About 90 minutes, not six hours: Chief credits new crash-investigation skills

An officer’s new crash-investigation training helped Chattahoochee Hills police reopen a road in about 90 minutes after a serious collision, Police Chief Kevin Digou told City Council on Oct. 6. Calling state investigators would typically mean a closure of roughly six hours, he said.⁠[1][2]

The change gives the Georgia city an ongoing local capability. At the Sept. 1 council meeting, Digou announced that Officer Dakota Hammock was fully certified to investigate fatal and serious-injury crashes. That meant the department no longer had to rely solely on Georgia State Patrol for those investigations, he said.⁠[2]

The training soon got a serious test. According to the October meeting’s draft minutes, Digou said someone in the collision had been airlifted, and Hammock’s training allowed police to handle the investigation without relying on state patrol. He placed the crash roughly two weeks before the meeting but did not identify its exact date or location.⁠[1]

The shorter closure is the chief’s account of one collision—not a guaranteed turnaround for future crashes. And the new certification reduces dependence on state investigators; Digou did not describe it as eliminating their role.⁠[1][2]