20030619_BJA_Study_of_Electronic

The Use of Electronic Citations:

A Nationwide Assessment

A JOINT REPORT BY

THE OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS,

BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE

AND

THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

JUNE 2003

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This report would not be possible without the research and statistical analysis provided by

Mr. David Smith, transportation specialist, at the Federal Highway Administration’s Office

of Safety. The Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Information Technology would like to

acknowledge the research support provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation staff

in this collaborative effort.

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

The Use of Electronic Citations:

A Nationwide Assessment

Motorists stopped for traffic violations in Cumberland County, North Carolina, in the year

2000 were the first in the nation to have their citations issued on a system that lets officers

print out a ticket on-site while simultaneously sending a copy to the court via wireless

technology. As a result, what started out as a pilot project in North Carolina is now gaining

interest across the nation.

For years, law enforcement agencies have been frustrated by the challenge of collecting

timely and accurate data from accident reports, traffic citations, and vehicle inspections.

Manually collected data have historically contained errors of content and omission.

Sometimes the data could not be collected at all due to smudges or poor handwriting on the

paperwork. This problem is compounded by the need for multiple layers of data entry from

different parties within the agencies. New technology, like that being used in North

Carolina, now offers some relief for these problems. Law enforcement agencies throughout

the country are looking at new technologies such as driver’s license bar code scanners,

electronic signature capture equipment, and information transmission equipment.

Technologies that are currently being piloted and implemented across the

United States promise to benefit professionals at all levels of the law enforcement

community. Driver’s license bar code scanners, for instance, can save the officer on the

street a great deal of time by alleviating the need to manually enter data on a paper ticket.

is estimated that using bar code scanning devices to populate electronic reports can eliminate

up to 750 keystrokes in a crash report or up to 200 keystrokes per traffic citation.

This

device also promotes police safety by allowing the police officer to spend more time

observing a violator rather than diverting his or her attention to the writing of a ticket.

Information that is sent directly from the patrol car back to police headquarters or the court

benefits those on the administrative level by improving data quality and timeliness. For

example, the state of Iowa reports that it used to take up to 18 months for a crash report to

complete a full cycle, starting with the reporting officer and ending with U.S. Department of

Transportation (DOT) analyzers.

With the development and implementation of a system

called TraCS (Traffic and Criminal Software), which transmits data directly to all interested

parties, this time has been reduced to 18 hours. Likewise, the time required to process

commercial vehicle inspection reports has decreased from 100 days to 14 days.

International Association of Chiefs of Police, IACPatrol Tech, Volume 1, Number 2, Fall 2001, A Model For

Law Enforcement and Transportation Cooperation Leaves Its TraCS.

http://www.dot.state.ia.us/natmodel/index.htm

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

Scope

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) undertook this study of the use of electronic

citations in order to provide a comprehensive view of how law enforcement agencies around

the country are embracing this technology. BJA contacted leading law enforcement

decision-makers from 50 states, the District of Columbia, and one U.S. territory (Puerto

Rico) to find out at what, if any, level their agencies have begun to use electronic citations.

The results of this query are provided in Appendix A: Environment.

For the purposes of this report, electronic citations are defined as the electronic collection of

traffic reports or tickets through the use of a mobile data terminal (MDT), the Internet, or a

handheld computer, such as a personal data assistant (PDA). Data may then be transmitted

by radio, telephone, or other electronic means to a law enforcement agency server, database,

or directly to the court for processing.

Findings

The use of electronic citations among law enforcement agencies across the country varies

widely. Some states are still in the planning process, others are beginning or are in the

middle of pilot programs, and others have developed and implemented systems that have

been up and running for more than one or two years. What is clear from this study is that the

majority of states are either currently implementing or testing some form of electronic

processing technology, or at least planning to do so. This section describes the types of

initiatives that are underway and the types of technology being used within those initiatives.

