Electronic Ticketing Coming To Tulsa Police Department
Tuesday September 18,2007 Reporter: Bill Mitchell
Tulsa - Soon, ticket writing for Tulsa police will go high-tech. They will scan your driver's license, punch in the violations, send the ticket to the courts and hand over your copy. The new electronic ticket writing machines will be faster, more efficient and more effective.
Currently, when a police officer stops a person they get out the old ticket book, they get your driver's license, go back to the car and start writing. That takes anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. The new electronic ticket takers take two thirds less time.
"With using the electronic device, we can reduce that time significantly down to about seven to eight minutes," says Jay Chiarito-Mazzarella.
Those we spoke with think the e-tickets are a good idea.
"I think it would be quicker, simpler, easier, less paperwork," says Robert James.
"I think it would work good. It's automated, it's updated," adds Dickey Thompson.
"Well, either way I know I'm getting a ticket. That would be a good deal, that would cut down on false identification."
Officer Harold Goad agrees with all of them. He adds that spending less time on a traffic stop on the side of the road is a safety issue, especially on the interstates.
"They're watching the activity on the side of the road and they'll drive over and side swipe the people's car. They'll side swipe the car that's been stopped, and in some cases they'll actually hit the police officer."
Officer Goad says it would streamline the process from the side of the road to the judge's bench. Even people getting tickets say the electronic process is a sign of the times.
"Fine with me," says Sondra Steinberg. "Lots of things, my doctor's are going for that kind of a system. It's part of living today."
The police department hopes to get fifty of the electronic ticket writing machines at a cost of about 200-thousand dollars. They should be out in the field by the first of the year.
Forty of the devices will go to the officers in the traffic squad. Over the next several years, it's hoped the rest of the department will also get the devices.
Copyright KTUL 2007.
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