Getting a ticket? Just swipe your card in Kane County

Wouldn't it be convenient if you could just hand a cop your credit card -- instead of your driver's license or cash -- to post bond when you get a speeding ticket?

You can in some parts of northern Kane County.

Under a program started last year by the Kane County Circuit Court clerk, laptop computers in 26 squad cars in Carpentersville and East and West Dundee were equipped with credit card swipe readers that allow police to process credit card payments at the scene. The system authorizes the charge and guarantees payment.

But you still have to mail in a form to plead guilty and pay your fine or plead innocent and face traffic court.

"I think we've come up with an excellent program," Circuit Clerk Deborah Seyller told the county board's judicial/public safety committee Thursday.

The option of paying bond by credit card has been available from some Kane County police agencies for several years, but it was cumbersome. Officers issued old-fashioned, handwritten sales slips that took days to authorize. Also, the funds were not guaranteed, which meant that if an offender's card was declined, he or she was notified to pay in cash or anticipate an arrest warrant.

The new program started on a pilot basis in July and is in the process of being implemented at police departments across the county. Seattle-based NXGEN Payment Services processes the payments and guarantees the funds.

Seyller said it is "probably going to take a couple years" for every police agency to offer the service.

A 7 percent processing fee, paid by the offender to NXGEN, is tacked on to each transaction. The program does not generate revenue for the government, but it does reduce processing time and other costs for the police agencies and the county government.

Nearly all Kane County police departments accept credit cards in their booking rooms at the police station.