Twenty-seven states currently use electronic citations, have active pilot projects, or are in

the process of building the necessary infrastructure for capturing and disseminating

electronic citations to various agencies, including the court. Nine states have agencies that

are considering the use of electronic citations but have not yet started a program to

implement the electronic citation process. Fourteen states, the District of Columbia, and

Puerto Rico currently have no electronic citation activity.

Figure 1: States Electronic Citation Activities

No Activity

Considering

Current

Activity

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

Of the 27 states with current activity, the following activities are underway:

States Currently Using

Electronic Citations

States With Active

Pilot Projects

States Currently Building

Infrastructure

California Alabama Arizona

Colorado Delaware Georgia

Florida Illinois Maine

Iowa Kentucky South Carolina

Michigan Nebraska Texas

Minnesota North Carolina

Nevada North Dakota

New York Tennessee

Ohio Washington

Rhode Island Wisconsin

South Dakota

Utah

Figure 2: Breakdown of Current Activity

Pilot

Active

Developing

Most states are developing infrastructure in steps, and many are starting by developing

electronic versions of traffic incident, vehicle inspection, weigh station, and criminal reports.

States are collecting this data through various means, including the use of bar code scanning

devices and key entry from laptops, PDAs, and other types of MDTs. Fourteen states have

developed or are in the process of developing electronic reports, after which each plans to

add electronic ticketing capabilities to the infrastructure.

States are also working on various ways to distribute the data once it is collected. Some

jurisdictions are merely collecting data and saving them to an electronic version of a report

for paper distribution to the court or administrative office. This method of distribution tends

to be the precursor to a more advanced system, one that is able to electronically transmit

information directly to headquarters and the court. However, several entities that are using

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

this method of distribution are doing so because their state law does not yet allow for

electronic signatures. Other ways data is being distributed include various methods of

sending data directly to the court, police headquarters, or a shared repository. Such methods

include sending data through Web links via cellular and conventional telephone transmission

methods; through radio, via cellular digital packet data (CDPD); or by direct download, once

the officer returns to the station.

States that are using some form of electronic citation technology are using at least one of

three different methods to process and transmit data to the appropriate entities. Six states

currently have jurisdictions that are transmitting data directly from the patrol car or handheld

device to a server at the court. Another six states are transmitting data to a central server that

is controlled by local or state authorities, which, in turn, is accessed by both the court and

administrative offices for processing. Finally, 10 states have jurisdictions that are sending or

planning to send data to a central repository at police headquarters. From these repositories,

the data will be distributed to the courts and administrative offices for processing. Houston,

Texas, however, appears to provide a view of the future. The city recently purchased a

handheld device that an officer can use to collect citation information out in the field. This

device then relays the citation information in real time via a wireless network to a designated

host system that includes the Houston Municipal Court.

TraCS

One program of particular interest in the development of electronic citation technology is

Traffic and Criminal Software (TraCS). Iowa has partnered with the Federal Highway

Administration to develop the TraCS crash reporting system. Out of this

Figure 3: TraCS Partner States

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

partnership was born the National Model for the Statewide Application of Data Collection

and Management Technology to Improve Highway Safety. Since development, 16 states and

the U.S. Virgin Islands have signed agreements to use TraCS technology.

TraCS offers a mobile version of its software for data collection that is based on the

Microsoft

Windows platform and requires minimal hard drive space and memory. This

version can be loaded on to a notebook or PDA-type computer equipped with a handheld

scanner, and lets officers collect and validate data, receive information, complete reports and

citations, and print. Once information has been gathered, data can be transmitted to the an

agency repository through any number of transmission methods, including those mentioned

earlier in this report.

TraCS Office is the software designed to be the agency repository for the data collected by

the mobile platform modules. TraCS Office can use relational databases such as Oracle,

Microsoft

Access, or Microsoft

SQL Server.

