Pleasanton city council approves e-citation pilot program for police department

Pleasanton Express
DANIEL ELIZONDO - MANAGING EDITOR
February 22, 2023

Pleasanton city council members voted unanimously to approve a paperless ticket writing system for use by the Pleasanton Police Department.

The system, called Trusted Driver, was presented to city council members at their Feb. 9 meeting by San Antonio police officer Bryan White.

According to White, the e-citation platform will cut the time of traffic stops in half allowing less time for both officers and constituents to be on the road during a stop.

The e-citation platform will allow constituents to adjudicate the citation, take defensive driving or fight it, all from their handheld device.

For the officer, the information will be immediately available on a government cloud which would eliminate the need to write paper tickets or upload citations at the end of the shift.

The system also captures risks and state mandated data during a traffic stop in accordance with Texas state laws.

Pleasanton Police Chief Ronald Sanchez recommended the platform to city council, which was then approved. The program will be utilized as a pilot program for six months before a decision is made to purchase.

City council members also approved amending a fee schedule for nonprofit organizations that wish to use the City of Pleasanton Civic Center located in downtown Pleasanton.

The amended fee schedule will be obligated with a signed agreement by the nonprofit group to use the civic center’s small meeting space for one hour, once per month only during the city’s operating hours Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

In the agreement, there will be no deposit, however organizations will still be responsible for damages and any fees to cover the time over the one-hour allotment.

Also approved at the meeting were tax levying for the acquisition of the fire department’s new ladder and engine truck, construction and renovations of facilities at the civic center and police department, renovations and improvements at public works facilities that includes an HVAC system, an oil distributor, asphalt paver and renovations at emergency management department.

Council also approved of the disposition of property on a 7.42 acre city-owned tract at the address 659 W. Goodwin Street in accordance with state law and city charter.