CINCINNATI, Ohio — A new state law prohibits police departments across Ohio from using ticket quotas as part of evaluating officer performance, WKRC reported.
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Ohio Senate Bill 114, which went into effect on Sept. 30, aims to eliminate long-standing concerns that officer promotions and disciplinary actions were tied to citation numbers.
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The law prevents agencies from requiring officers to meet a minimum number of traffic stops, tickets or arrests for evaluation purposes. Lawmakers behind the bill say the change is intended to improve public trust in law enforcement.
Ken Kober, president of the Cincinnati Police Union, noted that although quotas are not widely used anymore, the public perception that they exist still influences how officers are viewed.
“Whether it was the end of the month or the beginning of the month, if you got stopped and you’re speeding, you would hear it from certain people. They go, ‘Oh, I guess you’re just trying to meet your quota for the month,’” Kober said.
State Representative Phil Plummer, who formerly served as sheriff in Montgomery County, was one of the bill’s leading voices. He described quotas as outdated and said removing them allows officers to better exercise discretion when enforcing the law.
“If you take away their discretion by mandating quotas and certain citations, it doesn’t bode well for police-community relationships,” Plummer said.
In addition to banning quotas, the law requires the Ohio Attorney General to establish a system that allows officers to report any use of quotas within their departments. The system will include an anonymous reporting option to protect whistleblowers, according to the report.
With the passage of the bill, Ohio becomes the 27th state to ban the use of ticket quotas in law enforcement.
What impact do you think Ohio’s ban on ticket quotas will have on officer discretion and community trust?
- I was an officer with a suburban Ohio department that, for public consumption, ostensibly had a “No Quota” policy — every evaluation I had included an “objective” that was essentially a quota. They need to do away with objectives and require supervisors to take time and make an effort to evaluate the quality of performance; example, DUI arrests vs DUI convictions.
- I honestly can’t believe this is even an issue anymore. Ticket quotas were always a horrible idea. They are insanely counterproductive. There is absolutely a place for local agencies. The problem directly affects the states, counties, and municipalities. We should all be working together to protect our national borders.
- I’m an officer in New York State. This year, there was a period of time that, due to call volume and weather, we were unable to write the amount of tickets they expected. The town accused the union of striking and fined the majority of patrol. This is a state where quotas are illegal as well.
- One more unnecessary law. If it is not a thing why make it a law.
- We never had quotas. We could write all we wanted to.
- Ridiculous! Police are supposed to enforce traffic laws. If there is no way to make them work, then what is preventing them from doing nothing? I do not want officers on the payroll that want to sit and do nothing and get a good paycheck for absolutely nothing. How can you tie the hands of police departments to protect the lazy!?
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