Traffic Citations in S.D. May Enter Computer Age

If everything works, San Diego Police Department parking controllers may no longer have to scribble parking citations, city clerks may no longer have to refile tickets and parking violators may no longer have a chance to complain about possible errors on their tickets.

All depends on two silver and black devices designed for the parking officers. Auto/CITE, the new ticketing device that two parking controllers have been using on a trial basis since Dec. 22, was loaned to the city by its manufacturer to demonstrate its ability to cut red tape and save time and manpower, said Mary Ford, city administrator for parking citations.

“I like it,” Ford said. “I’m enthused about cutting down on the amount of paper work, of cutting down on all the filing the city clerks have to do and all the data entry work. It’s going to cut down on the complaints because the officer didn’t write clearly. I’m sure you’ve seen some of the officers’ writing.”

The nine-inch-long apparatus includes the digital buttons on which controllers enter and print out violations. The device, which will be tested until Jan. 21, can store 200 citations, said Lt. Glenn A. Breitenstein of the traffic division.

At the end of their daily shifts, the controllers return to the Police Department and feed the citation information stored in the Auto/CITE into a computer that files all parking citations, Ford said.

Both Breitenstein and Ford acknowledged that mechanical failures have occurred. Breitenstein said the devices have broken down twice on the officers, and Ford said that on a few occasions the downtown computer has failed to change the date to reflect the next day.

“If there is any fault with it, it would be that they’re mechanical in nature,” Breitenstein said. “The controllers (parking officers) seem to like it because they don’t have to write the citations out. At this point, I haven’t formulated an opinion, but the two controllers seem to like using it.”

After the 30-day experiment is over, City Treasurer Conny Jamison will file a recommendation with the City Council on whether to accept the device.

Steve Borso, president of Borso Engineering Inc., the manufacturer, said each Auto/CITE would cost the city $2,500, and the central computer would be $1,795. He added that the company could lease the equipment to a city on a per-ticket basis. The traffic division would need 24 of the devices, Ford said.

Other California cities testing the apparatus include San Jose, Newport Beach and San Francisco, Borso said. The company already has leased the citation machines to the City of Paramount.