Photos released of crash involving police officer

An officer who crashed in downtown Cedar Rapids while responding to a police chase will not be issued a traffic citation.

Officer Brandon Bosenberg, 27, crashed his patrol car into another car around 10:40 p.m. on Dec. 31 at the corner of First Avenue East and Second Street, police said. According to a police report, Bosenberg was northbound on Second Street SE and attempted to turn left, but turned too short and his patrol car collided with the front corner of an eastbound car that was approaching the stop light.

No one was injured in the wreck. The impact caused Bosenberg's airbag to deploy, and damage was estimated at $2,000 for each car.

The driver of the other car, Zachary P. Klein, 23, of Cedar Rapids, was ticketed for not carrying proof of insurance. The charge was later dismissed when Klein proved he had insurance coverage.

Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said Bosenberg was responding to back up the primary officer on the chase and had his lights and sirens activated at the time of the crash. She said the matter was handled internally and declined further comment, saying it was a personnel matter.

Police released still photos of the cars damaged in the crash. Dash camera footage was also requested, but police said no footage exists because the camera in Bosenberg's patrol car was not working properly.

Klein wrote in an e-mail to SourceMedia Group that he had just purchased the car, a 2012 Chevrolet Cruz, and did not have his insurance cards in the car yet. He declined to comment on the crash itself.

A multi-department team reviews all crashes involving city vehicles. With every officer-involved crash, Hamblin said the officer's immediate supervisor and the patrol captain are involved in the investigation. She said the supervisors confer with the police chief to determine the outcome.

Hamblin said officers are involved in more dangerous driving situations than the average person because of their job. When an officer is involved in an on-duty accident, she said supervisors consider whether a work-related accident should have consequences in the officer's personal life, with insurance rates, for example.

The driver involved in the police chase pulled over after hitting a pole on the other side of the Cedar River, and was arrested on suspicion of operating while intoxicated.