In addition, “Citation Management is already pursuing a backlog of over 1,200 unpaid parking tickets for the city.”“Additional hand-held units have been provided to the city’s Building and Safety Department” where personnel will use the same technology when issuing code violations in the near future and download the data at the Police Station, Chief MacKinnon noted.In all, the city received seven of the hand-held units and Building and Safety will be utilizing three of the mini-computers.Chief MacKinnon said that setting up the program took time.“It’s been almost a year working on this,” between researching the devices and programs, working with vendors and “getting contracts laid out with the city” as well as personnel training and programming the hand-held computers.The devices and the services of Citation Management also represent a cost-savings through handling fine payments to collecting the debts resulting from the approximately 1,200 ticket backlog of tickets that have not been paid.Not only does the city Finance Department “not have the resources to try to collect” such outstanding fines, but “it would cost us more to even try to collect these tickets,” said Chief MacKinnon.
High-tech hits the streets with hand-held ticket computers
June 13, 2007
Santa Paula Police Department
High-tech has hit the streets with the Santa Paula Police Department rolling out a new electronic parking ticket program as well as contracting with a company to collect fines and to go after deadbeats with outstanding balances, according to a SPPD official.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesHigh-tech has hit the streets with the Santa Paula Police Department rolling out a new electronic parking ticket program as well as contracting with a company to collect fines and to go after deadbeats with outstanding balances, according to a SPPD official.Chief Steve MacKinnon noted that each on-duty Officer and CSO (Community Service Officer) will have access to a hand-held computer - a device pre-loaded with city streets and parking violations - to issue parking tickets.“A thermal printer within the unit prints out the ticket after it is entered into an electronic touch screen” and the end of the SPPD Officer’s shift the unit is returned to the station for recharging and downloading the data a private contractor.Citation Management of Milwaukee, WI will manage the parking ticket program by accepting all fines, pursuing late tickets and eventually “placing liens on vehicle registrations if fines go unpaid,” said Chief MacKinnon.Citizens will be given the option of paying fines by mail, dialing a toll-free number of on-line.Citation Management will provide the city with a monthly check for collected tickets, minus a $4.97 each processing fee per ticket.
