Post Falls Police To Try E-Citations

Post Falls, Idaho, became the first “paperless government” in 2001, and in 2002 the Post Falls Police Department implemented high-speed wireless Internet in patrol car laptops. The implementation has since served as a model for U.S. law enforcement departments as well as departments in England, France, and Mexico. Another first for the department will occur in the next few months when it becomes the first in Idaho to adopt e-citations. The technology allows police officers to electronically fill out tickets in the field, print copies for recipients, and automatically update criminal database systems used by the department and the local courts. Eventually, the city plans to implement a document imaging system where documents such as ordinances, permits, and agendas are entered and later found via a search. Post Falls’ focus on technology keeps up with the city’s rapidly expanding population, improves efficiency, saves officers’ time for patrol rather than administrative duties, allows for instant monitoring of up to 40 surveillance cameras in the city directly from patrol cars, decreases costs, decreases response time, and eliminates unnecessary staff.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Spokane Spokesman-Review (WA) (08/26/05) P. A1; Madkour, Rasha .