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Automated Violation Configuration

The Automated Violation Configuration feature allows administrators to configure automated parking warnings and violations captured by fixed License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras. Its primary purpose is to automate the identification of unpermitted vehicles that remain on campus beyond a grace period and issue appropriate notifications without requiring manual officer intervention. This article is intended for OPSCOM administrators.

Setup and Configuration

Before you can actively rely on automated warnings and violations, there are system prerequisites that must be met and initial configurations that must be established.

Ensure that your static entry and exit cameras are correctly linked within their respective Lot Groups, as the system's exit matching and grace period verification rely directly on these group definitions.

Prerequisites

  1. Pre-configured Offence Type: Ensure that an existing or dedicated Offence Type (and dollar amount) is established under Offense Types prior to configuring this feature. The system uses this exact offence type to track both the $0 initial warning and any subsequent violations.

  2. Dedicated Ticket Writer Account: Create a dedicated admin user account before enabling this feature. Selecting a dedicated system account ensures automated tickets do not mix into real patrol officers' activity reports.

Admin Configuration

  1. Hover over Violations, hover over LPR and Chalking, and click Automated Chalking Violation Config.

  2. Enter the desired grace duration in the Unpermitted Wait Time (minutes) field.

  3. Enter the active warning duration in the Warning Cooldown (days) field.

  4. Click the Offence Type & Fine drop-down menu and select your pre-configured offence type.

  5. Click the Automated Ticket Writer drop-down menu and select your dedicated admin account.

  6. Review or click Edit next to the Warning Email Template and Violation Email Template to customize template messaging if needed.

  7. Click the Save Configuration button to apply your settings.

System Task Status Banner

A status banner at the top of the configuration page provides real-time information regarding the background system task (Automated Violation Job):  

  • Grey Banner (Not Installed): Indicates the background task has not yet been deployed on your server ("The automated violation task has not been installed on this site yet").

  • Yellow Banner (Currently Disabled): The task is installed on the server but is currently disabled in system settings.

  • Yellow Banner (Enabled but Unconfigured): The task is enabled, but required configuration settings (Offence Type or Automated Ticket Writer) are missing.

  • Green Banner (Fully Working): The task is installed, enabled, and fully configured to process unpermitted vehicles.

Using this Feature

Once configured, the background job automatically evaluates unpermitted vehicle reads captured by fixed cameras and applies enforcement rules across two progressive stages:

  1. Fixed Camera Capture: An unpermitted vehicle enters campus and is scanned by a fixed entry camera. Handheld or officer-initiated LPR scans do not trigger this feature.

  2. Grace Period & Exit Verification: The system starts the Unpermitted Wait Time timer. If a matching exit read is detected within the lot group before the timer expires, the vehicle has departed and no action is taken.

  3. Driver Lookup: If no exit read is found, the system identifies the vehicle's registered primary driver on file. Unrecognized or unregistered plates are automatically skipped.

  4. Automated Enforcement Execution:

    • First Occurrence: If no warning exists within the Warning Cooldown window, the system generates a $0 warning ticket under the designated ticket writer account and emails the warning template to the driver.

    • Repeat Occurrence: If a warning was received within the Warning Cooldown window under this offence type, the system automatically issues a final, full-fine violation and emails the violation template.

Key Information Displayed

  • Unpermitted Wait Time (minutes): Specifies how long an unpermitted vehicle can remain on campus after an entry read before enforcement checks execute (Default: 30 minutes).

  • Warning Cooldown (days): Defines the timeframe during which an initial warning remains active against the driver's account (Default: 90 days).

  • Offence Type & Fine: The specific violation type assigned to both $0 warnings and repeat violations. Using a single offence type allows the system to distinguish between this feature's warnings and unrelated warnings.

  • Automated Ticket Writer: The administrative account recorded as the issuing officer on automatically created tickets.

Best Practices and Considerations

  • Use a Dedicated Ticket Writer Account: Always select a dedicated administrative account for the Automated Ticket Writer field. This ensures clean separation in officer performance reports and audit logs.

  • Verify Camera Lot Groups: Ensure entry and exit cameras are accurately grouped in lot configurations, as exit matching relies directly on these definitions to clear departed vehicles.

  • Driver-Based Tracking: Cooldown history is tracked per registered driver account rather than per vehicle plate, ensuring warning limits follow the person if they switch vehicles.

  • Two-Stage Escalation Limit: This feature supports exactly two levels: a $0 warning notice followed by a single full violation. Further escalations (such as automatic booting or towing flags) are not supported and must be handled manually by patrol staff.

 

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