Miami-Dade Police are unveiling new technology that they say will cut the time it takes to complete a traffic stop at least by half – allowing them to get back on the road and drivers back on their way.
The new eCitation program began this week as an extension of the software previously used be officers when creating crash reports and writing tickets. The technology, where officers will scan the barcode on your driver’s license or registration, will also allow the agency to cross reference car and driver information on their database quicker.
"In the past you had to hand write your ticket, which took a lot of time you had to sit there and they’re small boxes that you had to fill out properly," said Sgt. George Wilhelm. "Because if not that citation will be rejected, and the court will dismiss it.
Miami-Dade officials say the new technology can cut the time it takes for the average stop – sometimes as high as 15 to 20 minutes for handwritten tickets – to as low as four to five minutes in some cases.
"Our director (Juan Perez) is really big on technology, and this is one of the many programs that he’s purchased for us to help us do our jobs quicker and more officially," Wilhelm said.