™

Once information is entered into a report, it

is sent to the database where it can be easily populated into other areas of the report or other

associated documents. Available reports currently include Crash Reporting, Citation

Issuance, Incident Reporting, Motor Carrier Inspection Reporting, and Operating While

Intoxicated Reporting.

Benefits of Using Electronic Citation Technology

An important attribute of the Internet for those who work in public safety and justice is the

idea of a ubiquitous network. The concept of a complete web of electronic communication is

significant because instant data access by the various agencies in the law enforcement

processes, from arrest or citation to conviction, will eventually make the administration of

government significantly less expensive. Electronic citation technology will serve as a major

link in this web of communication.

Currently, an estimated 10 percent

of all citations the courts receive annually contain errors

due to misspelling, poor handwriting, smudged copies, and inconsistencies between

violation codes and descriptions. Electronic citation technology has the ability to eliminate

most, if not all, of these types of errors by using existing information found on driver’s

license magnetic strips or state databases.

Electronic citation technology promises other benefits as well, from saving time and

reducing costs, to increasing officer efficiency. The current paper system used in most

jurisdictions takes an average of 12 days

to process a citation and send it to the court. This

process can now be done seamlessly within seconds. Finally, once the infrastructure is paid

for, an electronic citation system promises to be a cost-effective solution since it will

eliminate a great deal of overhead associated with clerical tasks.

http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/courttech6.htm

ibid.

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

For Further Information

Jurisdictions that have an interest in updating this report are encouraged to visit the Web site

of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs Information Technology

Initiatives (http://it.ojp.gov). Please contact the Bureau of Justice Assistance Information

Technology Office by sending an e-mail to [email protected] to offer suggestions and other input

via the Web site feedback form.

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

Appendix A—Environment

Fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico were asked to provide

information on the use of electronic citations in their respective jurisdictions. The following

table provides the responses to this survey.

State Response

Alabama

Alabama is in the process of piloting an electronic citation project at a truck

weigh station. They are using software developed by the Iowa Department of

Transportation and will soon add their own wireless component, which will

allow for data capture using handheld integrated PDA scanner devices. When

complete, data will be transmitted wirelessly to a laptop inside the weigh

station. They are also in the initial stages of using voice recognition to collect

data. Alabama is still in the process of implementing the interface to the

central court servers, but they should have the data transmission piece

completed within two to three months.

Contact: Allen Parrish, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Phone: 205-348-3749 E-mail: [email protected]

Alaska

(1) Alaska is in the process of developing an electronic Web-based traffic

incidence report. (2) One city court is in the process of upgrading its system to

use electronic court documents and will consider the use of electronic

citations once the upgrade is completed.

Contacts:

(1) Carl Gonder, Alaska Department of Transportation

Phone: 907-465-6996, E-mail: [email protected];

(2) Yuancie Lee, Alaska Highway Safety Office

Phone: 907-465-5298 E-mail: [email protected]te.ak.us

Arizona

The Arizona Criminal Justice Commission has initiated a committee consisting

of the courts, the Motor Vehicle Division, and law enforcement agencies to

study the statewide integration of data. The committee will consider issues

such as funding, legislative changes, and data integrity. Two pilot projects are

being initiated in Coconino and Panel counties where data will be transmitted

between the courts, the district attorney’s office, the sheriff’s office, and police

agencies. Once an interface is built, the use of electronic citations will be

addressed. The Arizona Department of Public Safety is working with the state

Motor Vehicle Division to develop an electronic crash report. When this report

is implemented, an electronic citation module will be considered.

Contacts:

(1) Jerry Hardt, Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

Phone: 602-364-1146 E-mail: [email protected]

(2) Commander Jeff Resler, Chief Information Officer, Arizona

Department of Public Safety, Phone: 602-223-2089

E-mail: [email protected]

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

State Response

Arkansas

The Arkansas State Police Department is developing an electronic crash report.

