Revenue Collection Streamlined (E-Citations)

[patric]

The city spends a half-million dollars to streamline traffic tickets.  If traffic citations are the best source of revenue, is revenue collection the best job for our police?

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=11&articleID=071231_1_A17_ONWor65184



"It's a newer and faster way of passing out tickets," said Tony Cellino, court administrator for Tulsa Municipal Court.

E-citations are hand-held devices which scan a driver's license plate or tags for driving information.
The citations are stored in a computer system accessible by area police departments and the city of Tulsa Municipal Court system.

City officials said the new devices save time on issuing hand-written speeding and red light tickets.
Officials also said the devices may allow city parking inspectors to distribute more parking citations to vehicles at expired meters or incorrect zones, and for double parking.

The city of Tulsa will pay about $451,000 for 50 scanners, said Councilor John Eagleton.

The average traffic enforcement officer writes about 20 traffic citations daily, Eagleton
said.
"I've been told that e-citations will enable officers to write an additional 10 tickets a day," he said. "This will put officers out of the ticket-writing and back into the ticket-issuing business."

[Wilbur]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=11&articleID=20080110_1_A1_spanc03342

Ain't politics great?

The mayor and a city councilor get into a pissin' contest, so the mayor essentially says 'I'll show you' and scraps the entire program.

And don't tell me she didn't know this program was progressing since at least five of her departments have been meeting to move this program forward.  Thanks for wasting everybody's time for the past several months.

[RecycleMichael]

It is not that simple. The idea came during an interim Police Chief, but was not budgeted for in this fiscal year. The new Police Chief did not list it as one of his top couple of priorities either.

All that happened was that the Purchasing Department sent out proposals for a project without identified funding and the Mayor stopped the bid process temporarily.

If the Police Chief wants this, if the council can identify funding and both make this a priority, it will still happen.

I think it is still a good idea. Writing faster tickets should mean more tickets and more revenue, albeit on the wallets of local citizens who drive recklessly.

[TeeDub]

I just love the fact that the city admits to having traffic officers whose sole purpose is to generate revenue.

(Of course they admitted that indirectly with the cruisers that have no outside markings or lights and run traffic.)

[patric]

quote:Originally posted by TeeDub


I just love the fact that the city admits to having traffic officers whose sole purpose is to generate revenue.
(Of course they admitted that indirectly with the cruisers that have no outside markings or lights and run traffic.)

Ive always felt that visibility of law enforcement was one of the the best deterrents to crime, but unmarked cruisers seem to be addressing some other  "priority".

[TeeDub]

quote:Originally posted by patric

quote:Originally posted by TeeDub


I just love the fact that the city admits to having traffic officers whose sole purpose is to generate revenue.
(Of course they admitted that indirectly with the cruisers that have no outside markings or lights and run traffic.)

Ive always felt that visibility of law enforcement was one of the the best deterrents to crime, but unmarked cruisers seem to be addressing some other  "priority".

My point exactly.   I can understand why detectives occasionally need to hide...   But unmarked traffic enforcement is strictly for revenue generation.

[EricP]

quote:Originally posted by TeeDub


I just love the fact that the city admits to having traffic officers whose sole purpose is to generate revenue.

(Of course they admitted that indirectly with the cruisers that have no outside markings or lights and run traffic.)

Yes, and it's always wonderful to be pulled over by one of those on the open highway after you observe him make a u-turn about 1.5 miles ahead and make sure you are going exactly the speed limit, then come up on him driving parallel and at the same speed with some scared drunk driver going 10mph under the speed limit, only for him to assert that YOU were going 10mph OVER the speed limit and that his car is "pretty quick with the rear facing radar" all whilst your radar detector didn't go off and he didn't use laser because he was moving.

Not that I'm bitter.. (only a little: he didn't ticket me, it was 4am he was looking for drunks. I just don't appreciate liars.)

[Wilbur]

quote:Originally posted by RecycleMichael

It is not that simple. The idea came during an interim Police Chief, but was not budgeted for in this fiscal year. The new Police Chief did not list it as one of his top couple of priorities either.

All that happened was that the Purchasing Department sent out proposals for a project without identified funding and the Mayor stopped the bid process temporarily.

If the Police Chief wants this, if the council can identify funding and both make this a priority, it will still happen.

I think it is still a good idea. Writing faster tickets should mean more tickets and more revenue, albeit on the wallets of local citizens who drive recklessly.

It is not that simple.

A Tulsa councilor made it a priority.

