States consider legislation to address ticket quotas

Multiple states have legislation that is intended to discourage the practice of law enforcement agencies pressuring officers to participate in ticket quotas.

Nearly half of all states have taken steps to eliminate practices that encourage officers to write tickets. In 2022, Alabama and Virginia were added to the list of states to adopt rules addressing the issue.

Lawmakers in some states are continuing to pursue rules to eliminate ticket quotas.

Ohio

Two identical Ohio bills would outlaw an arrest or ticket quota used to evaluate, promote, compensate, transfer or discipline an officer. No requirement or suggestion could be made for an officer to meet a quota, nor could a benefit be offered to an officer based on the officer’s quota.

Supporters say the new rule is needed to provide law enforcement officers with needed discretion versus “an arbitrary quota system used to generate local revenue.”

“Law enforcement officers already have the difficult task of keeping us all safe and should not be saddled with the additional and unreasonable burden of generating revenue for the bureaucracies they serve,” Sen. Tom Patton, R-Strongsville, said at a news conference.

“Quotas make officers’ jobs even harder by undermining public trust in law enforcement.”

HB131 and SB114 define a quota as “a mandate of a certain number of arrests made, or citations issued, for any offense that a local or state police officer must meet in a specified time period.”

Law enforcement agencies would be prevented from using arrest or ticket quotas to evaluate, promote, compensate, transfer or discipline a local or state police officer. Agencies would also be prohibited from offering a financial reward or other benefits to officers for meeting quotas.

The legislation clarifies that law enforcement officials or agencies are permitted to collect and analyze data on the number of arrests made and citations issued by officers. The information is touted to help ensure officers do not neglect their duties or violate legal obligations.

The state’s Attorney General would also be required to make available a form for officers to use to report the use of quotas. An option would be available for officers to anonymously make the report. The Attorney General would be mandated to investigate quota allegations.

If the Attorney General determines that ticket quotas were used by an agency, the state office must order the official or agency to cease and desist quota usage.

Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney, D-Westlake, added that law enforcement officers’ primary job is to protect and serve their community.

“We want our law enforcement officers to be evaluated based upon the quality of their police work, not the quantity of tickets they can write,” Sweeney said.

Illinois

In Illinois, a similar pursuit is intended to nix overzealous law enforcement policies.

Statute forbids any requirement “to issue a specific number of citations within a designated period of time.” Law enforcement agencies are prohibited from evaluating personnel based on the number of tickets written.

The rule permits state, county and municipal police departments to continue to use officer contacts as an evaluative tool. The exercise covers any interaction between an officer and the public.

HB3617 would expand the protection to include arrests.

Quotas would also be forbidden from being used as criteria for an officer’s promotion, demotion, dismissal, discipline, benefits or pay. An officer would be permitted to bring a civil action against an agency in violation of the rules.

Utah

Utah lawmakers again failed to pass a bill to revise the state’s law addressing ticket quotas.

Statute bars state and local police departments from requiring, suggesting or directing officers to meet an enforcement quota. Efforts to promote, compensate, reward or discipline an officer on the basis of a quota also are forbidden.

Despite the rules, Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Cross Woods, said there has been concern about certain locales still using a performance-based system. He added that he believes the problem has gone away over the past year.

SB243 called for revising rules to prohibit the setting of quotas for a specific number of tickets. There would be no prohibition on quotas based on citizen interactions.

Supporters said a citizen interaction quota would allow an officer to issue warnings and have other interactions to meet an agency’s requirements.

The bill fell one vote shy of moving to the governor’s desk. LL

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