Paperwork may be the bane of officers making a DWI arrest, but it is the lifeblood of the DWI prosecutor. Forms and reports have proliferated in response to the needs of multiple law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, and particularly the need for accurate traffic safety data. However, the burden of excessive paperwork can keep arresting officers off the streets, where they are needed most. Pressure to fill out numerous forms, reports, and narratives in a timely manner can result in inconsistencies, omissions, or other errors. The good news is that the Texas Municipal Police Association (TMPA), using advances in technology and a wealth of law enforcement and prosecution resources, has developed a way to decrease the time an officer spends creating these documents without sacrificing detail or comprehensiveness. Currently, the paperwork associated with a typical DWI arrest can take an officer off the streets for two to four hours. The new DUI/DWI Process Reduction System, developed by TMPA with funding from the Texas Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), reduces this processing time by as much as 50%. (Author/publisher)
Abstract