(The Center Square) – Eliminating police quotas in Ohio is gaining momentum in the state House of Representatives.
A bipartisan plan to stop speed traps and other law enforcement quotas continues to move through the chamber without opposition, with the bill’s fourth hearing taking place Wednesday.
The legislation would make it illegal for municipalities to establish ticket and arrest quotas, joining 25 other states that ban the practice often used by government entities to increase budgets.
Sponsors say quotas are a risk to public safety, forcing officers to focus on ticket writing rather than the overall safety of a community.
Police chiefs across the state say quotas undermine the mission of law enforcement and create issues between officers and the public.
“As a seasoned law enforcement professional, I can attest that quotas undermine the very foundation of our profession,” Independence Police Chief Robert Butler recently testified on behalf of the Ohio Association of Police Chiefs. “They erode public trust by creating an environment where officers are pressured to issue citations or make arrests not based on the merits of each situation but to meet arbitrary numbers. This not only compromises the fairness and integrity of our work but also places an undue burden on our officers.”
Michigan and Pennsylvania already have quota bans, along with the Ohio State High Patrol, a key fact for cosponsor Rep. Kevin Miller, a 20-year patrol veteran.
“If the Ohio State Highway Patrol, arguably the most proactive law enforcement agency in Ohio, can operate with a quota prohibition, so can the other law enforcement agencies in the state,” Miller said.
House Bill 131 also received support from the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association and the Fraternal Order of Police.
