Not sure I would want to swipe my credit card on a TJ cops hand held.

Story was in Thursday's UT.

Computers to cut traffic-fine fraud

Handheld devices will accept credit cards

By Anna Cearley
STAFF WRITER

June 7, 2007

TIJUANA – In an effort to combat corruption, Tijuana's police department is introducing a new way to pay traffic tickets: Swipe a credit card through the officer's handheld computer.

The concept is intended to prevent bribery situations in which tourists and residents either willingly, or under pressure, hand over money to officers who stop them on real or invented traffic violations.

The devices, which include Global Positioning System chips, will allow authorities in a central location to keep tabs on infractions and who is involved in the traffic stops.

“This is a frontal attack against corruption,” said Luis Javier Algorri Franco, Tijuana's secretary of public safety. “When an officer stops someone, it will be monitored.”

The program is part of the city's growing reliance on technology for public safety. The city is using more than 400 video cameras in public areas for crime prevention and 38 cameras to register speeding infractions, Algorri said.

Of about 250 traffic officers, 59 were given the devices last week. Over the next few months, Algorri expects all traffic officers will have machines.

City officials didn't provide information on the makers or cost of the devices

The officers will use the computers to report traffic violations to a central system, where a records check will determine whether the person being stopped has outstanding warrants or tickets. The machine will display the fee for the traffic violation and print out a receipt for payments.

People paying fines shouldn't give the officer their credit or debit cards. Instead, they should swipe their cards through the device themselves, Algorri said.

People can still pay tickets by mail or in person at designated collection centers, he said. They also have the right to a hearing before a municipal judge if they think they are being unfairly targeted.

A typical traffic fine for a tourist ranges from about $60 to $250, and if people pay using the handheld machine, they will get a 60 percent discount, Algorri said. To encourage officers to use the devices, they will be given 5 percent of the fees they collect from infractions.

“Technology will help us become a more secure city,” Algorri said.

Absolutely ridiculous....

I'm sure it won't be long before some crooked cop has his own card reader.
I'm far from a criminal mind, but this idea has bad news written all over it.

can't believe they are actually going to make a database with your tags in it.  getting more and more like Europe and the States.

i take a lot of pride in tear-assing around the streets and running red lights and stop signs and getting away without paying.  now that the infractions will start to rack up against me, this won't be good.

Isn't with they are keeping track of everything, and did anyone notice how many cameras are out there?   I really have only been to TJ a few times since 9/11. The part that gets me is the hand held device for credit cards.  They think it will cut down on corruption, I disagree. It's going to lead to more possible cases of ID theft because someone thinks they are using a real one when a cop breaks it out.

My problem is the 5% commission paid to the cop.  In this country, that alone would make the system illegal because it encourages issuance of tickets for no reason other than for the cop to get the money.  Even if they figure it's less than a bribe might be, it is still a bribe.  Only this time it is sanctioned and paid by the government.  Talk about not being able to control cop corruption!

While giving the cop 5% is a major cause for concern, the chance for ID theft is a bigger concern.
The local news here just this week did a story on thieves putting an reader device over the card reader for ATM machines so they can get your card info and using a camera your pin as well.  How long will it take before a cop realizes 5% of $200 is a lot less than the full 200.
Bad idea all around.