Ticket quota

Ticket quotas are the minimal number of tickets to be issued by a law enforcement officer for issuing parking tickets, stopping people for moving violations, issuing quality of life summonses and even for making arrests. Some police departments set "productivity goals" but deny specific quotas.[1]

United States

Al O'Leary, a spokesman for the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association in Brooklyn, New York says: "Such quotas put the cops under pressure to write summonses when the violations don't exist ... It takes discretion away from the police officer."[1]

Netherlands

The national quota system for issuing tickets was previously scrapped from police performance contracts, but individual forces may still impose their own quota system. In 2009 Guusje ter Horst told Members of Parliament the justice ministry had agreed that the police should raise €831m through fines.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Fahim, Kareem (January 12, 2006). "Police in Brooklyn Used Illegal Ticket Quotas, Arbitrator Decides". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/20/nyregion/20police.html. Retrieved 2009-11-21. "In the 75th Precinct, the union accused the Police Department of setting quotas for parking tickets, moving violations, "quality of life" summonses (for offenses like turnstile jumping) and arrests, according to the arbitrator's report." 
  2. ^ "More fines, more respect says police minister". DutchNews.nl. November 17, 2009. http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2009/11/more_fines_more_respect_says_p.php. Retrieved 2009-11-21. "The police can boost their standing in the community by handing out more fines, home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst told MPs on Tuesday. People expect to get a fine if they break the law, Ter Horst said. 'The instrument to boost respect is writing out tickets,' she was quoted as saying in the Telegraaf. 'People approve if road hogs or drivers who go through red lights are fined.' Ter Horst told MPs the justice ministry had agreed the police should raise €831m through fines, and denied this is new policy. Opposition MPs say the reputation of the police is being hurt by police officers standing on street corners handing out as many fines as possible. While the national quota was scrapped from police performance contracts, individual forces may still impose their own, the Telegraaf said."