cops given directives to hassle, ticket, or arrest specific numbers of residents per shift

[Guest AmericanWorkMule]

What quotas? I never heard of any quotas?

 

 

“When I first heard about the quotas I was appalled,” says former Auburn police officer Justin Hanners, who claims he and other cops were given directives to hassle, ticket, or arrest specific numbers of residents per shift. “I got into law enforcement to serve and protect, not be a bully.”

Hanners blew the whistle on the department’s tactics and was eventually fired for refusing to comply and keep quiet. He says that each officer was required to make 100 contacts each month, which included tickets, arrests, field interviews, and warnings. This equates to 72,000 contacts a year in a 50,000 person town. His claims are backed up by audio recordings of his superiors he made. The Auburn police department declined requests to be interviewed for this story.

“
There are not that many speeders, there are not that many people running red lights to get those numbers, so what [the police] do is they lower their standards,” says Hanners. That led to the department encouraging officers to arrest people that Hanners “didn’t feel like had broken the law.”

 

http://reason.com/reasontv/2013/07/24/how-quotas-pervert-police-priorities-fir

 

 

[rugerla1]

We don't need no stinkin quotas!!

[vontar]

I don't know if it is still true or not, but years ago I heard the TN State police had a quota to get 2 felons a month.

 

quotas are were people come up and claim trumped up charges.  

 

I also disagree with a quota system.  There is enough actually crime out there that is well known that they could go after.

 

 

****

correction meant State Troopers.

Edited July 26, 2013 by vontar

[Tncobra]

McDonalds has quotas

[Sam1]

On the same note, many people birch about cops not doing anything, so why would "making 100 contacts" be a bad thing? It doesn't say write 300 speeding tickets, it mandates ineraction which I see as a good thing.

Tickets or arrests that come out of that, are up to the cop.

[daddyo]

On the same note, many people birch about cops not doing anything, so why would "making 100 contacts" be a bad thing? It doesn't say write 300 speeding tickets, it mandates ineraction which I see as a good thing.

Tickets or arrests that come out of that, are up to the cop.

Maybe you didn't watch the same video that I did.

[10-Ring]

I don't know if it is still true or not, but years ago I heard the TN State police had a quota to get 2 felons a month.

 

quotas are were people come up and claim trumped up charges.  

 

I also disagree with a quota system.  There is enough actually crime out there that is well known that they could go after.

 

Tennessee has no "state police" department, so I would guess that is not true.  We do have the TBI but I would certainly hope that a state wide agency that focuses on felonious crime would be hauling in more than two felons a month. 

[enfield]

There are certain officers who don't like to give tickets, even though there are enough speeders, line-crossers, and red light-runners out there to keep an army busy.  Traffic stops are the number one way that intoxicated drivers, druggies and people with warrants against them are caught.

 

You pay the taxes that pay  the cop's salary.  You buy him a car and gasoline to drive around.  Wouldn't you like to see him actually doing something in those 8 hours, like respond to at least 4 calls and make 4 traffic stops?

 

That's what 'quotas' are - minimal work standards for cops.

[TN-popo]

Lingo-wise, "quota" is verboten in LE circles. 

"Stats driven" or "Standards" is in.  Metro Nashville and other agencies are 'ate up' with it.

 

Personally, I think it's just a crutch for lazy LE supervisors.

Numbers don't tell the whole story.  I know what my people are doing...regardless of what a Stat Sheet says.

 

For instance, two different 3rd Shift officers...

 

#1 stays on the main roads and writes 5 tickets during his shift.  Yay.

#2 listened in rollcall, heard about a neighborhood getting crushed with vandalisms and car burglaries, and makes it his mission that night (in between the calls-for-service he has to answer).

At the end of the shift, he didn't catch anyone (white car with blue lights and POLICE all over it), but there were ZERO vandalisms and car burglaries that night.  Because of this, #2 didn't write any tickets.

 

Is #1 officer better than #2 officer?  "Stats Driven" says he is.

I say no.

Edited July 25, 2013 by TN-popo

[Jesse]

Im not a cop but i see enough speeders a day to write 400 tickets.

I do the speed limit and get passed about every 5 seconds.

[DaveTN]

Most all departments and most all jobs have quotas. Our department quit calling them quotas and started calling them acceptable standards; same thing.
 

Is #1 officer better than #2 officer?  "Stats Driven" says he is.

Officer #1 needs to be in a traffic car and #2 needs to be working District Patrol. At least that’s how we worked it.

[10-Ring]

Lingo-wise, "quota" is verboten in LE circles. 

"Stats driven" or "Standards" is in.  Metro Nashville and other agencies are 'ate up' with it.

 

Personally, I think it's just a crutch for lazy LE supervisors.

Numbers don't tell the whole story.  I know what my people are doing...regardless of what a Stat Sheet says.

 

For instance, two different 3rd Shift officers...

