ST. CLOUD -- When St. Cloud Police officers make traffic stops, they no longer are issuing written warnings. New Police Chief Blair Anderson says it's a way to free up staff time, whether it's an officer's time or the staff working in records.

Chief Anderson says it's part of his plan to find efficiencies in the department and save money.  He says there is a two-year backlog of paperwork for written warnings already.

Anderson says it's also an outdated practice. Anderson was working in Dakota County when they ended written warnings in 1998.

He says officers may still issue "fix-it" tickets for equipment violations, but shouldn't affect whether an officers writes a citation or issues a verbal warning.

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