07-10-2007, 07:40 PM
George Ed_____ must have creamed his pants....
Writing traffic tickets gets quicker in Largo
With new technology, police can save not only time but perhaps more lives.
By LORRI HELFAND
Published June 18, 2007
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LARGO - Red-light runners and speeders beware.
The Largo Police Department has new technology that makes it easier for officers to issue tickets.
In the past, each time officers wrote tickets, they pulled out bulky pads of paper, painstakingly copied information from drivers' licenses and filled out citations by hand.
Now, when they issue tickets, they simply punch tag numbers and a few other details into a mobile computer. And the rest of the data is provided automatically.
So what used to take seven or eight minutes now takes about two, said traffic enforcement supervisor Sgt. George Edmiston.
"It frees officers up to catch more violators," he said.
To show just how easy writing a ticket has become, Edmiston staked out an area near one of the city's more dangerous intersections, Missouri Avenue and East Bay Drive, just before 1:30 p.m. Friday.
In less than a minute, he had nabbed a woman driving her Jeep south on Missouri, going 55 mph in a 40 mph zone.
After pulling her over in a drugstore parking lot, Edmiston typed in her plate number. He eyed her driver's license as he checked information that popped up on his computer screen and punched in notes and details about the infraction.
He then printed up her $182.50 ticket in his cruiser and submitted it instantly to the office of the Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court.
The woman was on her way by 1:33 p.m.
Largo's traffic officers have used the technology for about six weeks. The rest of the officers started using it this week.
The new capabilities are part of a $3.5-million computer system installed by the department in December.
Various components are being phased in over time. Other elements of the system, provided by SunGard OSSI of North Carolina, monitor police car locations, transmit dispatch data and provide access to stolen vehicle information, criminal histories, driving records and warrants.
Each month, Largo officers issue about 1,800 tickets, police Chief Lester Aradi said.
Since the new system shaves minutes off the ticket-writing process, officers will likely be more productive, he said.
But the goal is not to bring in more revenue, said Edmiston, whose team focuses on dangerous intersections.
"It's about trying to reduce crashes and save lives," Edmiston said.
Writing traffic tickets gets quicker in Largo
With new technology, police can save not only time but perhaps more lives.
By LORRI HELFAND
Published June 18, 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADVERTISEMENT
Breaking News Video
LARGO - Red-light runners and speeders beware.
The Largo Police Department has new technology that makes it easier for officers to issue tickets.
In the past, each time officers wrote tickets, they pulled out bulky pads of paper, painstakingly copied information from drivers' licenses and filled out citations by hand.
Now, when they issue tickets, they simply punch tag numbers and a few other details into a mobile computer. And the rest of the data is provided automatically.
So what used to take seven or eight minutes now takes about two, said traffic enforcement supervisor Sgt. George Edmiston.
"It frees officers up to catch more violators," he said.
To show just how easy writing a ticket has become, Edmiston staked out an area near one of the city's more dangerous intersections, Missouri Avenue and East Bay Drive, just before 1:30 p.m. Friday.
In less than a minute, he had nabbed a woman driving her Jeep south on Missouri, going 55 mph in a 40 mph zone.
After pulling her over in a drugstore parking lot, Edmiston typed in her plate number. He eyed her driver's license as he checked information that popped up on his computer screen and punched in notes and details about the infraction.
He then printed up her $182.50 ticket in his cruiser and submitted it instantly to the office of the Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court.
The woman was on her way by 1:33 p.m.
Largo's traffic officers have used the technology for about six weeks. The rest of the officers started using it this week.
The new capabilities are part of a $3.5-million computer system installed by the department in December.
Various components are being phased in over time. Other elements of the system, provided by SunGard OSSI of North Carolina, monitor police car locations, transmit dispatch data and provide access to stolen vehicle information, criminal histories, driving records and warrants.
Each month, Largo officers issue about 1,800 tickets, police Chief Lester Aradi said.
Since the new system shaves minutes off the ticket-writing process, officers will likely be more productive, he said.
But the goal is not to bring in more revenue, said Edmiston, whose team focuses on dangerous intersections.
"It's about trying to reduce crashes and save lives," Edmiston said.