Politics & Government

Legislators Restore Funding For Police Information Technology Project

Caledonia Police Department continues with implementing Ecitation project.

Support for an information technology system used by the state justice system will now be funded in the state budget.

The decision allows the Caledonia Police Department to proceed with implementing the system.

When Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) learned the , he requested that the Joint Finance Committee reconsider the decision.

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“I wanted to make sure it was fully funded because it’s used all across the state and saves the entire justice system a tremendous amount of time,” Wanggaard said.

A motion was made Thursday in an omnibus bill to restore the $721,000 to needed to fund the project.

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Last month the state budget denied a request to pay for five staff members to run the Wisconsin Justice Information System (WIJIS), which includes a searchable database of police departments throughout the state and an electronic citation process that makes it easier - and more efficient - for officers to write tickets. 

Officials with the Office of Justice Assistance, the Wisconsin Professional Police Association and Police Chief Toby Schey, of the Caledonia Police Department, said losing the WIJIS would make the public less safe and departments less efficient.

Tami Jackson, a spokesperson for the Office of Justice Assistance, said the department requested $721,000 in the state budget to pay for the salary and benefits to staff WIJIS, which includes the Justice Gateway system and the electronic citation system. The projects are mostly funded through federal grants and the collection of fines.

The Caledonia Police Department just put printers into their cars to allow them to print out electronic tickets and they are in the middle of implementing the software program that allows them to issue electronic citations.

“It’s good the funding was restored because ultimately (the Ecitation system) saves money for the taxpayer with the efficiency it gives,” Schey said.

The department hopes to have the system fully functional after they work through some software issues and complete the pilot phase.


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