ASHEBORO N.C. – A speed trailer used by the Asheboro Police Department was damaged in an accident earlier this month after an officer failed to properly secure it prior to towing.
According to a vehicle accident report completed by the Asheboro Police Department, on September 11th, 2023, at around 3 p.m., an officer was towing the trailer on US-220 Bus when the trailer came unattached from the vehicle, impacted the roadway, and rolled for approximately fifty feet before coming to a rest on the side of the roadway.
The report states the accident was caused by another officer, not the one driving the vehicle, who failed to properly secure the trailer prior to transit.
The trailer, an MPH Street Scout model, was purchased by the Asheboro Police Department in February of 2020 at a cost of $7,263.13. No damage estimate has been obtained yet.
While used mostly for public education, the trailer also features an additional traffic monitoring feature which records the speed of vehicles. According to the department, that information “helps the department understand driver behavior in the area of the city where the trailer was placed. Additionally, the data can assist the department in making decisions on how to utilize our personnel more effectively, in an effort to address citizen concerns/complaints.”
The department does not plan to file a claim on the city’s insurance policy, says Robbie Brown, Assistant Chief of Police with the Asheboro Police Department. “In this case, since our officers had contributing factors, we will not be turning anything in on our insurance. Any repairs to the trailer will have to be paid for from our current year’s budget.”