The Cherry Hill Police Department is set to begin utilizing a new electronic ticketing system that streamlines the process of issuing citations and will ultimately allow for more efficient policing, Mayor Chuck Cahn and Police Chief William Monaghan have announced.
The Department’s Traffic Safety Unit recently began testing the system, which will ultimately be installed in 50 patrol cars across the department. Eighteen cars have already been outfitted with the technology.
E-ticketing streamlines the process of issuing summonses and reduces the amount of staff hours and resources needed to record citations in both the Police Department and the Municipal Court. It will reduce the amount of time spent on motor vehicle stops and increase the legibility of tickets, as well.
“By reducing the amount of time it takes to issue a ticket and complete the related paperwork, this system will enable us to allocate staffing and resources more efficiently, and gives officers more time to patrol Cherry Hill streets,” Chief Monaghan said. “It will ultimately allow us to take a more proactive approach to policing across the community.”
Under the current system, an officer must hand-write a ticket and manually enter a driver’s information into the department’s computer system. That information must then be verified by records personnel, before being transmitted to the Municipal Court – where it must again be manually entered into the computer system.
Using the e-ticket technology, an officer can scan a driver’s license and it will automatically populate the ticket. The officer inputs the violation information and prints the citation from the patrol car. That information is simultaneously sent to both Police Records and the Municipal Court, saving time and eliminating the need to enter the same information multiple times.
“Public safety is a top priority for my administration, the Cherry Hill Police, and residents across this community,” Mayor Chuck Cahn said. “We are excited to see this new system in operation. Moving forward, both Chief Monaghan and I are committed to continuing to look for new and innovative ways to leverage technology that will make the Cherry Hill Police Department stronger and more efficient.”