Hasbrouck Heights Police patrol cars are now equipped with an electronic ticketing system which officials say  saves on time and also improves efficiency for issuing and recording traffic tickets.

Police Chief Michael Colaneri said the new system is a great tool that is really helping the department in many ways. The system eliminates the need for officers to write out tickets.  The chief explained the officers simply enter the license plate or driver’s license information into the system and the attached machine prints out the ticket.

The system the department acquired is made by InfoCop, the same provider as the laptops the vehicles are already equipped with. A small printer, which is hooked up to he computer system in the car, sits between the two front seats.

Colaneri said the new system also improves accuracy by eliminating mistakes that could be caused by rushed handwriting which could easily happen if an officer is in a hurried situation.

Another plus is the equipment is hooked up to the police department system and the court system which the chief explained eliminates the need for  the department secretary and the court secretary to have to enter the ticket information into the system manually.  

He explained that the elimination of this step now allows them to have more time for other administrative duties. This can include filling in the gaps in other borough departments due to staff reductions which took place over the past year to save on costs.

According to Colaneri, many other police departments have been using the electronic ticketing system for some time. He explained that the research shows that the collection rate of fines from issued tickets will increase as a result of the improved accuracy, therefore bringing in more funds to the borough helping to offset cost of the system.