Responding to a call, police gets into accident
Last week, a Nome Police Department Community Service Officer was involved in a car crash while responding to an incident on Front Street.
On Wednesday, September 8, Nome CSO Bryan Piercy was responding to a call about a fight in the Bering Straits Native Corporation building when he tried to pass another vehicle in NPD’s van, often referred to as the “paddy wagon”.
“There were no injuries at the scene,” NPD Chief Mike Heintzelman told the Nugget. “We had an urgent call at the [old] Federal Building and we had an officer en route, as well as the CSO Bryan Piercy. Bryan had his emergency lights on and several of the vehicles in front of him pulled over, though one didn’t, and that individual did not see Piercy as he rounded her car to pass him.”
The other driver, operating a 2002 yellow Ford Focus, collided with the police van as she attempted to turn onto Lanes Way. The driver, Angelina Mendez, does not have a driver’s license, and was operating the vehicle in violation of her learner’s permit. The other individual in the car, Melanie Kobuk, was also without a valid driver’s license.
Both Mendez and Kobuk say Mendez had her lights and turn signal on, though Piercy says the car’s turn signal was not in use.
She “did not know [the CSO vehicle was behind her] due to not have a siren,” according to the police report of the incident. “However, other vehicles before getting to hers did move out of the way.”
Piercy’s vehicle was equipped with flashing lights like traditional police cars but did not have sirens to alert other drivers. Typically, though, a CSO vehicle wouldn’t need sirens.
“That position would normally not have to respond to an emergency situation,” Heintzelman said. “Due to the limited personnel we had working that day, he made the choice to go around the other cars to get there rapidly because we had an aggravated situation, a fight in progress at the federal building.”
Several officers arrived at the accident scene minutes later, after Piercy told the other driver he was responding to the other incident.
Heintzelman said NPD is waiting to figure out the extent of the damage. Because the airbags in the CSO van deployed, the repair costs may be high, and could cost thousands of dollars in repairs.
“I know that the airbags are somewhat expensive, but the fact is the collision itself wasn’t a very violent one,” Heintzelman said. “It was only damage to the vehicles.”
NPD has a second van for the CSOs to use while this van is out of commission.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.