Barcode Scanners Keep Police Safe on the Street

Utah Highway Patrol Cuts Violation Processing from 3 Min to 30 Sec. via Handheld Scanners

Note: This 2023 blog revisits a scanning solution developed for law enforcement in 2015. The Utah Highway Patrol deployed the CR1000 Barcode Reader to modernize traffic citation documentation; UHP has since migrated to Code's popular CR1100 Barcode Reader. CR1100 builds on the strengths of its predecessor, further advancing aggressive data capture and sophisticated data parsing in a compact footprint. The following post spotlights the initial deployment of CR1000.

Law enforcement and public safety: two pillars of the community that largely go unnoticed until tragedy strikes. But how are our peacekeepers protected? Surprisingly, help comes from the same handheld scanner grocery stores use.

It's easy to take community safety for granted. We never consider the risks facing highway patrol troopers when they get into their cruisers to protect and serve. Each time a trooper exits their cruiser for a traffic violation, their lives are at immediate risk. Reams of data confirm the obvious: the longer troopers are stopped or outside their cruisers, the more their safety is compromised.

Barcode Scanners Support Public Safety

Human behavior is tough to predict and control, making troopers vulnerable during roadside stops. However, equipping the UHP's fleet with Code Corporation's CR1000 helps minimize risk by automating routine workflows to get police officers out of harm's way faster. So how does the very same model of product scanner used in warehouses help protect state troopers?

During a traffic stop, troopers return to their cruisers to enter the driver's information and verify license plates. Manually entering this info into a database can easily exceed three minutes, and the process is vulnerable to typos. In those three minutes, anything could happen. Violators could flee or brandish weapons, endangering themselves, troopers, or others. Fortunately, pairing Code's CR1000 Barcode Readers with the laptops in cruisers eliminates manual data entry while increasing data accuracy. In fact, the UHP cut data entry times from three minutes to just 30 seconds with a CR1100.

So how is a scanner for inventory helping protect UHP?

JavaScript Scanning Solutions for Safer Stops

Within the blink of an eye, a barcode scanner pulls data from a series of blocks, lines, and squares. Based on this model of simplicity and speed, the UHP partnered with Code to deploy a CR1000-based workflow that dramatically cuts violation processing time to shorten the time troopers spend parked on the shoulder of the road and in harm's way.

Flexibility is one of CR1000's signature features, thanks to JavaScript. Code's barcode scanners uniquely use this common Internet programming language. JavaScript enables, among other common things, the "auto-fill" of certain data points like a billing address when shopping online. Similarly, JavaScript supports Code's scanning solutions in rapidly parsing barcode data on an ID, translating it into a human-readable format, and auto-filling traffic stop forms on a trooper's laptop. The forms are powered by CentralSquare's responder-centric Public Safety Suite of safety and justice software.

So how does the JavaScript-powered Code CR1000 cut documentation time?

UHP outfits each cruiser's laptop with a barcode reader and an incident card containing QR codes for a citation, crash, or inquiry. Because each incident requires specific information, each has a unique QR barcode. To retrieve stop-specific info, the trooper simply scans the QR code for the appropriate incident. Through JavaScript, the QR code instantly "instructs" the reader on which incident-specific data to pull. Next, the trooper scans a barcode found on the back of the driver's license to seamlessly populate the required data in the relevant fields within CentralSquare's traffic stop software.

The CR1000 readily scans and transmits barcode data that meets the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators standard, including the barcodes found on Canada- and Mexico-issued licenses. With the CR1000, UHP troopers simplify, expedite, and improve each incident's response and processing time. This helps troopers minimize their safety risks, perform due diligence, and get back on the road more quickly.

The concept is simple: introduce barcodes and barcode readers into your processes to improve performance, and free up staff to focus on revenue-generating or mission-critical activities. The UHP has created a seamless citation workflow incorporating data entry, accuracy, speed, and record tracking/keeping with the CR1000. The CR1000 conducts all the previously tedious (but necessary) work involved with each incident, making traffic stops more efficient and ultimately safer. The UHP isn't alone in using Code's product scanners for time-saving data parsing; retailers, for example, use Code's JavaScript barcode scanners for age verification or to expedite in-store applications (e.g., auto-fill shopper loyalty programs).

The CR1000 served law enforcement, retail, healthcare, and entertainment reliably, further solidifying Code's reputation for data capture speed and accuracy. CR1000 has since evolved into the CR1100 Barcode Reader, which pairs JavaScript flexibility with strengthened Code-exclusive technologies for Near Zero miss scans regardless of barcode type and condition. Furthermore, with several U.S. states adopting digital driver's licenses, Code's CR1100, as with its siblings, effortlessly reads barcodes on mobile screens that are shiny, smudged, or even cracked.

The right handheld scanners offload your valuable personnel and prevent input errors. Streamline workflows and improve data quality by emailing info@codecorp.com.