Governor Pat Quinn recently signed a bill that bans Illinois police departments from assigning ticket quotas and evaluating officers based on whether or not they meet those quotas.
Quinn said the law will allow the officer to determine whether or not a driver should receive a ticket without bias or fear of failing to meet a certain number of tickets in a month.
“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,” the governor said in a news release. “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.”
The bill, which was signed last Sunday, went into effect immediately. The new law applies to local, county, and state police precincts. Earlier this year the bill made its way through the House and Senate with ease, passing 106-9 and 57-1 respectively.
State Rep. Jay Hoffman sponsored the bill, and said he expects the law to lead to better relations between civilians and law enforcement officials.
“Arbitrary quotas on the number of tickets that have to be issued by police officers undermines the public trust in the police departments’ priorities,” said Hoffman, a Democrat from suburban St. Louis. “By eliminating these quotas, we can restore that trust and ensure that police officers are free to do their job protecting the public.”
Brett Appelman comments
This is encouraging news, as it can be difficult to prove that a person received a ticket mainly because the officer needed to reach a certain quota. You may have been speeding, but if the officer needs 10 more tickets by the day’s end to avoid a mark on his record, you can bet that you’re not getting off with a warning.
Now that your driving actions and interaction with the officer are the only influences on whether or not you receive a ticket, it may be a good time to re-read our post on five ways to avoid a traffic ticket.
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