Once the crash report is completed, they will begin work on an electronic

citation system. The state police and State Court Administrators are working

toward the eventual implementation of an electronic citation system; this

implementation is at least one year away.

Contact: Lieutenant Tommy Wicker, Arkansas State Police

Phone: 870-633-1454 E-mail: [email protected]

California

The California Highway Patrol has a pilot project comprised of four commands

in the Los Angeles and Ventura areas. The goal of the project is to test the

collection of electronic data using various hardware devices. An interface is

also being developed between the system and the Los Angeles and Ventura

Superior Courts. By 2003, officers in these four commands should be issuing

electronic citations. Numerous agencies in California now use electronic

parking ticket citations, and some agencies, including Torrance and Stockton,

use handheld computers for the electronic capture of parking and traffic

citations, field investigation reports, and criminal reports. Data from these

handheld units are then disseminated electronically to the courts and records

systems.

Contacts:

(1) Marilyn Erskin, California Highway Patrol

Phone: 916-657-9090 ext. 4051 E-mail: [email protected]

(2) Gary Ward, Autocite

Phone: 949-707-3832 E-mail: [email protected]

Colorado

The Colorado State Patrol is currently implementing the use of electronic

citations in all patrol vehicles. The citation information will be sent wirelessly

using cellular digital packet data (CDPD) or by telephone to a central processor

at headquarters in Denver. Citations are packaged nightly, then sent through a

data transfer system to the courts. The Colorado Department of Revenue and

Department of Transportation are heading a statewide effort to develop an

electronic citation program for all state agencies.

Contact: Doug Landin, Colorado State Patrol

Phone: 303-239-4563 E-mail: [email protected]

Connecticut

Connecticut is in the process of contracting with a consultant to review

business practices in Connecticut. Once this is completed, they will implement

the use of electronic citations. Most law enforcement agencies in Connecticut

are now using Captain, an electronic data capture system developed in-house

for crash reports. It is possible that Captain and modules from a second

software system will be combined to create an electronic citation component.

Contact: Robert Whitney, Connecticut Department of Transportation

Phone: 860-594-2365 E-mail: [email protected]

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

State Response

Delaware

Delaware initiated a pilot project in August 2002 in four Delaware counties,

which uses an electronic data capture program developed by another state.

Citation information will be sent to both a central server and the courts.

Violators will be able to submit payment electronically. Upon completion of

the pilot project, the system will be offered to other Delaware law

enforcement agencies.

Contact: Michael McDonald, Director of Information Technology

Delaware State Police, Phone: 302-659-2302

E-mail: [email protected]

District of

Columbia

1) The District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) does not

transmit citation information electronically, and there are no current plans to

incorporate such a system. (2) Once an officer in the District of Columbia

issues a citation, a paper copy is sent to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office. The

U.S. District Attorney’s Office then sends notification of intent to prosecute to

the MPD Court Liaison Office. The Court Liaison Office then sends an

electronic notification to appear in court to the officer who issued the citation.

(3) The U.S. Park Police, a federal agency, expects to upgrade its computer-

aided dispatch system, field reporting system, and records management system

over the next year. Once completed, the Park Police will incorporate into their

system the use of sending electronic citation information to the courts and

crash information to those repositories responsible for collecting crash data.

Contacts:

(1) Officer Jane Dryden, Washington Metropolitan Police Department

(MPD) Phone: 202-724-4363

(2) Officer Charmaine Mitchell, MPD Court Liaison Office

Phone: 202-727-4466

(3) Lieutenant David Mulholland, U.S. Park Police Information Technology

Division, Phone: 202-359-4392 E-mail: [email protected]

Florida

The Florida Highway Patrol recently awarded a contract to implement

electronic citations in the Jacksonville area. The Traffic Citation Accounting

and Transmission System (TCATS) project provides a proof of concept for using

electronic citations and for submitting them to a central site for

fee/disbursement accounting. Citations under the TCATS project are sent to a

central server. The courts then access records from the central server.

