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6A Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011 Indian Valley Record
New CHP camera provides evidence
Dan McDonald
Staff Writer
dmcdonald@plumasnews.com
As pieces of shattered glass
pelted him from all direc-
tions, Kip Hymas thought
about his family.
He feared the worst.
The veteran California
Highway Patrol officer had
just been hit by an alleged
drunken driver and his car
was sliding sideways on High-
way 70.
The right rear of his patrol
car then struck a streetlight
pole and began to spin the
opposite direction as it skid-
ded across both lanes of the
highway.
"When I hit the pole and
was covered with the glass,
that's when I thought 'Ah
man, I'm going to roll,'" Hy-
mas said. "And then thoughts
went into my mind about my
family."
In an instant, it was over.
Hymas gathered his senses
and got on the radio to report
the situation.
"I've been involved in a
couple of these before, but
nothing of this magnitude,"
Hymas said.
The crash happened just af-
ter 10 p.m. Aug. 25 at the in-
tersection of highways 70 and
89 near Blairsden.
Hymas, a 17-year CHP vet-
eran based in Quincy, was
headed east to assist a sher-
iff deputy on a domestic dis-
turbance call in Portola.
He was traveling at normal
highway speed with no emer-
gency lights flashing when a
All of the local California Highway Patrol sedans have been fitted with Mobile Video/Audio
Recording Systems (MVARS). The device, pictured, records audio and visual data that can be used
for evidence or officer training. The MVARS proved its value to the CHP by documenting an Aug.
25 accident in which an alleged drunken driver hit Officer Kip Hymas' car. Photos by Dan McDonald
white 1994 GMC 1500 pickup
in the westbound Highway 70
turn lane pulled in front of
him.
Hymas had to react in an
instant. The situation was
complicated because there
was another car on his right,
stopped on Highway 89
preparing to turn left on
Highway 70.
"Kip did an absolutely out-
standing job," Quincy Area
Commander Bruce Carpenter
said. "He did everything he
could do to lessen the severity
of the accident.
"I think that is indicative of
the training our guys receive.
He was able to protect him-
self, while at the same time
protect the other drivers as
"I saw out of the corner of much as possible."
my eye the vehicle that was
sitting at the intersection,"
Hymas said. "So I knew I had
a narrow window."
As Hymas quickly guided
his sedan to the right to
avoid the turning pickup,
the truck hit Hymas' driver-
side passenger door and sent
his car spinning counter-
clockwise toward the light
pole.
Had Hymas not reacted the
way he did, all three drivers
Could have been seriously in-
jured or killed.
Carpenter noted that 200
CHP officers have died in car
crashes since the department
was founded. "It's just some-
thing that's inherent," he
said.
Thanks to Hymas' skill, no
one was injured in this crash.
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Despite witnessing the acci-
dent just a couple feet in front
of his or her car, the driver
not involved in the collision
turned left on Highway 70 to-
ward Quincy and drove away
from the scene.
The CHP would still like to
talk to the driver of that car.
"We have not heard a thing
to this point," Carpenter said.
"We want it to be clear that
this person is not in any kind
of trouble. The person is just
a witness. It's just to help us
completely cover all aspects
of the investigation."
Accident caught on camera
As recently as a few weeks
ago, the investigation of this
accident would have relied
heavily on statements from
Hymas and the pickup
truck's driver, who was ar-
rested at the scene on DUI
charges.
However, beginning Aug. 1,
all of the local CHP patrol
sedans were equipped with
video cameras.
The Mobile Video/Audio
Recording Systems (MVARS)
were installed in 2,000 CHP
vehicles statewide.
The MVARS recorded Hy-
mas' accident. The video
showed the truck turning in
A camera for the Mobile Video/Audio Recording Systems
(MVARS) is mounted near the rearview mirror on local California
Highway Patrol sedans.
front of the squad car and re-
vealed in startling clarity just
how Hymas was able to avoid
a potentially fatal collision.
Hymas admitted he and
many CHP officers were skep-
tical when the cameras were
installed.
"I'll tell ya, I wasn't really
thrilled about this camera
system," Hymas said. "But
people have said 'Man, it's go-
ing to save you one of these
times.' And sure enough, I
was glad to have the footage
(of the accident). It backed up
what I was saying about the
events of the night."
