Why do people think you have "quotas" to make?

[bbuie]

Hi folks!
I've read many posts on the site dealing with the idea that people think LEO's have a quota to make. Why would anybody think that? I've heard it all my life ( usually from someone who got a ticket) and I just wonder where it came from.
You ever feel like telling anybody , "Sure, two more tickets and my wife gets a toaster oven!" ? I guess if you did, somebody would put in a complaint!
Stay safe out there!

[littlechristylu]

Well, I've heard from some friends that police officers are required to write at least so many tickets monthly because thats where they get thier paychecks. i always figured that made sense, but I guess I'm wrong.

Christy

[txinvestigator1]

Christilu,

Please tell me you are not that naive!! Lets look at some FACTS.

An overwhelming majority of tickets are dismissed. Of those that are fined, a large chunk of the fine goes to the state. The remainder goes to the court.

Look at any city budget except for the smallest towns with no industry and few residents. You will see that ticket revenue is usually less than 1% of the total city budget.

I am well aware of the fact that there are still small backwards towns that run speed traps and collect huge portions of the budget from tickets, but can someone here name one?

It is also been ruled unconstutional by the US Supreme Court for Police Departments to have quotas.

On my department we didn't have a quota, I could write as many as I wanted.:D

Seriously, a policeman in a marked car cannot drive around in an 8 hour shift without seeing at least two flagrant violations. Administrators know this and they know an officer who never writes tickets is not doing his job.

[Stump]

Some of our town police depts have unofficial quotas. The bosses kind of question them if they don't have a certain number of tickets a month. I think that is just so they can prove they are actually working....

[txinvestigator1]

As I wrote, administrators know that you cannot drive around for 8 hours without at least two tickets falling right on top of you.

Most agencies use traffic enforcement as one of an overall judge of an officers performance.

[realpolice]

The way I answer these questions/statements in court are "We have objectives," as opposed to quotas. My "objectives" are to decrease accidents through traffic enforcement. Sergeants are always hesitant (at least here) to "tell you" you need to write more tickets, as of course quotas are illegal. However, they can legally tell you that your work performance is lower than the others on an average, and move you from your position (say to a desk position), if need be. It's all in the wording. Although I do try for a certain number of tickets, I've never written a bad ticket just to make a number. In fact, there's been times where I've written a fraction (or none) of what I usually write.

[gongshow]

Well I know my division doesn't have quotas up here in Canada, I am happy when I get a lunch break, no time for tickets...but if you are thinking of visiting be aware the parking officers certainly seem to have quotas! I get parking tags all the time!!

[hawkman]

I can name a small town that uses tickets for a good portion of a budget... but thats just because unless they had a town marshal to write tickets, they would not have a town marshal. This is a poor county, and responce time can be 20 minutes or greater at time depending on were the deputies are at since there are alot of times only 1 deputy out. So the deputy knows, unless he writes so many tickets, he may not have the funding to give him a pay check... But he does not have a "quota" He just knows how many it takes to keep his pay checks coming.

NOBODY local will speed threw that town, not even at 2 MPH over LOL He put a whipping on that. So its usualy the out of towners that experiance that since they are accustomed to being allowed 5-10 over before being pulled over.

[realpolice]

Originally posted by gongshow
Well I know my division doesn't have quotas up here in Canada, I am happy when I get a lunch break, no time for tickets...but if you are thinking of visiting be aware the parking officers certainly seem to have quotas! I get parking tags all the time!!

That's funny. :cool:

[tcsd1236]

We too have performance objectives, which measure totals not only in tickets , but also civil papers served, penal law arrrests, etc. Its a total count they look at, not just tickets. So you can kick butt one month in civil papers served or warrant executions and if your ticket count is low they'll give you a break.

Where I get in trouble is when I go on vacation or school, because they don't let your totals slide based on being away, so you have to generate some decent numbers for the portion of the month that you ARE there. I'll be gone most of July on military leave..will only be working 4 days the entire month..so I have to somehow generate a months worth of numbers in 4 days.

[LBomb]

All I know is that if I write a certain amount of tickets every month, I get a free toaster!!!
<<<<<<<<<<SARCASM ALERT SARCASM ALERT>>>>>>>>>>>

[Solego]

I think I wrote 4 tickets last month. BUT!!!!!!! I wrote just as many reports as everybody else and handled 61 calls (as primary) last month. We have to keep stats. Even though we have this handy dandy computer system called Computer Aided Dispatch, which records every call we've ever had since its inception 374 years ago.

[ucjdea92]

You said to name one town here's one, the poorest county in Alabama ucjdea92.

Originally posted by txinvestigator1
Christilu,

Please tell me you are not that naive!! Lets look at some FACTS.

An overwhelming majority of tickets are dismissed. Of those that are fined, a large chunk of the fine goes to the state. The remainder goes to the court.

Look at any city budget except for the smallest towns with no industry and few residents. You will see that ticket revenue is usually less than 1% of the total city budget.

I am well aware of the fact that there are still small backwards towns that run speed traps and collect huge portions of the budget from tickets, but can someone here name one?

It is also been ruled unconstutional by the US Supreme Court for Police Departments to have quotas.

On my department we didn't have a quota, I could write as many as I wanted.:D

Seriously, a policeman in a marked car cannot drive around in an 8 hour shift without seeing at least two flagrant violations. Administrators know this and they know an officer who never writes tickets is not doing his job.

[txinvestigator1]

UCJ,

Ummm, what the hell is your point? Is there a town named ucjdea92?

Jeesh

[doughnut]

the truth of it probably lies in the "take no personal responsiblity" aire that pervades modern society. Most people won't own up to their problems and look for ways to pass the blame. If they can pass their driving negligence off on the police (i.e. faulty radar detector, quota, etc.) it makes them feel better. Of course, ******* cops and administrators do have an impact here...like the old adage, one rotten apple can spoil the whole lot.