Charles County Ready to Start Writing Electronic Traffic Tickets


LA PLATA, Md. (Nov. 26, 2008)—Equipment to allow the issuance of electronic traffic tickets has been installed in most of the Charles County Sheriff's Office patrol vehicles and nearly 150 of the department's officers have been trained to used the system as of last week.

E-TIX is a software-based system designed to expedite data acquisition during traffic stops and eliminate much of the hand written process needed to issue a traffic warning or citation.

Sheriff Rex Coffey said using the program has many benefits including increasing officer safety by reducing the amount of time they spend on the side of the road writing a citation. "Advancements in technology are important, especially in today's law enforcement where obtaining quick data can make a big difference in terms of safety and efficiency," said Coffey.

The E-TIX system reads the barcodes on driver's licenses and registration cards. Once scanned, the software automatically checks the person's license status or vehicle registration and provides real time data to the officer.

The program also allows an officer to type the person's data on a computer screen thus eliminating the need for an officer to write a citation on multiple forms. With the click of a few buttons, a warning or citation can be printed and presented to the violator.

The system also eliminates the need for the recipient of the ticket to sign the form.

The E-TIX program was designed and first used by the Maryland State Police. Trooper First Class Chris Corea, of the MSP Information Technology Division, developed the computer software single-handedly, reportedly saving the taxpayers $1.2 Million vs. having the system developed commercially.

The Maryland General Assembly changed the law effective Oct. 1, 2007 to allow the use of what was originally termed eCitation.

Calvert County received $39,727 and Charles County received $54,774 in state law enforcement technology grants in January 2008 to assist with the implementation of E-TIX.

RELATED INFORMATION:

MSP Launches Mobile Info System to Automate Motorist Ticket Writing Process, August 08, 2007
http://somd.com/news/headlines/2007/6246.shtml

MSP Seeks To Provide E-Tickets (Not The Good Kind), January 12, 2007
http://somd.com/news/headlines/2007/5176.shtml

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