Peru, Bunker Hill police ditching handwritten tickets

By NANCY BENDER, Tribune Staff Writer

On Monday, members of the Peru and Bunker Hill police departments completed training for electronic Citation and Warning System (eCWS). This means no more scribbled handwriting or writing multiple citations.

At present, more than 100 law enforcement agencies in the state – including the Indiana State Police – use the Indiana Supreme Court’s eCWS. The electronic system allows officers to use a handheld scanner to read bar codes on drivers’ licenses and registrations, instead of handwriting traffic tickets.

 “This e-ticket system will help us better serve the citizens of Peru and Bunker Hill,” said Peru Police Chief Bill Raber. “We are fortunate that software for the system was available without charge to local law enforcement or tax payers.”

 The eCWS creates an electronic ticket at the roadside in which the ticket information is stored electronically. Officers then print out a paper copy for the offender using a hand held or laptop printer.

 Raber stated the time needed for a traffic stop is greatly reduced with an eCWS. Because the citation information is transferred electronically, there is no longer a need for the same ticket data to be typed multiple times by court and clerk staff.

 “Providing officers with this system will reduce their time on the roadside and doing paperwork,” said Raber. “That means they will have more time to be on patrol serving our citizens. The e-ticket system will also give officers the ability to get up-to-date information on anyone stopped for an infraction, improving officer safety.”

Just one day after completing training, Bunker Hill Marshal Shawn Durham and Deputy Marshal Shane Durham went live with the system Tuesday.

“We still have to train our reserve officers (on the system),” said Shawn Durham. “(E-tickets) are much more proficient. It cuts back on the time we used to write tickets, not to mention if there were multiple tickets to write.

“It’s a good system, we’re able to upload into a central repository and have the opportunity to reprint (tickets) if necessary.”

The Indiana Supreme Court’s Judicial Technology and Automation Committee created eCWS in 2007. Since then, more than a million tickets have been produced using eCWS.