Grand Prairie News |
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Dallas, Texas |
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New devices expected
to improve traffic officers' efficiency, safety
It's already a bad
day when you're speeding somewhere and you see
those blue flashing lights in your rear-view mirror. But then, to add insult to injury, you have to wait several minutes
while the police officer collects all the necessary information, goes
back to his cruiser and processes the citation. In Grand Prairie, for better or worse, officers will soon be able
to cite speeders and other traffic violators in a couple of minutes
flat, thanks to the PocketCitation, an electronic ticket writing device.
The city has purchased 15 of the handheld units and one in-car unit,
including the accompanying software and portable printers, in hopes
of speeding up the ticket-writing process and maintaining better records.
The City Council approved the $62,000 purchase this month with money
from its court technology fund. "This will help decrease the time it takes to do a traffic stop, but
it will also increase the officers' efficiency and the officers' safety,"
said Steven Cherry, court services director for the city. Other area cities have acquired similar ticket-writing devices in
the last few years, including DeSoto, Burleson and Irving. Grand Prairie officers went to Burleson, where the police use the
same device, to see it in action. An officer there using the PocketCitation
was able to generate a citation with three violations in less than 2
½ minutes. Mr. Cherry said the devices would also help eliminate data entry errors
and lost citations. Officers making traffic stops would swipe the driver's license magnetic
strip through the device, which looks similar to a personal digital
assistant. The driver's information is then downloaded onto the handheld
computer. Location, specifics about the violation and other information
can be typed into the device. Motorists then receive a printed copy. The data from the citation
can then be transferred to the court system and police records. Swiping the card through the device will also check the driver for
any outstanding Grand Prairie warrants. Traffic Sgt. Eric Hansen said the department had considered moving
to an electronic ticketing system a few years ago, but he said the technology
wasn't as good as it is now. "We were most impressed with this system," he said. Sgt. Hansen said his officers were looking forward to the change.
"It will make their jobs easier," he said. |
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