How the camera works
At the beginning of each
shift, an officer inserts a
blank disc into the MVARS of
the car he will be driving. All
of the video and audio is
recorded on the disc, which is
removed and placed into evi-
dence at the end of each shift.
The officers wear a wireless
microphone in their belts.
The system automatically
begins to record video and au-
dio when an officer turns on
the vehicle's red emergency
lights used during traffic en-
forcement situations.
An officer can also manual-
ly turn on the MVARS during
patrol.
The system is also automat-
ically activated when a patrol
car is involved in a collision.
The MVARS backs up to cap-
ture the video beginning one
minute before the impact. The
audio begins at impact.
This is what happened dur-
ing Hymas' Aug. 25 collision.
Improved accountability
Officer Dana Eliason, who
is one of three local CHP offi-
cers certified to train patrol-
men on the MVARS, said the
cameras provide many bene-
fits.
"It enhances the officer
safety and aids in the identifi-
cation and capture of those
who would harm an officer or
a member of the public," Elia-
son said.
Eliason added the camera
naturally improves documen-
tation of service provided by
the CHP. Virtually all traffic
stops are now recorded.
He said the recordings
could be a training tool for
new officers who can how re-
view their procedures after
traffic stops.
"I think the (MVARS) is go-
ing to be a very valuable
tool," Eliason said. "And it is
going to take a lot of the
guesswork out of it when it
comes to addressing com-
plaints (about officers)."
The MVARS is a credible
tool for evidence.
Eliason noted that a study
done by the International As-
sociation of Chiefs of Police
found that in misconduct cas-
es, 93 percent of cases that
were exonerated relied on
MVARS evidence.
PDH obstetrics hono'red
Plumas District Hospital
(PDH) recently received news
that it has been recognized
for outstanding obstetric
(OB) patient care. It is one of
only 14 hospitals in the state
to be honored for meeting all
elements of the annual OB
Patient Safety Program -
Quest for Zero sponsored by
BETA Healthcare Group, the
hospital's liability insurance
carrier.
"The perinatal team here at
PDH is very proud of this
honor," said Obstetric Depart-
ment manager Amy Titmus.
"We are continuously striv-
ing to provide excellent quali-
ty care and assure the safety
of our growing families."
OB team training is ongoing
and is already in progress for
next year's OB patient safety
program.
On Sept. 7,several repre-
sentatives from PDH will re-
ceive the OB team's trophy at
the annual OB symposium in
San Francisco and the entire
facility will receive a 5 per-
cent reduction of its profes-
sional liability costs. Sympo-
sium attendance satisfies a
portion of the ongoing educa-
tional requirements for next
year's program.
"We are very proud to re-
ceive this honor for the sec-
ond consecutive year," said
Doug Lafferty, chief execu-
tive officer at PDH. "We are
committed to providing the
same standard of care that is
offered in larger hospitals
and this award is a testament
to that. BETA's Quest for Ze-
ro obstetric patient safety
program provides an oppor-
tunity to simultaneously
maintain strict patient safety
standards and save money for
our hospital."
To achieve 100 percent com-
pliance with the program, the
hospital's entire OB depart-
ment -- nurses and doctors --
must demonstrate specific
skills, such as fetal heart
monitoring and analysis,
team communication strate-
gies and emergency manage-
ment in labor and delivery.
"As OB teams progress
through the program, staff
communications become
clearer and more consistent
which is in alignment with
our patient safety goal of tak-
ing a team of individual ex-
perts and creating expert
teams," said Annie Herlik,
BETA Healthcare Group vice
president of risk manage-
ment. "Most importantly, the
program puts patients first
ensuring they receive the
highest quality care."
PDH offers 24-hour obstet-
ric services. Four family prac-
titioners currently provide
Obstetric care: Erin Barnes,
M.D.; Rachel Hurlburt, D.O.;
Jeff Kepple, M.D.; and Ross
Morgan, M.D. All four PDH
physicians accept new mater-
nity patients. In addition, the
hospital offers childbirth
classes for expectant individ-
uals several times per year.
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