Puyallup police use grant money to purchase collision laser scanning system

For Puyallup police officer David Obermiller, the department’s lead collision reconstructionist, a new piece of equipment thanks to the Puyallup Tribe of Indians is bringing the latest and greatest technology to crime scenes and traffic collisions in Puyallup.

The Puyallup Police Department was recently awarded a Puyallup Tribe Grant in the amount of $87,870, which will go toward the purchase and implementation of a collision laser scanning system for the Major Collision Response Team.

The department purchased a FARO Laser Scanner, which creates 3-D images of major crime scenes and collisions.

Currently, when Obermiller analyzes crash sites, he maps the scene using 50 to 100 points of data to create a 2-D overhead image with measurements found using skid marks or gashes from the crash.

Now, Obermiller says he can make a full 3-D rendering of the crash straight from the scene.

“It’s fundamentally transformed the data I usually would get,” he said. “Quite literally you set it up at the scene and push a button. It captures everything from that point of view. You can move it to gain multiple points of view from multiple scans. As it scans, it also takes high definition photos of the scene. It allows us to make a full 3-D rendering.”

That data collected straight at the scene can then be used in the courtroom for the jury or defense as evidence.

The grant received from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians is only offered once a year to neighboring communities effected by the tribe.

“The tribe gives 2 percent back to the communities effected,” said Donna Harris, administrative assistant to the chief and the department’s grant writer. “Our city opens the grant application to different departments within the city. The city then selects two grant applications to move forward in the tribe’s application process.”

The grant is highly competitive as multiple cities with multiple departments are competing for the same money, she said.

The grant money is reserved for a specific program or piece of equipment to offset to impact of the tribe.

“Traffic is an impact from the tribe,” Harris said. “More traffic means more collisions. It fit the model of what they were looking for, and it was so outside of our budget. Our technology was aging, (and) while it was still useful it was becoming more and more limiting.”

Obermiller says the FARO system brings the latest technology to the Puyallup Police Department.

“(The FARO system) is no longer an up-and-coming piece of equipment,” he said. “But the industry standard.”

The FARO system was ordered last week, and should arrive at the department in a month. Once the department receives it, staff will go through training with the new device, and it should be put into full operation in two to three months.

Both Obermiller and Harris agree that the FARO system is a great addition to the department.

“We’re so thankful for the partnership with the tribe to allow us to bring this equipment to Puyallup,” Harris said.

“I feel absolute gratefulness (to the tribe),” Obermiller said. “It’s such a benefit to our residents and a phenomenal benefit to the community. It’s a fantastic resource for our entire region.”

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 4:20 PM with the headline "Puyallup police use grant money to purchase collision laser scanning system."