The days of a handwritten speeding ticket will soon be a thing of the past in Jim Thorpe.

Borough Police Chief Joe Schatz said hardware for an electronic ticketing system has recently been purchased for four of the department's cruisers.The equipment was purchased with $10,500 from the Jim Thorpe Policemen's Ball fund.Benefits of the system include saving on paperwork and reducing the amount of time an officer spends out of his car on the side of a road, therefore increasing safety."Before you would have an officer looking down trying to write a ticket and be aware of his surroundings," Schatz said. "Although that's how it has been done for years, if we can streamline things and make their job safer, that is what we'll do."Cruisers will now be equipped with a touchscreen tablet holding enough battery charge to get through three days of constant use, a printer in the glove compartment and a handheld scanner.On a traffic stop, officers will scan a driver's license and registration and a ticket can be instantly printed."It doesn't require a signature," Schatz said. "You just hand it to the driver and everyone is on their way."In the past, officers had to fill out tickets by hand with information such as the driver's address, birth date and name; location, date, time and county; officer's name, badge number and address; vehicle information; owner information; charges; statutes; and fines.Those citations also had to be personally delivered to a magisterial district judge's office.Now, information scanned is stored in a computer so that when the officer gets back to the station, it can quickly be sent to the judge.Schatz said he is proud that the department has saved up the money to get the equipment at no cost to the taxpayer.Each year, a portion of the Policemen's Ball proceeds goes to a different charity or local organization, while the department sets the remaining amount aside for future use."Every year we do our budget and my guys are asking me what are we going to buy?" Schatz said. "I'll tell them let's save it for a rainy day. The only way we were able to afford this initiative is through seven years of saving from the ball."Jim Thorpe is the third department in the area to switch to an electronic ticketing system, joining Lehighton and Mahoning Township.Weatherly is also looking at purchasing the equipment."We're not using it yet, but it should be online soon," Schatz said. "I think this is going to be a great asset to the borough of Jim Thorpe."