Mayor Kasim Reed joined Chief Judge Calvin S. Graves, Judge Terrinee Gundy and the Atlanta Police Department recently to celebrate the launch of the eCitation device. eCitation is a wireless mobile application which allows APD to create, print and electronically transmit traffic citations to the Atlanta Municipal Court.
The eCitation devices allow APD officers to write traffic tickets and transmit them to the Atlanta Municipal Court in a timely manner. The system also allows for legible and easier retrieval of traffic citations resulting in a significant time savings due to no data entry required for manually entering traffic tickets.
“eCitation and the Court go hand in hand when considering the streamline of efficiency and communication across multiple channels,” said Chief Judge Graves. “The court’s top priority is ensuring customers are heard and receive equitable justice and fairness. This device rollout will affect everyone positively, even those who have not had the pleasure of visiting the Municipal Court. Less FTA’s, less human errors and more accountability make for a safer city.”
In 2015, the Atlanta Municipal Court and the Atlanta Police Department launched a pilot of eCitation. Since then, more than 77,000 eCitations have been issued by APD motor units. Traditionally, paper tickets have an eight to 10 percent error rate. With the implementation of the eCitation system, the error rate is down to four percent of all eCitation tickets filed.
“eCitation technology will be helpful to police – but most importantly, it is important to improving customer service, saving time for both the officers and motorists, while helping ensure accuracy of information,” Police Chief Erika Shields said. “While no one enjoys getting a traffic ticket, I think it’s safe to say that everyone can appreciate getting back to their business more quickly. For APD, any time saved writing tickets means officers can get back in service quicker, dedicating more time to proactive patrols and fighting crime.”
The Atlanta Police Department has been working toward the ability to deploy technology to fight crime and improve situational awareness. The APD’s Video Integration Center has grown to more than 10,000 public and private sectors cameras tied into a single network that allows police to monitor and respond to crimes for effectively. Additionally, APD has been using enterprise-grade analytics to ensure operational decisions are made with statistical rigor, giving the department a clearer view of where crime is occurring – and even where it might occur next.
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