Officers are safer during traffic stops, traffic violation citations are issued more efficiently and redundant data entry is eliminated
VERNON HILLS, Ill., April 8, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Zebra Technologies (NASDAQ:ZBRA), a global leader in specialty printing and automatic identification solutions, announced that its Zebra RW 420 mobile printers are a key component of an electronic citation solution recently purchased and implemented by the Oregon Department of Transportation's Governor's Office of Highway Safety for its public safety agencies responsible for enforcing traffic regulations. The solution deployed is APS PocketCitation(TM) software, an innovative electronic citation system from Advanced Public Safety (APS), designed to automate and streamline the process of issuing traffic tickets.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080408/AQTU020) According to Jeffrey D. Rubenstein, founder and CEO of APS, approximately 20 to 30 percent of all hand-written traffic citations are dismissed because of incorrect statute numbers, illegible handwriting and other administrative data errors. PocketCitation's on-board intelligence solves these problems by ensuring that the citation information entered is correct and that the citation itself is printed in clear, legible type. "Using our PocketCitation application and Zebra's high-performance mobile printers, law enforcement officers can issue a traffic citation in less than 60 seconds. This capability can minimize risk and increase officer safety because they spend less time on the side of the road and in contact with traffic offenders," says Rubenstein.
Steve Vitolo, Program Manager of Statewide Law Enforcement and Judicial Programs, Oregon Governor's Office of Highway Safety, agrees, noting that Oregon's public safety agencies have seen significant benefits since switching from manually written citations to an automated process using handheld devices and mobile printers.
"APS PocketCitation was hands-down the best solution on the market compared with the other e-citation systems we evaluated. Now our officers are safer because they can issue citations from behind the cover of their cars while maintaining a clear view of the violators' vehicles," says Vitolo. "Moreover, efficiency at traffic stops has greatly increased, tickets are more legible, and integration of data into existing systems has been hugely simplified, with no redundant data entry required." Vitolo notes that the PocketCitation solution is now fully implemented at four agencies under the Governor's Office of Highway Safety Grant Projects. An additional four are being finalized, and at least seven other agencies are also using the system. Agencies now using APS solutions include the Oregon State Police and a multitude of police departments and sheriff offices across the state, with full implementation of all agencies expected by June 2008. The Oregon DOT also purchased and is implementing APS PocketCrash(TM) application for recording detailed information at motor vehicle crash scenes.
How APS PocketCitation Works The APS PocketCitation application populates an agency's current ticketing form (or newly designed form) with data from the violator's driver's license or returned from an officer's query to the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC) or state motor vehicle bureau. The officer selects the applicable violation from a drop-down menu on the computer screen, and the appropriate statute number, fine amount, and court information is automatically entered on the ticket. The ticket is then printed out, clearly and legibly, using a compact, Bluetooth(R)-enabled Zebra RW 420 mobile printer. At the end of the shift, officers dock their handheld PDAs to upload the e-citation data into a centralized computer system, totally eliminating the extra step of manual data entry.
"Feedback from public safety agencies to the Oregon Department of Transportation has been overwhelmingly positive," Vitolo concludes. "Once officers discover the benefits of these automated solutions, they are more reluctant to give them up than they would be if someone were to ask for their car keys!" About Advanced Public Safety Based in Deerfield Beach, Fla., Advanced Public Safety (APS), a Trimble Company, develops innovative technology solutions specifically designed to address the challenges of today's public safety agencies. APS focuses on creating software that operates in conjunction with the mobile computers and handheld devices utilized by law enforcement, corrections, fire and EMS personnel. APS' products work with an agency's existing technology infrastructure to significantly increase officer safety and productivity. The APS software solutions are utilized by law enforcement officers throughout North America. For more information, visit http://www.aps.us/.
About Zebra Technologies Zebra Technologies Corporation helps companies identify, track and manage assets, transactions and people with on-demand specialty digital printing and automatic identification solutions. In more than 100 countries around the world, more than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies use innovative and reliable Zebra printers, supplies, RFID products and software to increase productivity, improve quality, lower costs, and deliver better customer service. Information about Zebra and Zebra-brand products can be found at http://www.zebra.com/.
CONTACT: Tim Dreyer
+1 847 793 5677
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080408/AQTU020 http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Zebra Technologies CONTACT: Tim Dreyer of Zebra Technologies, +1-847-793-5677, Web site: http://www.zebra.com/ http://www.aps.us/
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