Is it true that police officers have a actual "quota" amount for the number of tickets they have to pass out?

Question

I also heard another / alternate version where it is not so much so the *number* of tickets they have to hand out, but the amount of money they have to bring in from ticketing - such as $150 or so... Is this true at all or simply a rumor?

I mean, it would explain those instances where you got a ticket for like $80 and you were only doing like 6 miles over the speed limit? Did that cop just NEED to bust someone - anyone who just happen to break the law (no matter how petty) just to meet his quota?

Thanks Guys for all of the answers so far. ^_^ Just to be clear here also, I have not gotten any ticket, this was just a curiosity question I wanted to get more info on... so all you guys like steven c, nytrainop, bartzan41 and so forth... calm down. No need to all riled up. It was just a question - do not be so sensitive.

Answer 1

My husband has been a police officer for more than 7 years. I even helped him study while he was in the academy. Trust me when I tell you, there is no "quota". It's nothing but a rumor.

As for the amount of the speeding ticket. And frankly I'm surprised you were told. Why? Because telling someone the amount of a ticket can sometimes cause the officer more problems than it's worth. Anyways, that's not a quota either. I'm not 100% sure who sets the amount for tickets. But I've always thought that to be City Council. And not all of it goes to the Police Department. Some of it goes to Victim Assistance, some to the Public Defenders Office, and so on. Which is why tickets are usually so high.

Now about doing only 6 miles over the limit. The officer who gave you the ticket had one of two things going on. If he wasn't alone he could have been with one of his supervisors and had no choice. However, if he was along. Boyfriend was having a very bad day because depending upon the road conditions they'll usually give up to about 10 over the limit. That also depends on the flow of traffice and the weather too.

Answer 2

So, what your saying is they are making up the charges? Oh, they are not? Well then what does it matter if there is or isn't a quota? Bottom line, the people getting tickets still broke the law.
For the record A) Police depts don't set ticket amounts, elected officials set the fines.
B) They very rarely see any of the money. It usually goes to the state or local government and is used for anything.
Also, is it not the police's job to write tickets? As an employer, shouldn't the government expect the cops to ,now hold on to your hats..... actually do their job, which coincidentally, includes writing tickets??
Following the quota logic, I guess they shouldn't arrest to many murderers or rapists either. I mean do they just NEED to bust someone? Where would you like to draw the line?
Offenses you call "petty" often kill people. Speeding, running lights, reckless driving etc. Frequently people who commit larger crimes also have contempt for those pesky little ones.
Like the parking ticket that led to the arrest of the son of sam.
Like the improperly attached plate that captured Timothy McVeigh.
Like it or not, more people are killed in traffic accidents due to those "petty" offenses than people who are killed yearly by those big old offenses you think cops should really be after.

Answer 3

There are many things that go into wether or not you get pulled over. Some of it is profiling. If you are driving a non-standard vehicle for instance. As in, tricked out, lowered, extra lights,etc, you will stand out. If you speed, you will get pulled over for a drug check, and if clean, just a ticket. There are actually ranking officers that will verbally say, go write tickets, that's the order of the day, don't ask, just do it. It does happen, though there is officialy and legaly no quota. This info comes from a small town, and may not apply to big cities.
( yeah, right...ever seen a cop pull over the out of state license plate so there is no court battle? )
All this being said, police officers are under paid and over worked. Most cops are just the next guy, and really try to do their job the best they can, and should have our thanks, not our anger over the ticket written because you broke the law!!

Answer 4

No. The officer doesn't get anything for giving out more or less tickets. Some departments have guidelines that say the officer will issue a summons for a certain offenses, and others give the officer more digression. In the town where I work it is largely discretionary for minor offenses such as speed, stop sign where no accident has occurred, but a small city 15 miles north of us has a policy that everyone going 10 or more mph over the limit gets a ticket.

Answer 5

Nope no quota. Also, the cost of the citations are set by the courts/state not the officers.

Edit: I have been thinking about this one. I do wish the officers had the ability to put an extra fee on a citation for putting up with some of these motorists. We've all stopped them. The "I pay your salary" crowd that wants to know why you have the nerve to write them a ticket for speeding when there are drug dealers and murders out running around. That would be great.

Answer 6

A quota means or implies that there is a finite number of citations a police officer must write per month to maintain his job.

I worked for 11 years out of my 33 year career as a police officer assigned to traffic enforcement, heading a motorcycle unit. My immediate supervisor told me specifically (and I passed it on to many others, including our court system) that I did not have a quota, I could write as many citations as I wanted and didn't have to stop because I reached some magical number.

I did, however get a minor reprimand for telling a motorist (who later complained) that suggested I was only writing a citation because I had a quota to fill that she was absolutely right and with this citation to her I was going to win a brand new chrome plated toaster.

Some people just don't have a sense of humor.

Answer 7

Quotas for tickets are illegal in most states. However, police officers are going to get questioned by their supervisors if they aren't writing any tickets, because that indicates that they might be chilling in a parking lot their entire shift.

Police officers have nothing to do with the amount of the fine. The amount is determined by either state law or by a judge.

Answer 8

First of all, there are no "petty" laws. Cops "need to bust" everyone who breaks the law. That's their job. It's what YOU pay them to do.
The US Supreme Court has ruled that it is illegal for any government agency (city, county, state, etc.) to put a quota on the number or dollar amount of tickets an officer must write.
Some places still do, though, and I have no idea how they get away with it.

Answer 9

No, its not true, or at least for any department I've worked for.

I've never been in trouble for not writing enough tickets, but have been bitched at by the less pro-active members of my team for "making them look bad".

Few years back our department worked out how many tickets we would have to write each hour to cover the costs of traffic enforcement, court costs, overtime for court etc, as a response to the local rag running a BS "quota" story. Basically showed that we don't make a dime profit on traffic tickets.

Ask me about my "quota" when I pull you over, and 'cos I'm the public servant that doesn't want to disappoint, you'll get your ticket....

I, and many other officers don't pull traffic for the sake of it, we're looking for felonies, warrants, contraband, DUIs etc

That said, I don't doubt there's departments and individuals out there who have unofficial or official numbers they need or want to hit.

Answer 10

See this is the problem with people these days. They think the police have nothing better to do then try to empty out a ticket book every month. No we don't have quotas we have to make.