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Issuing a Plate Violation

The Issuing a Plate Violation feature allows parking enforcement officers to look up vehicle license plates and record parking infractions using the legacy Android application. Its primary purpose is to streamline the ticketing process by utilizing existing database records or easily capturing details for new, unknown vehicles. This guide is intended for OPS-COM administrators and field enforcement personnel.

Setup and Configuration

In order to issue violations effectively in the field, administrators must ensure the backend environment is fully configured, and users must prep their hardware.

Admin Side: Administrators must ensure that all ticket types, offense locations, default fee amounts, and zone rules are properly configured within the main OPS-COM administrative portal.

User Side (Enforcement Staff): Before starting a patrol, ensure your mobile device is fully charged, logged into the enforcement app, and actively paired with your Bluetooth printer (if issuing physical citations).

Using this Feature

Enforcement personnel can use this feature to issue citations to both known vehicles and vehicles that have never been entered into the system.

Issuing Violations to Known Vehicles

  1. Tap Search Vehicles from the main application menu.

  2. Enter the plate number using OCR, voice command, or by typing on the keypad.

  3. Review the search results list. A red X icon indicates the vehicle is currently in violation.

  4. Tap the plate record that is in violation to open the Add Violation Record screen.

  5. Tap Select Offence Location and choose the appropriate location from the drop-down menu.

  6. Tap Offence Type and choose the specific infraction. You can tap the fee amount to manually override the default fee if necessary.

  7. Tap Towing Fee and enter an amount if the vehicle requires towing.

  8. Capture pictures of the vehicle and infraction for proof in case of a dispute.

  9. Tap Save & Print to print the ticket and return to the search screen, or tap Save to log the violation without printing.

Issuing Violations to New Vehicles

If a scanned plate is unknown to the system, it will be indicated by a + icon in the search results. You must manually add the vehicle description to issue a citation.

  1. Tap the plate record with the + icon.

  2. Tap the vehicle description field and enter the vehicle's make, model, and color.

  3. Complete the violation details (Offence Location, Offence Type, Towing Fee, and photos) as outlined in the steps above.

  4. Tap Save or Save & Print. The new vehicle will automatically be added to the database the next time your handheld synchronizes.

VIN-Only Vehicles If a violation is entered on a vehicle using only a VIN, the VIN will automatically appear on the printed ticket in the License Plate field.

Filtering by Groups and Zones

You can focus your plate searching and vetting by applying specific group and zone filters, which is particularly useful for virtual lots or reserved parking areas.

  1. Tap Any Parking Group on the search screen and select a specific group (e.g., BLDG1).

  2. Tap Any Zone and select the specific zone you are patrolling (e.g., Day Care).

  3. Scan plates using the LPR/OCR functionality. A green check mark will explicitly indicate if a vehicle is permitted to park in that specified group and zone combination.

Understanding the Printed Ticket

Explanation of the Front of the Ticket/Warning:

Field Description
Ticket Number A system-assigned number that uniquely identifies each individual violation or warning.
Date The date the violation or warning was issued.
Ticket Type Identifies the broad category of the violation.
License Plate The license plate number for the vehicle that incurred the violation.
Province The province or state where the license plate was issued.
Offense Type Identifies the specific parking violation that occurred.
Location The physical location where the violation occurred.
Writer A unique system-assigned identifier for the enforcement officer, providing security to the officer while allowing administrators to verify their identity in the backend.
Fine The amount owed. *(Note: On a warning ticket, the amount is followed by "Warning", indicating the amount is not owed, but shows what would be due if a real ticket was issued).
Towing The amount due if the vehicle had to be towed.
Comments Any additional notes included by the enforcement officer.

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

Best Practices and Considerations

  • Monitor your sync status: Always note the sync reminder bar at the top of the screen. While you can continue working when it appears, if the bar is flashing, ensure you sync your data before powering down. To trigger an auto-sync, simply return to the main menu and wait 30 seconds, or manually tap Synchronize Data.

  • Heed secondary permit warnings: Pay attention to secondary checks when issuing a ticket. The handheld unit will alert you with a warning message if the plate actually holds a valid permit. You may still proceed with creating the violation at your discretion if the infraction is for something unrelated to permit validity (e.g., parked in a fire lane).

  • Add context photos post-printing: Take additional images of the vehicle after printing the physical ticket. Adding a photo of the printed citation visibly placed on the vehicle's windshield provides undeniable proof of issuance during an appeal.

  • Do not force prints without hardware: Never tap Save & Print if a printer is not actively connected. Doing so will trigger an application error, though it will safely log the violation to the local database as a fallback.

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