Police testing printed speeding tickets

Calgary police are testing a system that will eliminate the kind of human error thatmay get a speeding driver out of a ticket.

Right now, when drivers in the city get pulled over for speeding or other road-related offences, they receive a handwritten ticket.

Staff Sgt. Brett Marklund told CBC News on Tuesday that police are experimenting with an electronic system that replaces pen and carbon paper with a mini-computer.

"What we are looking is a combination of hand-held and in-car models. And they'll print out an offence notice there on site, so the handwriting will be removed because it's typed. So the kind of age-old lottery of maybe the officer made a mistake on the ticket and I can get out of the ticket that way? That will be removed from the equation because they will be much more accurate."

The electronic system is already being used in severalother cities, including Ottawa, he said.

Calgary Police Service has put out a tender to buy new machines for five patrol vehicles. If successful, the service will recommend both the city and province to adopt the new system.