September 7, 2001

IOWA PEACE OFFICERS ATTEND TRACS TRAINING AT IOWA LAKES

Iowa Lakes Community College held a two-day training for 15 law enforcement agencies from Iowa. Twenty-three officers from the Iowa State Patrol, Palo Alto County, Plymouth County, Buena Vista County, Pottawattamie County, Storm Lake, Clarion, Spencer, Estherville, LeMars and Milford attended the two-day training which was held in the computer lab of the Criminal Justice program.

Rich Conner from the Iowa Department of Transportation, along with Officer Tom McHugh from the Iowa State Patrol were the trainers.

The TRACS system allows all law enforcement officers to “scan” a driver’s license into a device in their car and a traffic citation will appear on a computer screen. The officer can then enter the violation and print out a citation. The information will automatically update into the statewide computer system in Des Moines. Using this same method, combined with GIS (global information system) a collision report can also be printed out and the record is immediately recorded to the files in Des Moines.

This technology is being offered to all law enforcement agencies in the state of Iowa.