In Wake County, 167,000 citations are written every year. Six workers are responsible for keying the information into a computer, which can sometimes lead to mistakes.
"These things are hand-written. Anytime you're dealing with a manual system, you are dealing with human beings that make mistakes," said Superior Court clerk Gil File said.
Wake County will soon switch to an "e-citation" system. Officers will use laptops to key in the ticket. They can print a copy for the driver and transmit it to the courthouse. As a result, there will be no more bad handwriting and less mistakes.
"We deal with a lot of very frustrated people on a day-to-day basis. I think this will alleviate at least some of the frustration that an everyday person would feel," File said.
State trooper Eric Collins does not mind the old-fashioned way, but he is ready to modernize.
"I've only had it brought up one time in court where something I wrote on a citation was an issue," Collins said. "It's going to help us out in our cases in court. I really don't think it's too technical, not at this time. I think if anything, it'll make us safer and more aware in our job.
Cumberland County officers started using e-citations in 1999. They said the system is working well.
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