Increase Public Safety Sales With Handheld Ticketing Solution

Let’s face it – we all know someone who has tried to find a way out of a traffic violation. Approximately 30% of citations written in North America are deemed inadmissible in court, and the driver is not required to pay. This is sometimes the result of inaccurate or illegible citations. Advanced Public Safety, Inc. (APS), a software development company and systems integrator located in Deerfield Beach, FL (recently acquired by Trimble Navigation Ltd.), creates mobile and handheld software products used by law enforcement, fire rescue, and other public safety agencies. The software is designed to integrate with any public safety agency’s computer-aided dispatch (CAD), criminal database, and records management system (RMS).

Tommy Lopez, director of sales at APS, met the staff sergeant of Ottawa Police Services (OPS) at a trade show, while the sergeant researched electronic ticketing solutions. “We visited OPS and demonstrated our system in late 2004,” states Lopez. “In early 2005, OPS released an RFP, to which we responded, along with two other vendors. OPS selected our solution because it is customizable and existing forms can be used, making transition easier.”

OPS increased its staff by 18 officers last year, so the handwritten tickets and manual entry into back end systems quickly became overwhelming. Officers enforcing parking laws via motorcycle were the first to be equipped with the solution, in this case using Symbol Technologies MC50 EDAs (enterprise digital assistants) from distributor ScanSource. The officers riding in vehicles use the solution on Panasonic CF-29 Toughbook laptops. Both solutions run a suite of applications by APS that records items such as citations, tickets, meter violations, and field investigation forms; transfers data from the electronic forms to any back end RMS or court system; and stores, reviews, and queries a database of all violations.

Largest Canadian Install Leads To Additional Sales
Officers using both solutions print to wireless Zebra RW420 thermal printers via 802.11 connections. In both solutions, officers simply swipe the driver’s license, which populates approximately 80% of mobile forms. Forms can also be prepopulated through motor vehicle queries and information received via an interface with the National Crime Information Center database. Officers enter the remaining required information and complete the transaction, which interfaces directly with the OPS RMS. Almost all transactions are now 100% accurate, and ticket processing times were reduced from 5 to 10 minutes to approximately 1 minute, which gets violators back on their way quickly. In addition, the smudge-proof tickets are always readable, reducing the number of offenses deemed inadmissible in court.

The OPS install, which was the largest Canadian install for APS, led to additional sales in the United States and Canada at larger public safety agencies. “The benefits reaped by OPS were significant, and many other agencies want the improved efficiency,” states Lopez. “OPS is planning future enhancements now, including the deployment of our QuickCommand and QuickVoice applications for motorcycle officers, which enables access to database information via voice technology. This allows officers to increase their attention on violators and spend less time during the citation process, overall.” Additionally, APS is expanding the QuickData product to build an electronic bridge between the OPS RMS and the municipal court’s database.