Subject:
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Consider enacting Section 4-2-19 of the Harrisonburg City Code
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Presented By: City Attorney Brown.
Recommendation and Review
The Harrisonburg Police Department is in the process of implementing an electronic summons system for traffic infractions and , eventually, for certain criminal infractions. Under the new system, when an officer stops a motorist for a traffic infraction, the officer will be able to swipe the motorist’s driver license to retrieve the name, address, and other personal information of the motorist on file with the DMV. The information for the driver, the officer, court date, charge, and other required information will be auto populated in the system and printed out on a small printer in the police cruiser. The printed summons will be presented to the motorist and sent electronically to the court. This system will cut down on the time a driver must wait during a traffic stop, the amount of paper generated by the officer and court, and will result in easier to read, more accurate summons.
The Virginia General Assembly recently amended the Code of Virginia to permit localities to pass an ordinance assessing a fee of $5.00 to be added to the costs of each criminal and traffic case prosecuted on a city warrant or summons in circuit court, general district court, or juvenile and domestic relations court. The $5.00 fee will be collected by the applicable court and remitted to the city treasurer, and may be disbursed by council and HPD to fund the costs associated with the hardware, software, and other equipment necessary for the electronic summons system.
The proposed ordinance implements the $5.00 fee authorized by Section 17.1-279.1 of the Code of Virginia.