* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Curran
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
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In Support of State Legislation - House Bill 201 - District Court Electronic Citation Fund and Fee
FOR the purpose of supporting HB 201 and its efforts to bring the many benefits of electronic citations to Maryland with minimal cost to the State’s General Fund or local law enforcement agencies.
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Recitals
Around the country, law enforcement agencies are increasingly using electronic citations to improve efficiency and officer safety. These citations are printed, as opposed to being handwritten, and can be sent directly into court document management systems.
Traffic stops are some of the most dangerous activities performed by law enforcement personnel. In fact, being hit by a vehicle during a traffic stop is the leading cause of death for law enforcement officers. Studies show that using electronic citations can cut the average stop time from 18 minutes to 6 minutes, reducing the time that officers are exposed to possible crashes by two-thirds.
Time savings from electronic citations extend out of the field and into the courts as well. Since these electronic documents can be loaded directly into document management systems there is no need for court personnel to spend time on data entry of the paper forms. This saves valuable time in the overburdened court system, and removes the poss...
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