Fredericksburg is testing AutoChalk

Fredericksburg is looking for a better way to keep people from overstaying their welcome in the spaces that line the streets of its central business district.

Right now, two part-time officers patrol the streets on foot, marking tires with chalk so that they can tell whether the same car is in the same spot when they come back. It takes an hour and a half to cover downtown's 1,300 parking spots that way. Using the automated equipment, a officer can cover the same area in just under an hour. The officer can drive in his car and record pictures, dimensions and license information on every car parked along the street.

The automated system also gives police harder evidence of violations. When the computer in the car alerts the officer to a violation, he can check before-and-after pictures to confirm it.

Instead of getting slapped on windshields, the parking tickets would go out in the mail, using information gleaned from the license number.

Fredericksburg will test the AutoChalk system for two weeks.