If a hundred cars drive by a 'speed trap', and no one was issued a Ticket
-- Was there any Crime?
That is the seeming conundrum ...
Former police officer exposes Chesterfield’s ticket quota goals
by Melissa Hipolit, wtvr.com -- July 14, 2014
[...]
A former officer with the Chesterfield Police Department came to CBS 6 investigative reporter Melissa Hipolit with concerns about the way he said the department measured officer performance. His recent review contained traffic stop and arrest mandates.
It showed the following work goals:
• Two-three traffic stops per day
• One arrest per day
“Failure to meet the expectation during this work performance plan will result in further disciplinary action,” the review read.
The former officer said he resigned after he was denied a one percent raise for not making enough traffic stops and arrests.
[...]
If a hundred people walk down the street, and no one was hassled and arrested,
-- Does that really mean: Crime is 'running rampant'?
Cop Fired for Speaking Out Against Ticket and Arrest Quotas
by Tracy Oppenheimer, reason.com -- July 24, 2013
[...]
“When I first heard about the quotas I was appalled,” says former Auburn police officer Justin Hanners, who claims he and other cops were given directives to hassle, ticket, or arrest specific numbers of residents per shift. “I got into law enforcement to serve and protect, not be a bully.”
Hanners blew the whistle on the department’s tactics and was eventually fired for refusing to comply and keep quiet. He says that each officer was required to make 100 contacts each month, which included tickets, arrests, field interviews, and warnings. [...]
But even when you got "the Law" on your side -- sometimes you still don't 'win' ...
Former Officer Justin Hanners' case against the Quota Systems was dismissed -- even though he had the support of his fellow officers:
He said other officers shared his concerns on the purported mandate [100 contacts each month].
“We were beaten down over this ticket stuff and it wasn’t just me,” Hanners said. “If you weren’t writing enough, you would get called out on every little thing you did. You were hassled. But if you wrote a lot of tickets, you’d get promoted and get protected when you made mistakes. It was constant.”
Kind of sounds like that 'system'
may be rigged ... 'tilted' in favor of those who meet their "off-the-books" Quotas unflinchingly, eh?
Sometimes however, what's Right does prevail ...
Here's an instance, in which an Illegal Quota System case was not dismissed. The result was quite costly to the municipality [ie. city taxpayers] involved:
LA police win $6M settlement over ticket quotas
The $5.9-million settlement approved Tuesday resolves two lawsuits filed in 2010 by 11 LAPD officers assigned to a motorcycle unit
by Joel Rubin and Catherine Saillant, Los Angeles Times; policeone.com -- Dec 17, 2013
[...]
The ticket controversy has been a black eye for the Los Angeles Police Department. Ticket quotas are against state law. After the officers' allegations were made public, LAPD officials met with police union representatives and signed a letter emphasizing that the department prohibits quotas.
[...]
The lawsuits alleged that Lauer, who ran the division starting in 2006, required officers to write at least 18 traffic tickets each shift and demanded that 80% of the citations be for major violations.
Officers who failed to meet the minimums or raised concerns about them were reprimanded, denied overtime assignments, given undesirable work schedules and subjected to other forms of harassment, according to the lawsuits. In a few instances, Lauer attempted to kick officers out of the motorcycle unit, the lawsuits said.
[...]
Police Officers who have "this Law" on their side -- sometimes
DO 'win' ...
"No state or local agency...may establish any policy requiring any peace officer or parking enforcement employees to meet an arrest quota."
-- California Vehicle Code 41602
-- from
nbcmiami.com -- Palo Alto Police Officers Say Ticket Quotas Put Public Safety at Risk
Perhaps one of the more insidious things, about Police Arrest Quota systems -- is that they re-enforce and reward "bad behavior" (in terms of "public service"), while at the same time discount and even punish the "good behavior," when officers genuinely try to "help the public."
Three NPD officers sue town over alleged quotas
by Edith Brady-Lunny, pantagraph.com -- Nov 12, 2014
[...]
Each of the night shift patrol officers claims in the lawsuit they have been disciplined for failure meet a minimum number of monthly arrests for traffic, criminal and ordinance violations.
[...]
A law signed this year in Illinois makes such quota systems illegal.
Richard Steagall, attorney for the officers, said there is little opportunity for officers to makes arrests during the overnight hours when most people are sleeping. Urging officers to make arrests could lead to violations of people's constitutional rights, he said.
"They didn't sign up for their jobs to create tickets," said Steagall, adding that officers "get no credit for assistance calls where they are helping people. Those calls are more important than minor traffic tickets."
[...]
Such is the
failed 'rigging' of these misguided ships of state -- when quota-driven Police departments miss their mark -- of building public trust, and protecting the public --
ALL of the Public. And our
constitutional rights.
There is a reason why assigning Quota targets for arrests and 'hassling contacts' -- IS ILLEGAL:
That reason is WE just might be innocent -- and the real threat to the Public, is a stressed-out officer with a daily, weekly, and monthly Quota to meet.
An officer who has been 'conditioned' to see that next person walking down the street -- as their next 'checkmark' on the List; the one last hashmark that finally puts them 'over the top' ... THIS week.
