Drivers License Suspensions: Electronic Citation and Warning System (eCWS)

Project Overview

More than 700,000 traffic citations are issued in Indiana every year. Currently, every warning and citation is hand written and the citation forms vary from county to county. eCWS will let officers electronically record citation information in the field, eliminating the need for redundant manual data entry, drastically reducing administrative work, and increasing the safety of Hoosier roadways by quickly identifying dangerous drivers and reducing the time needed for a traffic stop.

• If you feel you've been wrongfully cited, please consult with a Traffic Ticket Lawyer near you to discuss the details of your case. The content of this site is provided for informational purposes only!

The Indiana Supreme Court's Judicial Technology and Automation Committee, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, Indiana State Police, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Indiana State Excise Police and local law enforcement agencies are working to give law enforcement officers statewide the ability to produce tickets electronically at the time of a traffic stop. Data could then be transmitted electronically to appropriate law enforcement, courts, and state and federal agencies. eCWS will also transfer the required data fields to a probable cause affidavit form for officers to complete in cases of serious criminal violations. The eCWS system is currently being used by Indiana State Police officers statewide and officers in 17 other law enforcement agencies. The application is available to law enforcement at no cost.

How It Works

Officers use a scanner to read the drivers license and vehicle registration. A new citation is then generated in the eCWS system with the driver's information automatically entered. The officer will record appropriate offenses, court information and print a paper ticket for the offender. [eCWS System Requirements]

In cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation, eCWS produces a Uniform Traffic Ticket (UTT) that identifies Commercial Drivers. The electronic information recorded by the officer will be transmitted to courts and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles in later phases of this project. The citation and warning information will also be available to the appropriate judicial and law enforcement officials so the most up-to-date data is available. Because they will have access to more timely data, an officer in one county may determine that a warning is not appropriate if the same driver was given a warning the week before in another county.

The eCWS initiative is an addition to and the ‘next step' in the JTAC-BMV project, which allows courts and clerks to transmit serious infractions by a commercial driver to the BMV electronically instead of by mail or fax.

Benefits of eCWS

• Eliminates handwritten tickets and the need to enter the same information into a separate database(s)
• Enhances safety of Hoosier streets and highways by identifying dangerous drivers quickly
• Eliminates duplicate entries by law enforcement, courts, clerks, ISP and BMV
• Increases accuracy of information—data fields pre-populated from license and registration
• Reduces errors because data is not retyped multiple times
• Gives officers more time to patrol by reducing paperwork
• Saves clerical time for clerks, courts and agencies because data is transferred electronically
• Improves timeliness by making data available electronically

• The content of this site is provided for informational purposes only! If you need legal assistance with a Traffic Violation, please consult with a Traffic Ticket Lawyer near you to discuss the details of your case.

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Have you or someone you know been cited for something that caused a driver's license suspension? If so, contact one of our experienced traffic violation attorneys in your area today!