The following description is directly from The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office website, please visit their website for descriptions on other departments and programs:

Bergen County Prosecutor's Office
Fatal Accident Investigation Unit

     The Fatal Accident Investigation Unit is charged with the responsibility of investigating fatal and serious bodily injury motor vehicle crashes where the element of criminal recklessness is present. Generally speaking, those collisions which result in death and or serious injury where DWI, excessive speed, hit and run, police pursuit, two or more moving violations, and multiple deaths are present, and in which there is a surviving driver, fall under the purview of the F.A.I.U. . In such cases local and county police are required to contact the F.A.I.U., who along with the local or county police, investigate the crash.

     In addition to an in-house investigative and legal staff, the Fatal Accident Investigation Unit is comprised of an at-scene response unit of over thirty police officers from twenty four police departments. At any time two members are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The unit is equipped to thoroughly investigate virtually any type of roadway collision.

     The types of cases that the Fatal Accident Investigation Unit investigates demands, in addition to general investigative techniques and skill, the ability to examine and analyze the events of the crash in a scientific fashion. As such each member of the F.A.I.U. is trained in accident reconstruction and is required to maintain a level of proficiency in the application of generally accepted principles and methodology in this specialty.   The types of crimes investigated include felony, murder, aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide, aggravated assault, assault by auto, and hit and run.