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In a recent majority 57-1 vote, the Illinois Senate has passed a bill that aims to end the supposed ticket quotas that some in the state suspect exist. Before the passing of the bill there was speculation that police were required to meet some arbitrary number of tickets issued, and complaints such as unfair or excessive tickets due to police simply trying to fulfill a quota emerged. Local police already claim that no such quota exists in judging an officers performance, but instead focus more on the number of community contacts the officer makes is made, be it reports or tickets. The recent bill however, would end any doubt.
The bill drafted by Senator Andy Manar, a Democrat from Bunker Hill, was voted against by only one other Senator, the former Lee County Sheriff Tim Bivins, a Republican, whose argument is that the new legislation would provide more incentive for officers to slack on the job.
“For example, an officer in 2 months hasn’t made an arrest, written a citation, and you try to discipline them or correct them, they file a grievance or unfair labor practice saying ‘You can’t tell me, I don’t have to write tickets.’ You’ll always have humans being humans and take advantage of the system and that’s part of the problem I saw with this law,” says Bivins.
Other opposition to the measure involves the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, who fought the measure.
The measure’s next destination is now the Illinois House.
