Do Police Officers Have Traffic Ticket Quotas?

If you’re wondering whether the police officer who gave you a ticket was just trying to meet a monthly quota, you’re not the only one. If you do a quick Google search, you’ll find that many people are asking that very same question.

You may have gotten a ticket for going slightly above the speed limit while the car in front of you drove off at a much faster speed, or maybe you noticed a lot more police activity during a certain month. While it may seem as though there’s a set monthly quota in place, the truth isn’t so black and white.

Banning Traffic Ticket Quotas

Traffic ticket quotas have come under scrutiny in recent years, and many states have decided to ban them entirely. Illinois,
New Jersey,
California, and Oklahoma have all passed bills prohibiting police officers from having quotas. Police departments are also restricted from comparing the number of tickets officers have issued when determining raises or promotions. Other states are considering similar actions.

Imposing Illegal Traffic Ticket Quotas

Unfortunately, outlawing traffic ticket quotas has not deterred some police departments from imposing quotas under different names. Some departments use the term “station average” to track traffic tickets issued by officers.

California banned ticket quotas over 10 years ago, but some departments are now facing lawsuits for allegedly continuing the practice. In one case, Los Angeles was required to pay millions to officers after using quotas to evaluate performance. Additional cases are still pending in other departments.

Florida has also banned ticket quotas, but only for state law enforcement agencies. The ban was enforced after the Florida Highway Patrol was accused of firing an officer in 2009 for not issuing enough tickets. Police departments in

New York
and Pennsylvania have also faced scrutiny over similar practices.

Ticket Quotas Don’t Help the Public

Traffic citations are often expensive. Budget cuts in recent years have put pressure on some departments, and critics argue this may indirectly pressure officers to issue more tickets.

Some departments argue that eliminating quotas makes performance evaluation more difficult. However, supporters of the bans point out that officers can still be evaluated using other metrics, such as traffic stops, arrests, and warnings issued. The law simply prevents evaluation based strictly on ticket quotas.

Critics believe quotas shift focus away from public safety and toward numbers. Eliminating quotas may help officers focus more on protecting the public and improving trust in law enforcement.

If you’ve received a ticket, you may not necessarily have to accept points on your license. Many counties allow drivers to attend a traffic course to dismiss a ticket or avoid points. Keep that option in mind next time.