A computer program that reads crucial information for you in a clear human voice, that automatically completes paperwork you once filled out by hand, that nearly triples your productivity with a few keystrokes. A program that all but eliminates the drudgery of writing tickets and traffic reports.  It's a computer program Aventura police can't say enough good things about.  Last year, Aventura became the first department in Miami-Dade County to use the Virtual Partner, a report-writing software program and printer designed by a police officer in Delray Beach to act as a second officer in a patrol car.

''It's an incredible piece of technology,'' Police Chief Thomas E. Ribel said.

''It's absolutely the most time-efficient computer system I've ever used in my entire life,'' Sgt. B.J. Cummins said.

''It's just an awesome program,'' agreed Officer Tom Labombarda, who coordinates new technology for the Aventura department. ``Every police officer should have it.''

''It's so unbelievable, what they make officers go through,'' said Jeff Rubenstein, a part-time volunteer officer at Delray Beach and founder of Advanced Public Safety, the company that makes the Virtual Partner. ``Imagine trying to a read a laptop in mid-day glare while driving.''

With the Virtual Partner, after an officer calls in a license plate, the program reads out the car's make and model and says whether the tag is expired or the car has been reported stolen. Given a license plate and a driver's license number, the program automatically fills out and prints a citation.  The Virtual Partner has increased ticket-writing productivity in Aventura by 250 percent over the first two months of 2002 -- increasing the per-officer average from 25 tickets to 63 tickets.  In January and February, the 13 Aventura patrol officers with the Virtual Partner program and printer wrote 820 tickets. The remaining 38 patrol officers wrote 959 tickets.

The software costs several hundred dollars per officer, depending on the size of the department and the functions the department chooses.  But police say the best selling point is safety. Injury statistics consistently show that traffic stops rank with domestic disturbances as the most dangerous types of police contact with the public.  ''In traffic stops, drivers get agitated, officers let their guard down,'' Rubenstein said. ``With this, officers get more information before they stop vehicle and they can keep a heightened sense of awareness going because they're able to clear the traffic stop quicker.''

Rubenstein said 25 agencies in Florida are using or testing the Virtual Partner, including the Broward County Sheriff's Office, and departments in South Miami, Boca Raton, Margate, Coconut Creek and West Palm Beach.