The IndUS Business Journal writes earlier this month that New Orleans' fleet of 55 police motorcycles are now equipped with handheld devices that allow officers to issue citations.

Before a product like Infokall's, a police officer in New Orleans-like officers across the country--would go back to their car or motorcycle to radio in information on a driver or check the information through computerized national databases. Infokall's wireless application connects to these databases allowing the officer to take a license, swipe it through a hand-held computer and initiate a check on that person.

The hand-held device includes a bar code reader, which also enables the officer to scan the vehicle identification number of the car to check if the vehicle or the license plate were stolen. "The information is right there," Choudhary said.

Choudhary is the President of Infokall, the manufacturer of these devices. And according to the article, they're getting calls from other police departments:

And the word seems to be getting around. Choudhary said that the company just got a contract with the Temple police department in Texas, a sherrif's department in Florida and a police department in Colorado.

Someday, every police department in the nation will have these little hand held devices. They'll become so dependent on them, that they won't be able to function without them. Will cops still know how to write paper tickets when a satellite gets knocked out?

Frankly, this kind of technology troubles me. Anytime you make it easier for cops to write tickets, it simply means that more tickets will be written. Maybe some of you readers out there are cops and can attest or debunk this opinion. The article goes on to say:

According to Choudhary, an average city can lose 15 percent to 45 percent of the revenue from all tickets issued because of mistakes.

Just think how much more money can be collected by writing more tickets.

Maybe in the future, cops won't even need to pull people over. They'll be able to ride around in their cruisers, and will have these computerized-citation devices mounted in their vehicles. They just type in a license plate, and the citation is delivered by the post office. They already do this with cameras installed at intersections. Why not for everything else?

Labels: Law Technology, Louisiana, Police Motorcycles