Jeannette police start using electronic ticketing system for traffic violations

Lead-footed drivers and other traffic scofflaws are getting a speedy response from Jeannette police, who are now using an electronic ticketing system that cuts down on the time needed to complete traffic stops.

For the last month, officers have used a new system that improves their safety and lessens downtime when a driver is pulled over, police Chief Shannon Binda said.

“This will shorten the length of a traffic stop for the officer,” he said. “It also puts him (the officer) back out on the street and available.”

The department got four free scanners to outfit police cruisers through a grant and is awaiting a fifth, Binda said. The devices can be used to scan a driver’s license and registration, a process that automatically fills in an electronic ticket on computers installed in cruisers, Officer Derek Manley said. After a violation is added to the ticket, it can be printed out and given to the driver.

Jeannette police wrote 1,455 traffic citations last year, with officers writing out information by hand, Manley said.

“It’s making it more efficient,” he said. “It’s easier because you’re not getting people’s information wrong.”

The system will allow the citations to be sent electronically to the district judge’s office for filing. Before, handwritten citations had to be filed in person, Binda said. Officers have the option of continuing with the paper citations or moving to the electronic version.

The department could use the same process for non-traffic citations in the future, Binda said.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@tribweb.com or via Twitter @byrenatta.