The Tucson Police Department will begin using electronic citations through a cooperative effort with the Tucson City Court in hopes of freeing up overworked city clerks.
Students who are pulled over for a traffic violation may receive a printed ticket instead of the hand-written kind.
The E-citation pilot project is being implemented all over Tucson by TPD motorcycle police. Officers will be able to issue citations from a handheld device similar to a personal digital assistant, according to a press release.
Dallas Wilson, public information officer for TPD, said the E-citations should help create a much more efficient system because they will be downloaded into the city court’s automated case management system and stored.
Previously, clerks had to enter all tickets into the system by hand. With the new system, the clerks can use that time to do more important things, Dallas said.
People who get an E-citation will receive a typed copy of a ticket instead of the usual hand-written ticket.
Wilson said the new electronic system also makes citations more legible, eliminates excess paperwork, ensures that violations are correct and will be easier to store because they will not be in paper copies.
The pilot program may eventually be used in all TPD vehicles as well as by other city departments, Wilson said.
“The Tucson Fire Department and other agencies issue tickets as well,” Wilson said. “This would work well for them, too. It’s a great program.”
Bonnie Callahan, creative writing sophomore, said E-citations seem like the next step for police.
She said she doesn’t foresee the pilot program affecting many UA students.
Molecular and cellular biology senior Courtney Smith said E-citations will definitely affect students because many students get parking or speeding tickets.
“I know a lot of people who just got warnings because the police didn’t want to hassle with all the paperwork,” Smith said. “Now if it’s easier, they may be more willing to give out tickets,” Smith said.
Wilson said TPD does not anticipate issuing more tickets as a result of the new technology.
“This does not mean more tickets for citizens,” Wilson said. “It simply means a more efficient system for us and the city court.”