My clearest memory of Andre Levesque, the police officer, is of a frigid winter night back in 2003. There was a house fire and Levesque was among the first on the scene, and it’s a good thing he was. The burly cop was later credited with rushing to the burning home to help rescue the woman who lives there. It was the kind of unpredictable thrill only a cop can understand.

Levesque is no longer on patrol in Auburn, or anywhere else. He’s no longer chasing bad guys or racing into burning buildings, but a part of his 13 years as a police officer stuck with him. Levesque, now living in the swampy hot climes of Florida, is an expert on vehicle crash investigation. You might even say he wrote the book on it. Because he did, and here is what’s up with that.

What was your police career like? All through my early years as a police officer (June 1990 through July 2013) I was always interested in crash investigation and driving. I had the interest and drive to pursue what knowledge I could gain. However, at that time in my career, major accident investigations or fatal crash investigation training was very expensive and usually limited to the Maine State Police. Very few agencies had a specialist, and most called upon the State Police for assistance. Agencies have since progressed and understand the training needed for criminal and some civil crash investigations as it relates to death or serious bodily injury.

What do you miss the most about being an Auburn cop? I had a great career serving those in Androscoggin County, more so the Auburn Police Department for over eight years. What I miss most is actually serving the people where I grew up, establishing individual and collective relationships with the citizens I served, the talented officers and staff at the Auburn Police Department as well as all the surrounding agencies. It was and still is home in my heart. It is where I grew up and still have family and friends. As I look back, all the people that I worked with and worked for have molded me into what I am today. For that, I am grateful.

How did you get into accident reconstruction? As life changed, my career views changed as well. I began seeking a location change to zero in on specializing in accident investigation and driver instruction. I found an agency (similar to the Auburn Police Department in staff size) in Sarasota County, Fla., that allowed me to focus my skills and abilities in accident investigation, forensic crash reconstruction and law enforcement driver training. At one point, I was the most trained officer in the department with specialized training. I received over 300 hours of specialized training in crash investigation and reconstruction, forensic mapping and diagramming, pedestrian, bicycle and other crash situations. I was the lead traffic homicide investigator and crash investigator in the agency. I was an agency instructor for crash investigations as well as a police driving instructor. After gaining all that training and experience, it was time my law enforcement career ended.

What made you decide to write a book? I began writing one day on a whim after leaving my law enforcement career of 23 years. “Driving Dynamics” stewed in my brain for a while, lurked from thoughts and eventually made it to print. “Driving Dynamics” started two-fold: first, as a precursor and possible manual for an advanced driving school I was trying to develop (still trying), and, second, I have a teenage daughter learning to drive and thought it would help her. The only help it has done for her is her knowledge that I wrote a book on driving. Ugh. Teens know it all, right? I did (so I thought).

As a teacher/instructor, as an experienced crash investigator and because I know how a vehicle operates in concert with physics and the human element, I wanted to share my knowledge. I wanted to get the basic ideas out there in addition to the “rules of the road” literature that is passed out in driver’s education programs. People take driving a car for granted. Most do not consider the human element and decision process behind driving, as explained in the book. “Driving Dynamics” is my first attempt in writing. I think it is an easy read. It is designed for all ages, fresh information for those who are learning to drive as well as for experienced drivers as a refresher. It is great supplemental reading for student drivers.

I am also an internationally selling author. I believe that I have sold more books through Great Britain Amazon than anywhere else. The Brits seem take driving more seriously than Americans.

What are you doing now? Since my police career, I have settled in the Tampa Bay, Fla., area. I have written “Driving Dynamics,” planned and dreamed about opening a specialized driving school (still possible), but more so I am a Florida licensed private investigator working for a PI firm, Brittingham Laughlin and Associates in Sarasota, specializing in investigating and reconstructing vehicle crashes and traffic-related matters. And I was recently rooting for my home team, the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals! Go Bolts!