Priceville to offer online wreck reports
For the Enquirer
Within the next few weeks, Priceville automobile crash reports will be available online. The cost will remain at $5 to $15, depending on the request.
Police Chief Jerry Holmes asked the City Council during a work session last week for permission to contract with LexisNexis BuyCrash, an online service designed to help consumers, insurance carriers and law enforcement agencies access, manage or search for police reports. The 36-month contract would cost the city nothing and could be canceled with 90 days’ notice, the chief said.
Once implemented, users would be able to access, download or print a report without having to go to the municipal building, Holmes said. The change would help ease the workload of clerks who staff the windows where citizens go to buy their crash reports in person, the chief said.
“I’d like to do this if we could,” Holmes told the council. “It would help the clerks out and help us out tremendously.” The service would also help crash victims and others seeking wreck reports by making the reports available 24 hours a day, the chief said. “They can be home at night and get their wreck reports.” Crash victims would continue to pay $5 for their wreck reports, and anyone else who wants a copy would pay $14 or $15, he said. The city would continue to collect $5 for each report, as it currently does, while Lexis-Nexis would keep any additional money collected, the chief said.
“That’s how they make their money, but it’s a free service to us,” Holmes told council members.
Councilman Ashley England asked how people would know the service was available. Officials would let accident victims know how they can access the system by handing them a business card containing the website information along with their case card from the accident investigation, the chief said.
The chief told council members Guntersville Police Department uses the LexisNexis service “and they love it.” Other Alabama cities that contract with LexisNexis for wreck reports include Albertville, Alexander City, Daphne, Demopolis, Dothan, Florence, Homewood, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Pelham, Phenix City, Prattville and Tus-caloosa.
Both Decatur and Hartselle have other methods for obtaining crash reports. In Decatur, victims can go to City Hall and obtain a report or provide payment over the phone and have one emailed, the records supervisor said. They can also contact the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to get a copy. In Hartselle, victims can use the website crashdocs. org to access their wreck reports once they have the reference number, Lt. Alan McDearmond said.
Council members voted 6-0 during the regular meeting to let the Priceville Police Department contract for the reports.
The service will be implemented in stages with training being one of the steps to be completed soon, Holmes said.
