Norwalk, Connecticut, March 25, 2011 – Gtechna, a leading software developer of turnkey solutions to automate parking and by-law enforcement, is pleased to announce the launch of a fully automated off-street permitting system for the City of Norwalk using the Gtechna Officer™ suite. Officer™ automates the permitting process from start to finish. Permits are generated online by the customer(the Parker) and enforced by patrol vehicles equipped by license plate recognition camera systems. This model of customer web portal and ALPR enforcement reduces administrative effort by 80%.

LAZ Parking, a national parking operator serving the City of Norwalk, identified a number of problems with an existing permit management system. Gtechna got the call to replace the faltering system with it’s Officer™ Permits solution featuring Web portals, financial management, and ALPR enforcement to manage permitted access to off street lots and garages. The permitting system leverages the speed of Automated License Plate Recognition cameras to capture plates in off-street parking zones; vehicles are scanned at two-second intervals. Built-in GPS tracks the location and lot number of the vehicle and a ticket can be issued in 10 seconds.

This is a completely paperless permitting system (no hang tags or permit decals) where all data can be accessed on the Web portal and user account. The greatest benefit is the time it saves in administration. A building manager can manage several permits for multiple lots under one account. A single invoice can issued for multiple permits. Officer™ makes it a one-stop process. Customers no longer have to go downtown to apply for a permit. They simply apply online and the permit is approved often within 24hrs. A permit is ordered online by credit card. The client submits permit holder and vehicle information along with payment method and a permit is issued based on the license plate number. Lot status, permit status and history can be viewed on an easy-to-use dashboard interface.