Public safety agencies remain committed to protecting and serving citizens but added technology can help them be future-ready. When departments upgrade from their old manual processes they can experience greater efficiency, increased officer safety and reduced cost and errors. Proven technology solutions, such as eCitation systems, meet these needs and more.
To highlight these improved outcomes, Olathe Police Department’s Deputy Chief, Jack Fahrnow in Kansas City, KS discusses the Saltus Technologies DigiTICKET eCitation software solution. Combined with the Brother PocketJet printer series & RuggedJet 4 mobile printers, the eCitation technology provided his department with benefits at all levels.
23-year police veteran Deputy Chief Fahrnow shares his experience and eCitation implementation tips.
Watch the video
Serving a town of 145,00 citizens in suburban Kansas City, the Olathe police department works to be on the leading edge of integrating technology into the police force. As a force of 200 sworn police officers and 30 civilians, Olathe PD has sought ways to improve the use of department resources. It was looking to transition from a decades old paper ticket /citation program to a more modern and connected eCitation solution.
Time-Intensive Ticketing
On average, the Olathe PD issues 50,000 to 60,000 tickets a year. Issuing written tickets used valuable department time and resources. Tickets were also manually imported into the records management system. The department would also see 2 to 3% lost revenue due to ticket entry errors. Olathe PD leadership was seeking an eCitation system that could get the traffic stop down to less than 5 minutes and cut costly errors.
The Search for a Solution
Olathe PD needed a solution that addressed many different ticketing situations. A big need was creating customized data reports. The Olathe PD moved forward with the digitTICKET eCitation solution from Saltus Technologies because of the software’s ability to provide data reports on a variety of tracking metrics to meet state mandates. The Saltus solution pairs with a Panasonic Toughbook and a mobile printer. The Olathe PD selected the Brother 4250 mobile printer because of its versatility and flexible mounting options.
eCitation Solution: Implementation and Outcomes
The police department traffic unit, 14 officers, were the first to test out the Salutus / Brother eCitation solution. During the 45-day pilot to test out the system, it was well received and then rolled-out department wide.
Benefits of eCitation
Public safety agency time and resources are valuable. eCitation technology helps prepare your agency for the future and provides a seamless ticketing system. Here are a few ways eCitation can help your agency:
Officer Safety and Efficiency
- With the deployment of eCitation, the Olathe PD was able to decrease the time officers spent issuing a citation from 15-20 minutes with hand-written tickets to 2-5 minutes with their new eCitation. The eCitation system also streamlines the ticketing input system and ticket details are much more accurate with eCitation.
Versatility
- Beyond the PD, five different Olathe units use the new solution including its commercial vehicle inspection, animal control, park rangers, and fire department. Mobile printers offer many ticket options.
- Multiple printer mount options allowed vehicles to be optimized for officer safety and efficiency.
Reduction of Errors
- The Olathe PD was one of the first police departments in the Kansas City region to deploy the eCitation solution. Since the implementation, the police department has seen greater citation accuracy than the previous hand-written citation process.
Reliability
- Three years after implementation, the Olathe PD has a strong relationship with Saltus and Brother. The eCitation software and hardware meet all of the Olathe PD’s ticketing needs.
digiTICKET by Saltus Technologies
digiTICKET eCitation solution is an innovative force multiplier for public safety – enabling officers to quickly create and submit tickets electronically. It can easily and accurately reproduce ticket formats used by your officers – including municipal ordinances, state statutes, traffic tickets, parking tickets, and code enforcement violations. Get more information on Saltus Technologies and digiTICKET today.