OHIO — Right now, it’s legal for law enforcement agencies to set quotas for the number of traffic tickets they issue, but one bill in the statehouse is looking to change that.

Ohio lawmakers are aiming to make arrest and ticket quotas illegal. Republican state senator Tom Patton is sponsoring a bill that would prohibit law enforcement agencies from setting them.

What You Need To Know

  • A new bill sponsored by Senator Tom Patton, R-Ohio, aims to make arrest and ticket quotas illegal

  • Quotas began almost three decades ago

  • Over time, quotas became a money generator for police departments

  • The bill received its first hearing in a house committee this week

Tim Dimoff, national police and security procedures expert and court expert, said quotas started almost three decades ago. 

“Originally the quotas was an accurate way of making sure that police officer assigned to traffic duties, was actually doing their duties and that the cities and the police department were getting basically their money’s worth of that officer’s time,” Dimoff said.

But as time went on, Dimoff said those quotas became a money generator.

“Especially smaller departments that needed money. The tickets became a good source of additional funds,” Dimoff said.

If this bill becomes law, Dimoff said it could get rid of some of the misconceptions.

“It eliminates that stigma and pressure on the officers,” Dimoff said. “The pressure to get rid of quotas came from citizens coming together and saying ‘Look, they’re more concerned about writing tickets collecting money than being fair to people.’”

 “Quotas make officers’ jobs even harder by undermining public trust in law enforcement,” Patton said. “Filling quotas also encourage unnecessary encounters between the public and officers, further hindering our primary goal of maintaining public safety.” 

Joe Albert, from the Columbus division of police, said his department doesn’t set quotas. 

“Our focus instead is on maintaining public safety and not meeting just an arbitrary number goal or numerical goal,” Albert said. “We’re focused on building those positive relationships within our community and working together to make our community safer.”

The bill received its first hearing in a house committee this week.

Dimoff said during his 20 years in law enforcement, his department didn’t set quotas.

But he also understands the purpose of the bill.

“This is an opportunity to kind of reboot,” Dimoff said. “Build those bridges that are needed badly in the United States between the police and the public.”