Evidence is key in putting drunk drivers behind bars after a fatal crash, and a new team in Pennington County will make gathering that evidence more efficient and ultimately make roads there safer.

When fatal crashes involve the use of alcohol or drugs in Pennington County, the scene is usually investigated by several law enforcement agencies. From now on, filing charges in those accidents will become easier, thanks to a Fatal Alcohol Crash Team that bridges the gap between multiple jurisdictions.

“We have the combination of all three agencies, the Highway Patrol, Sheriff’s Department and the Police office.  We’ve created a team to respond to situations such as a crash where there might be criminal charges pending,” State Trooper Desmond Watson said.

A crash reconstruction trailer will follow the FACT investigators to accident scenes. Inside is all the equipment necessary for law enforcement officers to determine the cause of the crash.

“It’ll be much more organized and structured, having one trailer to respond instead of having each agency respond with different equipment,” Watson said.

The team is the first of its kind in South Dakota, and officials say there’s a reason it’s being launched in Pennington County.

“The Highway Patrol along with the Police and Sheriff’s office have worked very well together in Pennington County, so we thought what better place to get it started with to see how it goes because there’s got to be a lot of communication a lot of understanding and a lot of cooperation between the agencies to make it be successful,” Watson said.

Success that’s vital to protect other drivers.

Five people died in alcohol-related crashes on Pennington County roads last year, one of the highest death tolls in the state.

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