Approximately 67 counties or cities in Florida use electronic citations or are

considering the use of electronic citations.

Contact: Paul Coates, Unisys

Phone: 413-298-5308 E-mail: p[email protected]

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

State Response

Georgia

Georgia has designed an electronic citation system that uses software

developed by a neighboring state’s department of transportation. Three

counties are currently in the process of developing systems for electronic

citations, crash reports, and incident reports. All three counties are still

involved in development efforts to create an electronic interface with the court

to transmit citation data.

Contact: William Youngblood, consultant to the Georgia Governor’s Office of

Highway Safety, Phone: 770-528-7832

Hawaii

No activity.

Contact: Lieutenant Scott Yagihara, Kauai, Hawaii, Police Department

Phone: 808-241-6760

Idaho

No activity.

Contact: John Peay, Idaho Supreme Court

Phone: 208-334-3868

Illinois

The Illinois State Police Department has developed an electronic crash report

system. Once this system is piloted, they will incorporate the use of electronic

citations. The electronic citation component will be available within the next

18 to 24 months. One county is in the process of piloting a project that will

allow for the transmission of parking citations to the court.

Contact: Sherry Akers, Illinois State Police Information Technology Division

Phone: 217-785-2313

Indiana

Indiana’s Marion County is currently considering the use of electronic

citations, and tentative plans have been made to schedule a pilot project by

next year.

Contact: Major John Hill, Indiana State Police

Phone: 317-615-7373 E-mail: [email protected]

Iowa

The Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) has developed a software

package that includes modules for electronic citations, crash reports, vehicle

safety reports, incident reports, and driving while intoxicated (DWI) reports.

Citations are currently being transmitted directly to the courts, who in turn,

send convictions directly to the Motor Vehicle Division of IDOT.

Contact: Mary Jensen, Iowa Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle

Division, Phone: 515-237-3153 E-mail: [email protected]

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

State Response

Kansas

No activity.

Contacts:

(1) Lieutenant Mark Bruce, Kansas Highway Patrol, Phone: 785-296-6800

(2) Officer Robert Baumli, Kansas City Police Department

Phone: 913-573-6115

Kentucky

Kentucky has initiated a pilot project in Louisville and Jefferson counties to

equip police vehicles with computers and software that will have the capability

of generating electronic citations. Officials are now working with the court to

develop the infrastructure for the transmission of electronic citations.

Additional agencies will be provided with electronic citation capabilities, once

the initial pilot project is underway.

Contact: Louis Smith, Chief Information Officer, Kentucky Justice Cabinet

Phone: 502-564-7554 E-mail: [email protected]

Louisiana

No activity.

Contact: Charles Miller, Louisiana Highway Safety Commission

Phone: 225-925-6045

Maine

Maine is in the process of developing the infrastructure and interfaces needed

to convert their uniform summons and complaint form (used for traffic

violations) to an electronic version. The Office of the Secretary of State, the

Administrator of the Courts, the Prosecutor’s Office, the State Police, and local

law enforcement agencies are all working together to consider the legal

requirements, business rules, and technical requirements that will be needed

before this electronic form can be implemented.

Contact: Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey D. Harmon, Deputy Chief, Maine State

Police, Phone: 207-624-7067 E-mail: [email protected]

Maryland

The Maryland State Police Department plans to implement an electronic crash

report followed with electronic citation capabilities sometime in the late 2003

time frame.

Contact: Thomas Steele, Chief Technology Officer, Maryland State Police

Phone: 410-653-8367 E-mail: [email protected]

Minnesota

Washington and Dakota counties are currently using electronic citations.

Washington County officers capture citation and parking ticket information

electronically and transmit this information from the agency to the court.

Contact: Washington County, Minnesota, Court Administration

Phone: 651-430-6279 E-mail: [email protected]

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

State Response

Mississippi

No activity.

