COVINGTON, Ga. — Duration of traffic stops conducted by Covington police should be shortened after the city approved the purchase of an updated ticketing software.

During its Monday, Oct. 4, meeting, the Covington City Council OK’d the purchase of a Digiticket Software system for the police department from Motorola Solutions for more than $100,000. Chief Stacey Cotton told the council that the technology would reduce the time spent on the side of the road for residents and officers, as well as streamline the clerical process.

“In recent years the state has gone to a fully digitized drivers license that can be scanned now with the bar code,” Cotton said. “So what will happen is the officer[s] can scan the drivers license when they make a traffic stop, then the computer in the car will pull up the software. They enter all of the traffic violation information, but the driver’s information is already into the system, and they’ll have a small printer in the car where they can print the ticket out and hand it to the person.

“It should streamline officer-to-citizen contact,” he continued. “And it should lessen amount of time on the side of the road, which, it can obviously make people a bit apprehensive to be on the side of the road, but it’s also very dangerous for a police officer to be out in traffic like that. So, it would speed that process up.”

Cotton said it would also help internally. Currently, clerical staff members must take the tickets and enter the information into their system, and then duplicate the ticket information for the courts. 

“All of that information will flow into our systems now,” Cotton said. “It’s a big plus all the way around.”

Total cost for the equipment, interface and labor from Motorola Solutions was $117,649.55.

In the same meeting, the council also approved the purchase of new tasers for the police department in the amount of $199,927.57.

Cotton confirmed both purchase amounts were budgeted into the current fiscal year’s budget, and actually came in under budget.