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It still won't be painless, but at least it will be quicker.

Police are moving toward e-citations for motorists caught breaking traffic laws.

Over the last three years, the Tucson Police Department has bought equipment that enables officers to electronically read a driver's license, downloading the information into a computer.

From there, officers select the violation for which a person is being cited and hit the print button.

In three to four minutes, a citation or a warning is produced. The process is 10 times faster than handwriting a citation, Lt. James Bentley said.

The citations also are automatically downloaded to City Court.

Officers assigned to the department's West Side patrol division began using the equipment last week, Bentley said. Some motorcycle officers have been using it during the last couple of years.

The department hopes to have the software and printers installed in all patrol cars in the next two months, he said.

The cost of the equipment and software is about $700,000, Bentley said. It was paid for from the agency's budget and from impound revenue, Bentley said.

The equipment saves time and makes police data more easily accessible for research, Bentley said.

"The purpose of this is not to generate more money, he said. "Either way, we are going to write tickets."