Contact: Gwen Ferguson, Mississippi Department of Public Safety

Phone: 601-359-7425

Missouri

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is currently implementing a DWI tracking

system and has plans to incorporate electronic citations into the system. The

electronic citations component will not be incorporated for at least a year. The

Missouri State Highway Patrol is presently building a central repository for all

data.

Contact: Ron Beck, Missouri State Highway Patrol Information Systems

Division, Phone: 573-751-9000 E-mail: rbeck02@mail.state.mo.us

Montana

No activity.

Contact: Sergeant Mitch Tutell

Phone: 406-444-3825 E-mail: [email protected]

Nebraska

The Nebraska State Highway Patrol is currently piloting an electronic citations

program for their Motor Carrier Enforcement Division. The State Crime

Commission is the lead agency in this pilot. A steering committee has been

initiated, and Nebraska has contracted to develop the requirements for an

automated system that will fulfill the following requirements: (1) the system

must be able to integrate with the other state and federal systems, (2) the

automated citation system will be made available to all state and local law

enforcement agencies, and (3) standard formats for data exchange must be

developed.

Contact: Doug Doncheski, Nebraska State Patrol MCSAP Division

Phone: 402-471-0107 E-mail: [email protected]

Nevada

Washoe County has completed a pilot project involving eight officers and is

now in the process of providing electronic citation capabilities to an additional

34 officers. The interface between the agency and the Sparks city justice court

is near completion. The Las Vegas Metro Police will soon be implementing

electronic citations, and several other law enforcement agencies in Nevada are

also interested in implementing this technology.

Contact: Denise Dunning, Nevada Department of Public Safety

Phone: 775-687-5723 E-mail: [email protected]

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

State Response

New Hampshire

The New Hampshire State Police Department is considering the use of

electronic citations and is working with the University of New Hampshire on a

project entitled Project 54. There are no agencies currently using electronic

citations, and no pilot projects are underway in New Hampshire at this time.

Contact: Major Fred Booth, New Hampshire State Police

Phone: 717-221-4517

New Jersey

No activity.

Contacts:

(1) Sergeant Frank McVey, New Jersey State Police

Phone: 609-882-2000

(2) Sergeant Paul Blanda, New Jersey Office of Highway Safety

Phone: 609-633-9198

New Mexico

No activity.

Contact: Maureen Rene, New Mexico Supreme Court

Phone: 505-476-6914

New York

New York has successfully piloted an electronic ticketing system developed

by the Iowa Department of Transportation. The pilot was introduced in one

county consisting of four police agencies, with 96 officers writing 4,000 tickets.

The feedback on the pilot has been positive, and plans have been drafted for

an expansion of the program to other areas of the state as soon as funding is

released. The next step will be to create the infrastructure necessary for the

electronic transfer of ticketing information from police agencies to the courts.

Necessary infrastructure includes hiring and training support staff to coordinate

and support the expansion of the system beyond the pilot area.

Contact: Lieutenant Leonard Casper, New York State Police

Phone: 518-457-3258 E-mail: [email protected]

North Carolina

(1) The city of Fayetteville is currently piloting an electronic citation program.

Thirty-six patrol cars are equipped with mobile data terminals that have the

capability of issuing traffic tickets printed in the vehicle. Citation information is

then sent via radio to the court. Once the pilot program has been fine-tuned,

the state plans to expand the network to other counties. The electronic

citation project in Fayetteville is a joint project between the North Carolina

Criminal Justice Information Network, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s

Department, the Fayetteville Police Department, the Governor’s Highway

Safety Program, the North Carolina Highway Patrol, and the Administrative

Office of the Courts. (2) According to Lieutenant Woody Sandy of the North

Carolina State Highway Patrol, “electronic citations should free up time for

officers.” Two counties, Wake and Mecklenburg, are currently planning similar

pilots.

