Law Signed Banning Police Officer Ticket Quotas
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed Senate Bill (SB3411) on Sunday which prohibits municipalities from requiring police officers to meet ticket quotas. The new law also prevents quotas from being used to evaluate an officer’s performance.
“Law enforcement officers should have discretion on when and where to issue traffic citations and not be forced to ticket motorists to satisfy a quota system,” Quinn said. “This new law will improve safety and working conditions for police officers and prevent motorists from facing unnecessary anxiety when they encounter a police vehicle.”
Sponsored by State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) and State Representative Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea), SB3411 prohibits a county or municipality from requiring a law enforcement officer to issue a specific number of citations within a designated period of time. It also says a county or municipality may not compare the number of citations issued by the law enforcement officer to the number of citations issued by any other law enforcement officer for purposes of job performance evaluation. The new law applies to local, county and state police officers, and is effective immediately.
According to SB3411, Section 5 of the Department of Natural Resources’ Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois has been amended by adding Section 805-537 which now states:
(20 ILCS 805/805-537 new)
Sec. 805-537. Conservation Police Officer quotas
The Department may not require a Conservation Police Officer to issue a specific number of citations within a designated period of time. This prohibition shall not affect the conditions of any federal or State grants or funds awarded to the Department and used to fund traffic enforcement programs. The Department may not, for purposes of evaluating a Conservation Police Officer's job performance, compare the number of citations issued by the Conservation Police Officer to the number of citations issued by any other Conservation Police Officer who has similar job duties. Nothing in this Section shall prohibit the Department from evaluating a Conservation Police Officer based on the Conservation Police Officer's points of contact. For the purposes of this Section, "points of contact" means any quantifiable contact made in the furtherance of the Conservation Police Officer's duties, including, but not limited to, the number of traffic stops completed, arrests, written warnings, and crime prevention measures. Points of contact shall not include either the issuance of citations or the number of citations issued by a Conservation Police Officer.
The amendment varies in description based on the governing in charge of specific law enforcement officers.
“With today’s technology, there are more effective ways to evaluate the performance of a police officer," Senator Manar said. “Using the number of citations is an outdated and ineffective evaluation tool. It doesn't lead to better policing, it doesn't lead to better use of taxpayer money and it doesn't lead to better relationships with the community, all of which are challenges we face.”
“Arbitrary quotas on the number of tickets that have to be issued by police officers undermines the public trust in the police departments’ priorities,” Representative Hoffman said. “By eliminating these quotas, we can restore that trust and ensure that police officers are free to do their job protecting the public.”
For more information visit http://www.ilga.gov/legislation
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