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Ohio is behind several US states in banning police ticket quotas

Half of US states have outlawed police from having ticket quotas, whereas Ohio police can be mandated to write up to 20 tickets in a single day. Ohio State Representative Bride Rose Sweeney explained: “In Ohio, it is completely legal for us to mandate a police officer to go out every single day on a taxpayer dime to produce 10-20 tickets,” Carscoops reports. 

“We want our law enforcement officers to be evaluated based upon the quality of their police work, not the quantity of tickets they can write,” Sweeney told Jalopnik. If Ohio’s bipartisan bill, House Bill 131, is approved, Ohio will become the 26th US state to ban police ticket and arrest quotas.

Where police ticket quotas come from

National police and security procedures expert and court expert Tim Dimoff notes that police quotas began almost three decades ago. Dimoff explains that mandates were originally enforced to verify that traffic police were performing their duties and that the department was getting their money’s worth for each officer. Mandates can include daily, weekly, or monthly quotas. However, motivations for mandate enforcement increasingly shifted toward financial gain, especially for smaller departments with more limited resources. 

Bill support exists outside of the House and the Senate

While ticket quotas are still legal in Ohio, some divisions aren’t enforcing the practice, echoing the support behind House Bill 131. Department head Joe Albert, from the Columbus Division of Police, said: “Our focus instead is on maintaining public safety and not meeting just an arbitrary number goal or numerical goal. We’re focused on building those positive relationships within our community and working together to make our community safer,” Spectrum News reports.

Ohio has repeatedly tried to ban police ticket and arrest quotas in the past, but increasing support in the House and Senate for House Bill 131 is breathing new optimism into the effort. The bill is also receiving backing from two of Ohio’s largest unions for officers and deputies: the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (OPBA).

“There are some communities that should be focused on violence — should be focusing on community and/or policing. If you’re requiring officers to go write tickets, it kind of takes away from an opportunity for an officer to do those things,” said Ken Kober, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Queen City Lodge 69.

Upon passing, the bill would allow officers or deputies to report quota practices to the Ohio Attorney General for investigation. Alabama and Virginia were the two most recent states to ban police ticket quotas in 2024.

Final thoughts 

Public outrage associated with police ticket quotas has grown in recent years. In 2023, a story broke about Fenton, Louisiana, a small town with a population of 226, generating over $1 million per year primarily through traffic tickets via its mayor’s court. Fenton, Louisiana’s mayor, Eddie Alfred Jr., was also judge of this court, sparking further negative media attention. After extensive media coverage and public complaints, Alfred Jr. stepped down from his court role and appointed an attorney. While police ticket and arrest quotas are very much alive in the United States, negative views on the practice are fueling bipartisan support in the House and Senate.