Electronic Ticketing

Ottawa Police streamline ticketing with technology and respond to community priorities

For decades, law enforcement agencies have been issuing traffic tickets using the same paper-intensive, highly manual procedure. This has led to frustration for stakeholders due to the challenge of collecting timely and accurate data from traffic tickets. Manually collected data has historically contained errors of content and omission - smudges or poor handwriting on the ticket can potentially lead to lack of data collected or tickets that are not prosecuted. This problem is now compounded by the need for multiple layers of identical data entry into the Police, Courts and ICON systems.

These experiences are just a few of the drivers that have led the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) to consider an innovative solution known as Electronic Ticketing. The benefits of this system are overwhelming: it provides a streamlined solution to a paper-intensive process; responds to the community's priority for increased traffic and road safety; increases the call for accountability and ongoing budgetary constraints; and enhances delivery of its core responsibilities through technological advances.

"What's great about this system is that it's quicker, it's easier and it meets all the needs of the City, the judiciary and the ministry," said Michael Parsche, Project Manager for the E-Ticketing project. "This system benefits all users - officers and drivers spend less time at the side of the road, there's no duplication of data entry, and we can get more accurate and enhanced ticket information to respond to our city's traffic issues."

Footage provided courtesy of CTV Ottawa. Copyright 2005.

Cst. David Nicholson, shows off a handheld unit, similar to a palm organizer, for use by traffic officers on motorcycle or connected to cruiser laptops. Photo by Michael Houston.