Drivers have one less way to beat system
Niagara Regional Police officers have traded in their hand-written traffic tickets for an advanced eTicketing system.
It’s something that in the end will be quicker and reduce human error.
And that will save the police and the court system time and money.
Over the past 10 years, about 4,300 traffic tickets issued by the NRP have either been rejected or dismissed by the Provincial Offences Court. It’s something that has cost Niagara’s municipalities as much as $40,000 a year.
The administrative, logistic and safety benefits are critical and represent a progressive step forward for both the Niagara Region and police service.” Police Chief Jeff McGuire
Before the program started at the end of June, every ticket for traffic violations issued by NRP officers at the roadside were completed by hand.
The eTicketing technology automatically selects the correct charge and wording. The officer prints tickets right in his or her police cruiser.
“The eTicketing is being be rolled out district to district as they train up the platoons,” said Sgt. Josh Klop of the NRP’s traffic unit. “We started getting the printers installed in our cars a couple of months ago.
“For us in the traffic unit, we knew it would be coming for a while. There are about 10 of us are using it right now.
“Two of the platoons have been trained. Over the next two weeks, the other two platoons will be trained as well. Those dates are already scheduled.
“It’s very straightforward. There are different options and buttons for us to hit. You add the driver. You add the vehicle, and then you generate the charge or a warning.
“It happens right in the car. You print it and fold it up and hand it to them.”
Under the old process, all traffic tickets issued by the NRP were transcribed by hand into the computer system by front-desk staff then filed with the Provincial Offences Court. There they were transcribed again into the Crown’s computer system.
The new system automates this process, and all tickets are automatically transmitted from the police cruiser to the court.
“In terms of time, for the officers, we still have to do the meet-andgreet with the driver and get the documents and return to the car. The big savings is on the back-end. You don’t have to worry about the data entry. It’s done and in there. That’s the part where there will be real time-saving.”
Police Chief Jeff McGuire said providing the officers with a tool that allows them to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively and is a win for both the police service and our communities.
“The administrative, logistic and safety benefits are critical and represent a progressive step forward for both the Niagara Region and police service,” he said.