Module 6 - Violations

Enforcement is a critical part of your Parking Management strategy. There are 2 ways to get violations entered into OPS-COM. You can enter them in the field using the Android handheld unit or you can have your patrol officers write manual tickets and an OPS-COM Admin can enter the violation manually into the OperationsCommander software.

Note: You must have your Violations options set up before continuing. If you have not completed the Module 1 training for setting up your Violation Options, click here.

OPS-COM for Android

Setting up your Android Handheld Unit

If you have purchased handheld licenses you will need to get your Android unit set up and ready to go with OPS-COM. The OperationsCommander app is free. You will be prompted to allow OPS-COM to access the camera, location services, etc., all of which are used in feeding data to the OPS-COM system. Please ensure you allow these items in order to have OPS-COM for Android to function properly. For instructions about installing OPS-COM for Android for the first time, refer to this wiki article.

Patrol officers must be set up with the proper roles and permissions to use this application and log in. Refer to Module 1 training for more information.

You must contact the OperationsCommander team with the ID of your handheld unit. You will need your Device Unique Identifier (UI). You can find this in the settings area. To access your android handheld settings, refer to this wiki article. Once you have your device UI, email support@ops-com.com for more information.

Once you have set up your app and registered it with the OPS-COM team, you should ensure that your app auto-updates. We frequently update our software with fixes and functionality improvements. It is important to be running the latest software. For more information, refer to this wiki article.

You will need to set up your Bluetooth printers so that you can print out your violations. Currently, we support Star Micronics printers, specifically the SM-T300 series, as well as Zebra Printers. 

Best Practices for using OPS-COM for Android

Refer to this article for the best tips and tricks for successfully using OPS-COM for Android.

Virtual Chalking

What is virtual Chalking?

• Virtual chalking, or e-chalking is an electronic process that mirrors how an officer would manually chalk a vehicle's tire in order to see how long they have been parked. 
• Virtual chalking creates a time-stamped image of both the license plate and the entire car in order to track how long they've been parked.
• Virtual chalking provides an image that can be attached to the violation and is acceptable in a court-of-law, provided the date/time stamp is visible & clear. The chalked image is part of the violation, unless the patrol officer deletes the image. 
• When LPR software is capturing plates, officers can simply click "Virtual Chalk" to create/save the image.

Why "Chalk" a Vehicle? 

There are some situations where chalking is very useful. For example; if a vehicle is parked and the owner is going to purchase a permit, there can be a grace period to allow the client to obtain the permit and return to the vehicle to display the permit. Alternately, in areas where parking is provided on a timed basis, where a vehicle can park free for 2 hours, the officer can virtually chalk the vehicle on a first pass earlier in the day and then be able to check the vehicle later in the day to determine if it has been parked longer than the permitted time frame.

Chalking vehicles manually is time consuming, so being able to virtually chalk vehicles makes a time-efficient solution for a necessary aspect of parking management. Chalk records stored with a violation help when dealing with Appeals as a time-stamped image is available as "proof" of the infraction.

For information about chalking a vehicle using the Handheld units, refer to this wiki article.

Searching for Vehicles by Plate

The Vehicle Search option allows staff/enforcement officers to search vehicles by plate and view details about that vehicle. This is often an important first step in the Violation Issuance process.  

There are three methods to enter the plate information.

1. Text using the keypad
2. Voice command using the built in mic
3. LPR using OCR technology through the tablet's camera. 

Refer to this wiki article for more information

Search for Permits

The Permit Search option allows staff/enforcement officers to search permits and view details about that permit. This can also be an important first step in the Violation Issuance process. There are two ways to search for permits using the OPS-COM for Android app. You can search for the permit by typing it in or use the barcode scanner, if your permits have them and have been configured in OPS-COM Admin.  For more information about searching for permits, refer to this wiki article.

Issuing a Violation using OPS-COM for Android

Violation Entry allows your Patrol Officers to create a Violation that can be printed and synced to the OperationsCommander System. Once the Violation is synced, the offender can pay the violation or appeal it.  You have already learned how to Search by Plate and Permit to see if a vehicle has a valid permit to park. Follow the steps in this wiki article to learn about issuing a Violation using OPS-COM for Android.

From time to time you may need to reprint a violation because of computer malfunction, refer to this wiki article for more information.

Receive Alerts in the Field

Patrol officers now have the ability to see important news by viewing message alerts on the handheld device. Alert messages are pushed out to all, or individual, handhelds by the Administrators of the OPS-COM software. Refer to this wiki article for more information about receiving these messages. Refer to this wiki article for information about pushing these messages out to the handheld units in the field.

Manual Violation Entry 

This is most often used if field officers are issuing paper tickets that need to be manually entered into OPS-COM. There are also enforcement officers that have cars equipped with laptops logged into OperationsCommander web version. These officers would enter their tickets directly through this system. For more information about manually entering violations, refer to this wiki article.

Once issued or synced you may need to search for a violation and make changes. Refer to this wiki article for information about editing a violation. 

Processing Appeals as an Administrator

Your Clients/Users will submit Appeals for their Violations through the User Portal. OPS-COM administrators can review violation appeals to cancel tickets, grant appeals with reduced fines or uphold appealed violations. In the event that the appeal time has expired and no appeal has been applied for, then the Admin can still grant an appeal by editing the violation and using the Appeal area in the edit window. Refer to this wiki article for more information.

Paying a Violation as an Administrator

When an individual comes into the office to pay a ticket in person you can process the payment through the Admin side. Refer to this wiki article for more information.

ViolationAdmin Reports

There are many reports available in ViolationAdmin. Refer to this wiki article for more information.