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Violations and Chalking

The Violations and Chalking features in the OPS-COM Enforce app allow field personnel to issue citations directly to individuals or vehicles and utilize virtual chalking for time-limit enforcement. Its primary purpose is to streamline the enforcement process, ensuring accurate data capture and provable offenses without the need for physical chalk. This article is intended for OPS-COM administrators and field enforcement staff.

Setup and Configuration

While the enforcement application handles the physical issuance of tickets, administrators must ensure the backend environment is properly configured to support field operations.

Admin Side:

  1. Ensure the default chalking grace periods are properly configured within your system settings.

  2. Verify that your ticket types, offense locations, and offense reasons are up to date so they populate correctly on the handheld units.

User Side (Enforcement Staff):

  1. Open the handheld app and log into an active enforcement account.

  2. Ensure your device is connected to a network to receive real-time permit data and user records.

Using this Feature

Enforcement personnel can use the handheld application to perform virtual chalking and issue violations specifically targeted at a person or an unidentified vehicle.

Chalking a Vehicle

Virtual chalking is a highly useful tool that quickly identifies vehicles eligible for time-limit violations. It alerts you if a vehicle has moved since the last chalk and exactly how long ago it was chalked, making it easy to write provable violations.

  1. Tap Vehicle Search from the main screen and search for the offending vehicle's plate.

  2. Tap Chalk on the vehicle record.

  3. Enter the plate province/state and plate type (e.g., Passenger, Commercial, Government).

  4. Set a custom chalk grace period if desired (the system default will apply automatically if left blank).

  5. Tap Save. The vehicle's timer has now started, and you can return later to verify if a violation is warranted.

Issuing a Person Violation

You must know the person's name and ensure they are a registered user in the system to issue a person violation.

  1. Tap Person Search from the main screen.

  2. Enter the name of the registered user and tap their entry when it populates.

  3. Select Private Property - Person if no vehicle is involved. (If a vehicle is involved, use the Vehicle Violation workflow below).

  4. Enter the ticket type, offense location, and the specific offense reason (or reasons, if multiple apply).

  5. Attach any necessary files, such as photo or video evidence.

  6. Enter private (internal staff only) or public comments (user visible).

  7. Tap Save to issue the violation.

Issuing a Vehicle Violation

You can enter a known plate or a plate that has never been entered before; new plates will automatically be added to the vehicle database.

  1. Tap Vehicle Search from the main screen and search the license plate.

  2. Review the search result icons (see the Visual Cues table below) to verify if the vehicle is eligible for a ticket.

  3. Tap the Violation button.

  4. Enter the ticket type, offense location, and the specific offense reason(s).

  5. Enter additional vehicle information, such as province/state and plate type.

  6. Tap the Failed To Identify toggle on the people tab if the driver's identity is unknown. If the identity is known, enter it normally.

  7. Attach photo or video evidence and any applicable comments.

  8. Tap Save to issue the violation.

Visual Cues and Status Indicators

Searching a plate will return a variety of result types indicating the vehicle's current status. Use the chart below as a reference for the symbols and audio notifications you will encounter:

Icon Audio Notification When/Why Is This Combo Used?
Black Cross None Plate is not found in the database. Tap to add a new vehicle.
Red X (with Red permit pill) None Plate found, but has no valid/active permit, or the plate was chalked and the grace period has expired with still no valid permit. Eligible for violation/ticket.
Green Check (with Green permit pill) Bing (LPR) Plate found with at least one valid and active permit, or plate was chalked but a valid permit was added later.
Green Check (with Red dot) None Plate found and has permit(s), but the vehicle is NOT active on the user's profile. (Rare)
Notification (Red !) None Plate has a specific warning for Do Not Ticket or Tow (DNTT).
Notification (Blue !) (with Blue permit pill) None Plate found and has a valid permit, but is parked in the wrong lot/zone.
Chalk (Map) Swoosh (LPR) Plate has been chalked (manually or by LPR), and the grace period has not yet expired.
Flag Buzz Indicates that there has been a specific alert triggered on either the person or the vehicle.

Understanding the Printed Ticket

Front of the Ticket/Warning

  • Ticket Number: A system-assigned number identifying the individual violation.

  • Date: The date the violation was issued.

  • Ticket Type: The broad category of the violation.

  • License Plate & Province: The vehicle's plate number and issuing province/state.

  • Offense Type: The specific violation that occurred.

  • Location: The physical location where the violation occurred.

  • Writer: A unique system-assigned identifier for the enforcement officer (providing officer security while allowing admins to verify their identity in the backend).

  • Fine & Towing: The amounts owed for the violation or towing. *(Note: On a warning ticket, the amount is followed by "Warning", indicating it is not owed, but shows what would be due if a real ticket was issued).

  • Comments: Additional notes included by the enforcement officer.

Back of the Ticket/Warning The back provides details about the issuing organization and clear policies on how the violator can pay or formally appeal the ticket. It includes a section for the violator to identify themselves and sign off, as well as office hours and contact information.

Best Practices and Considerations

  • Always verify visual cues before ticketing: Pay close attention to the search result icons and audio notifications. Ensure you do not accidentally issue a violation to a vehicle with a valid Green Check or a Red Exclamation Point (Do Not Ticket or Tow).

  • Leverage the Failed To Identify toggle: Use the Failed To Identify toggle immediately when issuing a vehicle violation if the driver is not present. This allows you to process the ticket efficiently against the vehicle itself without needing a registered user profile.

  • Capture undeniable proof: Always attach photo or video evidence when issuing a violation. In the event of an appeal, visual proof combined with virtual chalking data strongly supports the enforcement officer's actions.

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