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

State Response

North Carolina

Continued

Reference and Contact:

(1) Alamance County Times-News, Friday, July 19, 2002

(2) Lieutenant Woody Sandy, North Carolina State Highway Patrol

Phone: 919-662-4444 E-mail: [email protected]

North Dakota

The North Dakota Highway Patrol has an electronic citation pilot project

encompassing two of its eight districts. Troopers participating in the project are

able to capture citations electronically for internal processing. By late 2002,

the system will be capable of transferring electronic data to the court.

Eventually all districts will have this capability. Several local agencies are also

using electronic citations. The North Dakota Attorney General’s Office is

working with the courts through the Uniform Courts Information System

(UCIS) to create a system that will allow criminal reports to be captured and

disseminated electronically.

Contact: Captain David Kleppe, North Dakota Highway Patrol

Phone: 701-328-2455 E-mail: [email protected]

Ohio

The city of Akron is currently capturing citation data electronically, but they

are unable to electronically send these data to the court. Instead, the system is

used to print the citations on paper for submission to the court. In 2002, the

Ohio Legislature passed legislation permitting the use of electronic citations;

however, courts in Ohio presently require a paper copy of the citation with

the original signature.

Contact: Captain James Harris, Akron, Ohio, Police Department

Phone: 330-375-2216 E-mail: [email protected]

Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety has entered into a licensing

agreement to use a software program with the ability to capture and transmit

crash reports. Once this system is in place, the use of electronic citations will

be considered. This program is expected to take between one and three years

to implement.

Contact: J. D. Roberts, Oklahoma Department of Public Safety

Phone: 405-425-2200 E-mail: [email protected]

Oregon

Oregon is interested in developing a process of using electronic citations for

the Oregon State Police. Other agencies have also expressed interest;

however, lack of funding has held back implementation of such programs.

Contact: Lieutenant Gary Miller, Oregon State Police

Phone: 503-378-3720 E-mail: gary.miller@state.or.us

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

State Response

Pennsylvania

No activity.

Contacts:

(1) Sergeant Charles Ringer, Pennsylvania State Police

Phone: 717-783-5517

(2) Officer Frank Green, Philadelphia Police Department

Office of Administration and Training, Phone: 215-686-3360

Puerto Rico

No activity.

Contact: Shirley Ramirez, Puerto Rico Traffic Safety Commission

Phone: 787-721-4142

Rhode Island

(1) A majority of law enforcement agencies in Rhode Island capture citation

information electronically with a common software package. Currently, the

citation information is transmitted back to an agency server where it is

reviewed at the agency level. (2) Many agencies then transmit this information

to the courts electronically. Additional agencies are currently working on the

interface to transmit information electronically to the court.

Contacts:

(1) Mary Gelardi, Rhode Island Department of Transportation

Phone: 401-222-6935 E-mail: [email protected]

(2) Bernie Noe, Information Management Corporation

Phone: 508-839-6445 E-mail: [email protected]

South Carolina

An electronic citations program entitled South Carolina Collision and Ticket

Tracking System (SCCATTS) is in the development phase and will be ready in

2003. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety plans to conduct a pilot

test of the system before implementing it throughout the state.

Contact: Tammy Upchurch, South Carolina Department of Public Safety

Phone: 803-896-9941 E-mail: [email protected]

South Dakota

South Dakota has a committee that focuses on data integration between law

enforcement, the courts, and the motor vehicle division. Plans are underway

to implement an electronic crash report, then follow with electronic citations.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol Commercial Vehicle Division currently

captures inspection information electronically; however, this information is not

electronically transmitted to other records systems.

Contact: Sergeant Noel Gabriel, South Dakota Highway Patrol

Phone: 605-773-4578 E-mail: [email protected]

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

State Response

Tennessee

Tennessee is currently testing electronic citation and electronic crash reports

software developed by another state agency. The plan is to incorporate

electronic information into local and state agency data collection and

dissemination systems. A steering committee has been formed and the

Tennessee Attorney General’s Office and the state Supreme Court are working

with the committee to determine a way to transmit electronic information to

the courts.

