Ohio isn’t really known as a place where good things happen, but as the saying goes, “a broken clock is right twice a day.” With news that lawmakers in the state want to ban police departments from having arrest and ticket quotas, it seems we have hit one of those times on the clock.
The bipartisan bill, reintroduced by Democratic State Representative Rose Sweeney alongside Republican Kevin Miller, looks to eliminate quotas for both arrests and tickets in the Buckeye State, according to WCMH 4. Why that was even a thing in the first place is beyond me, but it’s a step in the right direction.
“Law enforcement officers’ primary job is to protect and serve our community — they can’t do that if they are expected to meet arbitrary quotas that don’t reflect the safety needs of the community,” said Sweeney, who also introduced the measure last General Assembly. “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.”
If a ban like this is passed, Ohio will become the 26th state to do so, joining the likes of Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Texas, Michigan and Pennsylvania, among others. Apparently, the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association and the Fraternal Order of Police are also on board with this proposed law. It’s an extremely rare win for these groups — even rarer than an Ohio win.
Everyone knows quotas are bad
Anyway, the OPBA director says that when police departments and agencies dictate a certain number of arrests or citations an officer must hit to keep their job, the trust between the public and law enforcement — as well as policing itself — is unnecessarily strained, WCMH reports. I could not agree more.
“Ohioans must be assured that any citation or arrest is valid, legitimate, and necessary. Police officers, sheriff’s deputies and troopers are true professionals who risk their lives to serve our communities, not revenue generators,” said Sakellakis. “They got into this business to protect our neighborhoods, not occupy them. We are thankful that the legislature is tackling this important issue.”
Tom Patton, a Republican State Senator, has called quota traffic stops “very dangerous,” adding that there is “an awful lot of bad stuff that happens,” according to WOSU. He also said that every time an officer stops someone, they’re risking a violent interaction.
Other state politicians have said that these quotas are for one thing: getting money for Ohio, WOSU reports. They’re not actually connected to any sort of safety concern.
Here’s hoping the rest of Ohio’s state legislature sees this bill through. It’s genuinely a good idea to get rid of ticket and arrest quotas. Not only does it stop police officers from being put in tough positions, it keeps innocent people out of jail with their money rightfully in their pockets.