Don’t set quotas for police officers

The two Republican candidates for York County sheriff recently discussed the issue of traffic violation “quotas” with The Herald, with one saying they are wrong and the other saying they don’t exist.

But if the S.C. Senate follows the example of the House, the question could be moot. Under a proposed bill, law enforcement officers could not be required to write a certain number of tickets. The bill, which the House passed last month 99-0, was approved unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee and reached the Senate floor Tuesday.

In the recent discussion between the two York County candidates, former crime scene investigator for the sheriff’s office John Williams, contends that deputies are given ticket quotas, and he has made eliminating them a cornerstone of his campaign. His opponent, Kevin Tolson, an investigator with the 16th Circuit Solicitor’s Office and former deputy, said the sheriff’s office does not require deputies to meet quotas.

This week, Sheriff Bruce Bryant adamantly denied that his office sets quotas for deputies.

Whether the heads of law enforcement agencies explicitly instruct officers to go out and write a specific number of tickets each month can be difficult to pin down. But, as Williams notes, it is possible to suggest quotas in other ways.

“Call them quotas, call them goals, call them performance indicators – any time a department uses a number to guide and direct their ticket writing, they’ve lost their connection with the community,” he said.

In any case, perception might be as important as reality in regard to quotas. Many drivers believe quotas exist even without conclusive evidence.

That belief can undermine confidence in law enforcement, which is one of the primary reasons state Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg, sponsored the proposed ban. He said quotas pressure officers to stop people for minor offenses, which heightens mistrust and tensions with the communities they serve.

Supporters of Bamberg’s bill say that officers have more productive things they could be doing – such as patrolling neighborhoods, checking on the welfare of elderly residents, monitoring gang activities – than meeting ticket quotas. Banning quotas would make both officers and residents happier, supporters stress.

While the bill doesn’t specify what the punishment would be if agencies don’t comply with the no-quota rule, it at least would send a needed message. And Bamberg notes that if police chiefs ignore the law, they can be fired by a mayor or city council.

The first priority of any law enforcement agency should be public safety. Money from issuing tickets should not serve as a steady revenue stream for any agency.

The visible presence of patrol cars on the road is a much better deterrent to speeding than speed traps designed to ensnare unwitting drivers. And just knowing that quotas are forbidden by the state should heighten public confidence in their local law enforcement agencies.

This bill helps ensure that keeping the public safe is as high a priority as collecting money from traffic fines.

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 3:59 PM with the headline "Don’t set quotas for police officers."