Illinois bans quotas: 'Arbitrary quotas ... undermine the public trust'

Police ticket quotas are now banned in Illinois under legislation signed into law Sunday by Gov. Pat Quinn, a move supporters say will help restore public trust in law enforcement.

The law took effect immediately and applies to all local, county and state police departments.

It says municipalities and police departments cannot require officers to issue a certain number of citations in a certain period of time, and that the number of tickets that officers write cannot be used as part of their performance evaluations.

"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," Quinn said in a written statement, adding that the law will improve safety and working conditions for police officers.

The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Andy Manar of Bunker Hill and state Rep. Jay Hoffman of Swansea, both Democrats.

"Arbitrary quotas on the number of tickets that have to be issued by police officers undermine the public trust in the police departments' priorities," Hoffman said. "By eliminating these quotas, we can restore that trust and ensure that police officers are free to do their job protecting the public."

Manar said quotas are an ineffective way to evaluate police officers' performance.

"It doesn't lead to better policing, it doesn't lead to better use of taxpayer money and it doesn't lead to better relationships with the community, all of which are challenges we face," Manar said.