Police department uses funding for computers
Police officers with the Peabody police department will soon be able to spend more time on the street and less time in the office doing reports and paper work.
Chief Jeff Pohlman announced that a laptop computer has been purchased for use by officers in department patrol cars.
"This will raise the visibility of our officers," said Pohlman. "By having a laptop computer in the car, whoever is on duty can be on the street, but still be doing the paper work that he used to have to do in the office."
Pohlman hopes eventually to have a laptop computer available in each of the patrol cars.
The money to pay for the computers comes from the Peabody municipal court diversion fund. The fund is managed by the city's prosecuting attorney, Mike Cleary.
Money in the fund comes from violators who are allowed to enter into a diversion program. If, for instance, a person is ticketed by city police for speeding, he may be offered the choice of entering a diversion program by the judge.
The offender must pay a fee to participate in the program and past record must be relatively free of other violations to qualify for diversion. After a certain time period, usually six months, the diversion is satisfied as long as there are no other violations.
At that point the offender is released from the program and the speeding ticket does not go on record.
If a violation does occur, the diversion is suspended and the cost of the original ticket is charged to the offender, and both violations will appear on his driving record. The diversion fee paid initially is not refunded.
As the diversion fees accumulate in the fund, the police department may apply to the prosecuting attorney for projects which will benefit the community.
"What it amounts to," said Pohlman, "is that the public is served by funds paid by violators. It's a good program for everyone."
