Updating Washington’s Traffic Information System

In Brief

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission sought to enhance their eTRIP system, which facilitates the creation and electronic transmission of traffic citations and accident reports, by incorporating two new document types: the DUI Packet and the vehicle impound form. Resource Data was enlisted to identify a suitable solution by analyzing business and legal requirements through job shadowing, interviews, and presenting findings in clear, digestible diagrams.

Challenge

Washington law enforcement officers use the Electronic Traffic Information Processing (eTRIP) system to generate electronic traffic citations and collision reports, which are then sent to partner agency systems, including those of courts and prosecutors. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission aimed to expand eTRIP’s capabilities to include a DUI Packet (comprising one to nine forms) and a vehicle impound form. To achieve this, they required Resource Data’s expertise to gather requirements, evaluate options, and select a solution for incorporating these two additional document types.

Solution

At the Commission’s request, we conducted a two-phase analysis:

Phase One:

Documented processes related to the DUI Packet and vehicle impound form
Identified business requirements for these processes
Researched legal stipulations, such as electronic signature regulations
Assessed potential solutions against the outlined requirements
Recommended the most suitable solution

Phase Two:

Completed technical and interface requirements for the chosen solution, including:
System navigation maps
State models
Data flow diagrams
A conceptual data model
Potential screen mockups

Approach

To ensure comprehensive understanding and accurate requirements gathering, we:

Conducted over 20 one-on-one interviews with subject matter experts from various Washington State agencies, including law enforcement, the court system, and the Department of Licensing.
Performed job shadowing, including ride-alongs with law enforcement officers, to observe DUI arrests and the entire process from traffic stop to suspect booking.
Decomposed the extensive DUI and impound processes into manageable subprocesses, documenting each both narratively and visually through process and data flow diagrams. This hierarchical approach allowed for the presentation of findings in a more digestible format which helped gain support for solution recommendations to the State of Washington.