Illinois Bans Ticket Quotas for Traffic Violations

 Posted on July 17, 2014 in Criminal Law

New legislation signed into action by Governor Pat Quinn may quell some complaints about the high costs that come with operating a vehicle in Illinois. This legislation provides an official ban prohibiting all Illinois police departments from placing ticketing quotas on police officers. Governor Quinn stated his support for the legislation, which he believes will encourage officers to exercise their sound discretion and judgment when ticketing for traffic violations. In a recent press release Governor Quinn went on record stating that “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.”

Senate Bill 3411 (SB 3411) was sponsored by Illinois State Representative Jay Hoffman and presented as an amendment to the Illinois Civil Administration Code. SB3411 passed the Illinois House of Representative with a 106-9 vote, and a 57-1 final vote in the Illinois State Senate. The official goal for implementing the law was to improve public-police relations, and to better use the services of Illinois police officers. SB3411 requires that the Illinois Police Department cannot order police officers to issue a specified number of ticket citations during a designated time period. This new prohibition will not affect any federal or state funds awarded to police departments for the purpose of funding traffic enforcement programs.

SB3411 also provides a prohibition against using the number of citations made by a police officer as a means to evaluate a police officer's job performance. This includes prohibiting the comparison of police officers based on the amount of tickets issued by one police officer in relation to the amount of citations issued by other police officers. However, SB3411 will not prohibit the evaluation of a police officer's work based on a police officer's “points of contact.” Points of contact include any quantifiable contact that occurs while performing official police duties such as traffic stops, crime prevention measures, written warnings, and arrests.

What the New Quota Means for Illinois Drivers

Inordinate ticketing by the Illinois police department has been a gripe of Illinois residents for years. Many have seen the excessive ticketing as a means for revenue generation, as opposed to being used to actually deter and punish those who are breaking the law. The fact that police officers have been forced to issue a specific amount of citations has supported this viewpoint. With the passing of SB3411, ticketing for traffic violations in Illinois could finally be fair. The law takes effect immediately and is applicable for all state, local, and county Illinois law enforcement officers and agencies. This ticket quota prohibition should be a great boost to the Illinois police department's public image, and will allow officers to base citation issuances on legal violations, as opposed to quota requirements.