June 4, 2004
Parking lot patrols in Scottsdale are going high-tech.
A small computer that can look up license plate numbers and print citations should be in officers’ hands by September, a police spokesman said.
"Then there will be no more hand-written citations, which is the primary advantage," Scottsdale detective Sam Bailey said.
Currently, officers, police aides and trained volunteers whose job it is to monitor parking areas, have to mark a vehicle’s tires the oldfashioned way — with chalk. The marks track the time a vehicle is parked.
The new device will electronically mark tires, according to a news release from Scottsdale.
Additionally, it will be linked to the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division’s database, which will allow officers to call up the name and personal information about a vehicle’s registered owner. They can then issue a citation on the spot, city officials said.
Bailey said the city is in the bidding process of acquiring four or five of the hand-held devices, which are used by Arizona State University police. The goal, he said, is to eventually acquire more of the devices that produce speedy and legible citations.
