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A Publication Featuring The Information Services
Technology of Maine State Government
| Volume VII, Issue 11 | November/December 2004 |
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Obtaining a motor vehicle crash report in Maine is now easier and faster thanks to a new on-line crash reporting system launched by the Maine State Police. In the past, obtaining a crash report required a written request and a manual search on microfilm for the information. Now individuals and insurance companies can obtain a crash report on-line, usually within an hour.
The new service is at www.maine.gov/mcrs and there are also links from the
State of Maine, Department of Public Safety and State Police web pages. This new service
allows users to search for a crash report on-line from the State Police's crash database
at no cost. The flexibility of the system allows for crash report searches to be performed
using name, date of birth, crash location, crash date or investigating agency. Once a
crash report is located, it can be purchased for a $5 fee, the same cost when the system
was manual.
The Chief of the State Police, Colonel Craig A. Poulin said, "State Police have been
the repository of motor vehicle crash reports for decades and the new on-line system will
benefit citizens, insurance companies and others who need prompt access to this public
information." Each year, there are about 44,000 motor vehicle crashes in Maine that
require a crash report to be completed by municipal police, sheriff's department or State
Police. Those reports are then maintained by the State Police Traffic Division, located at
36 Hospital Street in Augusta. The reports also continue to be available from the
municipal police or sheriff's department which investigated the crash.
The head of the traffic division, Lt. Christopher Grotton said the on-line service has
data on all crashes since January 1, 2003. Information sought on pre-2003 crashes would
continue to be researched by hand, but users can make that request on-line. Grotton said,
"We are extremely pleased to offer this new service that improves our efficiency and
better serves the public." Maine's Crash Reporting System is a service of the Maine
State Police, in partnership with InforME, the state's private-sector partner and official
web portal provider. All state on-line services can be accessed from the state's web page
- www.maine.gov.
