WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderWinnebago Co. Sheriff's Dept. to get electronic citation system

Winnebago Co. Sheriff's Dept. to get electronic citation system

By Marissa Alter

WINNEBAGO COUNTY (WREX) - Faster, easier, and in the end, cheaper. Winnebago County's Sheriff says issuing tickets will be all those things with a new electronic citation system. The county board approved buying the system tonight. It costs about $138,000 and will be paid for by a grant.

Get pulled over by a Winnebago County Sheriff's Deputy, and your ticket will be hand written. That won't be the case in a couple months after a technology upgrade to every patrol.

"It gives us a piece of equipment in the squad cars that will allow us to swipe a driver's license and will automatically imprint the data from the driver's license onto the ticket itself," Sheriff Dick Meyers explains.

That means no clerical errors or handwriting issues. It'll also save officers time.

"This is another step in creating a paperless environment form the squad car to the judge's bench," County Board Chair Scott Christiansen adds.

Christiansen and Meyers told the board how it will complement the new court case management system.

"Once you swipe the driver's license, you'll have immediate transfer from there to the court system, and it'll do a lot of data entry into the records, so long-term it'll cut down on clerk time in both our officer and the circuit clerk's," Meyers says. "It has the potential for some real cost savings and better efficiency."

"The instant recording and transfer of data is very significant to the Winnebago County Circuit Clerk's Office as well as the courts," Christiansen echoes.

The system will also bring in dollars to the county by helping with fine collections. Another piece of equipment, about a year away, will allow the instant payment of fines.

"Eventually when we're able to swipe credit cards and stuff for taking bond, I'm sure it's really going to increase the revenues to the county. It'll be convenient for the people on the street that want to pay right then and there."

Also tonight, the county board approved an agreement for Winnebago County Sheriff's Police to provide services to Machesney Park. It's for $2.7 million, basically the same deal since the village was first incorporated.