Ticket Categories

The Ticket Categories feature allows administrators to define and manage different types of violations, such as municipal, parking, or bicycle infractions. Its primary purpose is to ensure accurate incident reporting, enforce specific rules, and tailor violation processes by determining whether tickets apply to vehicles or users. This article is intended for OPS-COM administrators responsible for configuring violation types and enforcement settings.

Setup and Configuration

This feature is a core administrative tool used to establish the types of violations available in the system.

Admin Side: Administrators must have the appropriate system role permissions enabled to access the violation configuration menus and manage ticket categories.

User Side: This feature is strictly a backend administrative configuration. End-users do not interact directly with ticket categories, though they will see the specific category name printed on any violation notices they receive.

Using this Feature

Administrators can use the following instructions to navigate the management interface to seamlessly add, edit, or archive ticket categories.

Accessing the Management Interface

1. Hover over System Configuration, click Violations, and then click Manage Ticket Categories.

Adding Ticket Categories

1. Click the Add Ticket Category button.

2. Enter the descriptive name of the violation in the Ticket Category Name field.

3. Enable the Handheld Visible toggle to allow the category to be selected by enforcement officers on their mobile devices.

4. Select the appropriate options under Applies To to determine if the ticket can be issued to Vehicles, Users, or both.

5. Enable the Enable Fail To Identify toggle if this ticket category applies to users.

6. Click the Save Changes button to add the new ticket category to the list.

Editing Ticket Categories

1. Locate the specific ticket category you wish to edit in the list.

2. Click the Edit button next to the category.

3. Make the necessary updates to the configuration fields.

4. Click the Save Changes button to apply your updates.

Archiving Ticket Categories

1. Locate the specific ticket category you wish to remove from the active list.

2. Click the Delete button next to the category.

3. Confirm the action when prompted.

While the interface uses a delete button, ticket categories are not actually permanently removed from the system's database. Instead, they are archived. This preserves the integrity of any historical data associated with that ticket type so that past violations and reports remain accurate.

Best Practices and Considerations

• Establish clarity and specificity: Create ticket types that are clear, specific, and easily understood by both enforcement officers and users. Utilizing distinct names like No Permit, Fire Lane, or Smoking Violation reduces confusion in the field and on the user portal.

• Manage handheld visibility carefully: Carefully manage the Handheld Visible setting. Only enable ticket types that your field officers actively enforce to prevent device clutter and streamline the ticket issuance process.

• Utilize flexible application options: Leverage the ability to apply tickets to vehicles, users, or both. This accommodates a broader range of enforcement scenarios beyond traditional parking infractions, such as issuing a direct behavioral violation to a specific user profile.

• Acknowledge data integrity archiving: Understand that deleting a ticket type archives it. Historical reports will still accurately reflect past violations, even if the category is no longer actively used by your organization.

• Train enforcement staff: Ensure enforcement staff are thoroughly trained on the proper use and selection of ticket categories. Proper training, especially for violations applied directly to users, ensures accurate data capture and reduces appeal requests.