DEMOPOLIS &8212; Issuing traffic citations is a little easier these days for the Demopolis Police Department.

The department is taking advantage of an Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs grant that helped equip six squad cars with computer systems and printers. The computer system reads a driver&8217;s information straight from the magnetic strip on the license, and the printer issues a warning or ticket, making handwritten tickets obsolete.

The e-ticket system has increased productivity for patrol officers, detective Sgt. Tim Soronen said.

More and more, the department will be using the e-ticket system.

The system takes up more room in the passenger-side front of the car, but it does not interfere with the officer&8217;s (driver&8217;s) side, Soronen said.

The project has been in place since the end of May, and the officers who use it are excited about the new technology.

The e-ticket system still leaves decisions on citations in the hands of the individual officers.

And at the end of the day, the patrol officers upload their ticketing information to a central computer, which allows for faster data compilation on a statewide basis.