The days of waiting in your car for what feels like an eternity while a police officer writes out your traffic ticket will be over soon.
The Easton Police Department is moving away from handwriting traffic tickets to an electronic system that allows officers to print out tickets on the road and send a copy to the court via wireless technology.
In June, the Easton Police Department was awarded a $35,954, 25 E-Citation grant to implement a new electronic ticketing system. The reimbursable grant covers five mobile computers for patrol cars, five e-citation printers, mounting and hardware installation. Â An additional $25,778,00 approved by the Board of Finance in July for the department to purchase the software to run the mobile computers was voted on during a special town meeting on Sept.6.
At the special town meeting, Police Chief Richard Doyle said many police departments are moving toward an electronic ticketing system.
With the technology, police officers will be able to access data from a driver’s license and registration as well as photographs right away, Doyle said. The gathered data will automatically transfer to the Centralized Infraction Bureau via the state’s Judicial Information Technology Division.
Those involved in law enforcement hail the electronic ticketing system as a safer way for officers to issue tickets. Between 2017 to 2021, 17 law enforcement officers in the country were struck while conducting a traffic stop, according to a study conducted by the Washington, DC -based National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
Electric ticketing is also safer for motorists who have to remain on the side of roadways waiting for an officer to hand them a ticket.
Handwritten tickets can take 15 to 20 minutes or longer to complete. Electronic ticketing cuts that time down to between 4 to 5 minutes, according to I Tron, a Victor, NY- based company that specializes in data capture hardware and software for law enforcement and the public/ governments sector.
The patrol car computers covered with the E-citation grant will give Easton Police officers access to more information. Currently, Easton Police officers conduct all motor vehicle, registration, license, and criminal record checks through the Police Dispatch Center, which limits what information the officer can obtain, First Selectman David Bindelglass stated in a message.
