MERRILLVILLE | The electronic ticketing system in most Merrillville squad cars provides many advantages for the department, but police said the best benefit may be the additional safety the new technology brings.

Officers now can keep their attention on violators and the violators' vehicles during a traffic stop instead of having their heads down handwriting a ticket, Merrillville Patrolman Kevin Furman said.

He said being able to watch the vehicle allows officers to be more prepared in the event the violator attempts to drive off.

"It's a huge safety feature," Furman said. "I love it."

Many of Merrillville's officers have been using the new equipment that scans a violator's license and automatically fills out portions of a ticket.

Merrillville is among other police departments, such as St. John, Schererville and Valparaiso, that are also using the new technology. The Hobart Police Department announced Friday it also will start using the electronic ticketing system.

Merrillville has been using the system for about a month, and ticket writing now takes just a matter of minutes, Furman said.

Merrillville police Detective Jeff Rice said the savings in time means officers and violators spend less time blocking traffic, which could prevent other accidents from happening.

The more efficient procedure also allows officers more time to patrol streets.

Rice said he is pleased that officers can use the scanning tool to take a photograph of the motorist's face in case it is later discovered he or she was using someone else's personal information.

Furman said he enjoys that the new technology keeps track of the number of tickets he writes daily, monthly and annually.

Not all of Merrillville's squads have the system, but the goal is to get more equipment next year, police said.