Contact: Charles McConnell, Senior Research Associate,

University of Memphis, Phone: 901-678-3512

E-mail: charles-[email protected]

Texas

(1) Houston has agreed to purchase a handheld electronic citation device that

will enable police officers to retrieve and relay data and prepare traffic

citations via a wireless network. The system will permit the downloading of

electronic ticket information to the designated host system, to include the

Houston Municipal Court. The wireless citation system features open-system

architecture on a portable platform that, in the future, will make it possible for

the city to add applications or to develop specific applications that will reach

across various city departments. (2) Harris County is presently installing

software and improved mobile data computers with the capability of

electronically transmitting citation information to the court. However, this

feature will not be available for approximately six to twelve months.

(3) In addition, the cities of Austin, Denton, Plano, Richland Hills, and

Carrolton are working to incorporate the collection and submission of

electronic citation data to the courts.

Reference/Contacts:

(1) Houston, press release dated May 9, 2002, “Houston Will Be First To Use

Handheld Wireless Citation Application”

(2) Harris County: Captain Jule Brownfield, Harris County, Texas Sheriff’s

Office, Phone: 713-755-7347

(3) Thomas Josey, Denton Court Administrator

Phone: 940-349-8515 E-mail: [email protected]

Utah

The Utah Highway Patrol has provided approximately two-thirds of its field

vehicles with electronic citation capabilities. Other Utah agencies are in the

process of enhancing their systems to handle electronic records. The courts in

Utah require an electronic signature.

Contact: Jim Mathies, Program Director, Utah Highway Patrol

Phone: 801-284-2960 E-mail: [email protected]

Vermont

No activity.

Contact: Francis Aumand, Director, Vermont Department of Public Safety

Phone: 802-241-5488

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

State Response

Virginia

No activity.

Contact: R. R. Rasmussen II, Virginia Department of Transportation

Washington

Washington State is initiating a pilot project in Thurston County. The project is

funded by a grant to the Office of the Administrator of the Courts. The goal of

the project is to assess the feasibility of enabling law enforcement officers to

create electronic citations and transmit them electronically to the Judicial

Information System (JIS). In addition, the study will test methods of transmitting

citation data from JIS to Department of Licensing (DOL) systems in compliance

with the Driver History Initiative Project (DHIP). Finally, the project will

establish a technical architecture and cost estimate for statewide

implementation.

Other project objectives include the following:

§ Improve the criminal history data quality, completeness,

accuracy, and reliability by eliminating manual re-entry errors by

the courts.

§ Improve data timeliness by filing citations to the court within one

day of creation and by transferring data to the DOL within one

day of disposition.

§ Improve data cost by significantly eliminating manual processing.

Contact: Captain Fred Fakkema, Washington State Patrol

Phone: 360-753-4632 E-mail: [email protected]

West Virginia

There are no agencies in West Virginia currently using electronic citations;

however, the West Virginia State Police hope to begin a pilot project within a

year.

Contact: Mark Holmes, West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles

Phone: 304-558-6080 E-mail: [email protected]

Wisconsin

The Wisconsin State Patrol is currently piloting electronic citation software

with five troopers in two counties. Once the pilot project is complete,

approximately February 2003, Wisconsin State Patrol will begin rolling the

program out to the entire state, district by district. This project is a partnership

between the Wisconsin State Patrol Division of Motor Vehicles and the Circuit

Court Automation Program.

Contact: Patricia McCallum, Wisconsin Department of Transportation,

Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Division, Phone: 608-266-1077

E-mail: [email protected]

Wyoming

No activity.

Contact: Colonel Gary Marsden, Wyoming Highway Patrol

Phone: 307-777-4302

The Use of Electronic Citations: A Nationwide Assessment

Bureau of Justice Assistance

State Response