Cook County Circuit Court clerk launches electronic traffic ticket program

Drivers who receive traffic tickets in suburban Cook County could soon see their cases move faster.

Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos' office has launched a new e-ticket pilot program, which allows officers to issue traffic citations electronically.

The e-Citation program replaces a manual process in which clerks had to get traffic tickets into the court records system by retyping them after police officers had then written out by hand.

The new system allows citations to be transmitted electronically and enter the court records system pre-filled. Thus, clerks can review, validated, and open cases without having to retype anything, Spyropoulos' office said.

With the e-Citation system, citations appear in the court system within  24 to 48 hours, as compared to seven to 10 days under the old system.

The e-Citation system went live on Dec. 2, and is now in use by more than 40 municipalities and county agencies with more to be added soon, and an eventual countywide expansion.

So far, participating municipalities and police agencies include Arlington Heights, Brookfield, Burr Ridge, Chicago Ridge, Cicero, the Cook County Sheriff's office, County Club Hills, Countryside, Crestwood, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Elmwood Park, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Golf, Hoffman Estates, Kenilworth, La Grange Park, Lansing, Lincolnwood, Melrose Park, Morton Grove, Niles, North Riverside, Northfield, Northlake, Orland Park, Palatine, Park Forest, Prospect Heights, Richton Park, Rosemont, Schaumburg, Schiller Park, South Barrington, Tinley Park, Western Springs, Wheeling, Wilmette, and Winnetka.