December 2017 Tips - Converting Parking Tickets to Citations
Converting Parking Tickets to Citations
The Parking Ticket module of In-Synch RMS allows an agency to convert unpaid tickets into citations. There are several prerequisites and options available that control the escalation of the tickets:
The escalation time frame of parking tickets is controlled by a setting found within the Agency module.
In order for a parking ticket to be converted into a citation, the parking violation code must also have a fine amount associated.
There is a setting in Code Management for whether or not the violation is “Traffic Related”:
Violation Codes with the “Traffic Related” setting selected will generate a Traffic Citation.
Violation Codes without the “Traffic Related” setting selected will generate a Non-Traffic (Criminal) Citation.
From the Parking module’s main toolbar, select the “Citation” button (A).
Any unpaid parking ticket older than the agency’s grace period will be displayed in the results grid.
In order for a parking ticket to be converted to a citation, it must have a Vehicle Owner and a Citation Number. The Vehicle Owner must be entered before you can assign a Citation Number.
Entering the Vehicle Owner
In an agency where the parking clerk does not have access to the state vehicle registration database, he or she can generate the “Dispatch Report”.
After generating this report, a sworn officer (or personnel with access) can run the plate(s) through the state database and record the vehicle owner information (on the report or in the RMS).
Once the vehicle owner is known, highlight the ticket in the results grid (A) and then select the “Edit Ticket” button (B).
Select the blue hyperlink for “Vehicle”.
Select the blue hyperlink for “Owner” (or “Organization”).
Search for an existing Person/Org record (or create a new record). After searching or creating, choose the desired record.
The owner information will be linked to the vehicle record.
Select the “Save” button (A), and then the “Exit” button (B) on the Vehicle window.
Select the “Exit” button on the Ticket Details window.
Did You Know?
By default, a parking ticket is set to escalate to the vehicle owner, but there is an additional option in the Ticket Details window to cite the Operator. With the Operator radio button selected, the person entered in the Operator field will be included on the citation, rather than the vehicle owner. This option is rarely used, as in most circumstances the vehicle is unoccupied when a parking ticket is issued.
Entering the Citation Number
Once the vehicle owner has been entered, the “ERROR” text will be removed from the Citation # column on the results grid. Double-click the Citation # cell and enter the citation number.
Select the “View Citation” button.
Enter any additional citation details and then select the “Save” button.
Printing the Citation
Depending on your agency’s standards and hardware, the citations may be printed from the RMS by selecting the “Print” button from the Citation window. Alternatively, for agencies without Dot Matrix citation printers, the citation can be handwritten.
