and enable the crash reconstructionist to gain a clear visual impression
of the vector components present in collisions. After a brief introduction, Mr. Kennedy addresses the following topics: Post-Collision
Scene Data and Trajectory Analysis Using the Right Hand Coordinate System; Vectors and Vector Analysis; Post Impact Analysis;
Pre-Collision Scene Data and Trajectory Analysis; Pre-Collision Side of Equation; Post-Collision Data; and, Trajectory Analysis
Using the Left Hand Coordinate System.”
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