Police, Courts, Telecommunications, Legal and Finance have been meeting and discussing this project for a number of months.  Companies have been flying into Tulsa to show their products to these committee members.  For the mayor to all of a sudden say this project isn't on the radar is a total waste of everyone's time and gives the City a horrible reputation in the eyes of potential vendors.  If this program wasn't moving forward, she should have said so a long time ago.

[RecycleMichael]

The story doesn't say the project is completely dead, it says the bid process has been stopped and that there were questions about how it had gone this far without budget money.

It is $2.25 million and it isn't in the current budget, but with council action will be.

I was stunned by the facts used by the councilor to justify the expense. His numbers work out to the Tulsa Police writing not just the same number of traffic tickets they wrote last year, but an additional 90,000 tickets each year.

90,000 more tickets than last year...there are only about 270,000 people in Tulsa over the age of 21 in Tulsa...this means one out of every three of them are going to get an EXTRA ticket this year...a ticket that costs $120.

[patric]

Not having e-tickets could be responsible for "15,000 traffic accidents per year".

Ohmygawd, do it for the children!!!

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=11&articleID=20080305_1_A7_hEagl82287

[TheArtist]

quote:Originally posted by RecycleMichael

The story doesn't say the project is completely dead, it says the bid process has been stopped and that there were questions about how it had gone this far without budget money.

It is $2.25 million and it isn't in the current budget, but with council action will be.

I was stunned by the facts used by the councilor to justify the expense. His numbers work out to the Tulsa Police writing not just the same number of traffic tickets they wrote last year, but an additional 90,000 tickets each year.

90,000 more tickets than last year...there are only about 270,000 people in Tulsa over the age of 21 in Tulsa...this means one out of every three of them are going to get an EXTRA ticket this year...a ticket that costs $120.

From how crappy and rude most of the drivers are in this town 90,000 more tickets seems a bit low if you ask me.[8D]

Plus, who knows, some of them could be out of town drivers. Perhaps a bit of a way to also get some more revenue from those suburban commuters.[]

[patric]

The shopping list for the eCWS (e-tickets) system:

   *  Intermec CN3 mobile computer
         o Windows Mobile 5
         o 128MB RAM / 128 MB ROM
         o Verizon EVDO Radio
         o Bluetooth
         o 802.11 b/g WiFi
         o GPS
   * 2 GB MiniSD Memory Card
   * Docks and accessories
   * Zebra RW420 Bluetooth Printer
(motorcycle configuration)
http://www.in.gov/judiciary/jtac/programs/ecws-sysreq.html

The $2,000 per-unit pricetag doesnt include airtime for the Verizon or at&t wireless connection, which (at least in one state) has been linked to excessive web surfing while on the job.

The tickets are laser printed on standard 8 1/2x11" paper, so any "savings" in paper will be wiped out by the expense of buying laser cartridges.

The city council was expected to approve $400,000 of this Thursday.

[Wrinkle]

I'm gettin' about $9,000 per unit for 50 at $450,000.

$7,000 per unit price for support and services?

How many tickets per unit pay for this, assuming most of the ticket cost goes as is now?

[patric]

quote:Originally posted by Wrinkle

I'm gettin' about $9,000 per unit for 50 at $450,000.

Well isnt that interesting.
I wonder where the other $7,000 per unit is going?

  The department will soon be using a new high-tech program called Electronic Citation and Warning System (eCWS). The system requires the installation of laptops, stands and software on the laptops in each of the police cruisers used by the Charlestown Police Department.
   The cost of the system, according to Sgt. Terry Braswell, is approximately $2,000 per vehicle.

http://www.gbpnews.com/index.php?id=250:cpd-receives-grant-to-help-implement-electronic-citation-and-warning-system-in-vehicles&option=com_content&catid=36:leader&Itemid=46

[Red Arrow]

quote:Originally posted by patric

quote:Originally posted by Wrinkle

I'm gettin' about $9,000 per unit for 50 at $450,000.

Well isnt that interesting.
I wonder where the other $7,000 per unit is going?

  The department will soon be using a new high-tech program called Electronic Citation and Warning System (eCWS). The system requires the installation of laptops, stands and software on the laptops in each of the police cruisers used by the Charlestown Police Department.
   The cost of the system, according to Sgt. Terry Braswell, is approximately $2,000 per vehicle.

http://www.gbpnews.com/index.php?id=250:cpd-receives-grant-to-help-implement-electronic-citation-and-warning-system-in-vehicles&option=com_content&catid=36:leader&Itemid=46

Windfall profits?