 

#1 stays on the main roads and writes 5 tickets during his shift.  Yay.

#2 listened in rollcall, heard about a neighborhood getting crushed with vandalisms and car burglaries.  He makes it his mission that night (in between the calls-for-service he has to answer).

At the end of the shift, he didn't catch anyone, but there were ZERO vandalisms and car burglaries that night.  #2 didn't write any tickets.

 

Is #1 officer better than #2 officer?  "Stats Driven" says he is.

 

Good point, sounds like both were doing a good job.  I had rather see an officer on patrol where bad things have been happening than writing tickets if I have to choose one or the other.  That proactive approach won't yield tickets or likely even contact and you can't prove a negative (police were in the neighborhood so there was no crime) but you know that if the thieves and vandals were out that night their night did not go as planned.

[TMF]

That's what 'quotas' are - minimal work standards for cops.

This equates to 72,000 contacts a year in a 50,000 person town.

[LI0NSFAN]

100 contact a month is only 5 contacts a day (based on a 5 day work week) and less than 1 an hour. Talking to a PO I was told that going into a store and asking the manager on duty if everything is ok is considered a contact.  I would say that the contact "quota" was just so some PO does not just park his car on the side of the road and sleep his shift away. With a college in Auburn I would assume that the "quota" is not hard to meet especially during football season. 

[Joseg]

You know I'm an advocate for active policing (patrolling crime areas), since like we all know it deters "crimes" and I have nothing against LEOs nor do I want this to be misconstrued as me bashing them or giving them a pass, now with that being said. Do I want it to get to the point where it's like NYC (a pair of dismounted LEO every other corner), no way in hell, there's better ways.. 

 

Metro has a racket going on with tickets, either the county is asking them to do it as a form of revenue or some other BS. All you have to do is spend a day at the Traffic court and you will see that it's a racket.. First time offenders no longer can get traffic school. 

[rugerla1]

When did the traffic school thing gi away? Hell, they still get paid even if they send the first time offenders to school.

[Caster]

Lingo-wise, "quota" is verboten in LE circles.
"Stats driven" or "Standards" is in. Metro Nashville and other agencies are 'ate up' with it.

Personally, I think it's just a crutch for lazy LE supervisors.
Numbers don't tell the whole story. I know what my people are doing...regardless of what a Stat Sheet says.

For instance, two different 3rd Shift officers...

#1 stays on the main roads and writes 5 tickets during his shift. Yay.
#2 listened in rollcall, heard about a neighborhood getting crushed with vandalisms and car burglaries. He makes it his mission that night (in between the calls-for-service he has to answer).
At the end of the shift, he didn't catch anyone, but there were ZERO vandalisms and car burglaries that night. #2 didn't write any tickets.

Is #1 officer better than #2 officer? "Stats Driven" says he is.

That is a very interesting point. What if cop number one wrote thirty tickets ranging from 5-15 mph over the limit and cop number two chased one guy all night eventually bringing him down and returning the child that was just abducted.

Your papers say number one did a better job. Number one can kiss my butt, number two gets free beer after his shift.

That's a great point about how paper work and numbers don't always add up. Thanks for posting that. Edited July 25, 2013 by Caster

[tnguy]

That's what 'quotas' are - minimal work standards for cops.

 

Really? I would have thought that lowering crime was the minimal work standard for cops, not simply just how much hassle they can unload on the public.

[RobertNashville]

The problem isn't with quotas if they exist; the problem is are cops ticketing/arresting innocent people just to meet them.

 

I view "red light cameras" in the same way.

 

I truly detest how folks down here (compared to the other states I've lived in) seem to believe that bright RED lights are mere suggestions that they should consider stopping at an intersection; I see drivers blatantly running red lights (and I mean they've been red for a few seconds) almost every day. So; I like that red light cameras may finally stop this dangerous behavior.  Unfortunately, studies have shown that red light cameras have almost nothing to do with safety and everything to do with raising revenue...for that reason, I oppose them.

 

Likewise, I'm opposed to any quotas that encourage cops to ticket drivers for minor or even non-existent violations just to meet their quota as I suspect those quotas have much more to do with $$$ than with safety.

[Caster]

The problem isn't with quotas if they exist; the problem is are cops ticketing/arresting innocent people just to meet them.

I view "red light cameras" in the same way.

I truly detest how folks down here (compared to the other states I've lived in) seem to believe that bright RED lights are mere suggestions that they should consider stopping at an intersection; I see drivers blatantly running red lights (and I mean they've been red for a few seconds) almost every day. So; I like that red light cameras may finally stop this dangerous behavior. Unfortunately, studies have shown that red light cameras have almost nothing to do with safety and everything to do with raising revenue...for that reason, I oppose them.

Likewise, I'm opposed to any quotas that encourage cops to ticket drivers for minor or even non-existent violations just to meet their quota as I suspect those quotas have much more to do with $$$ than with safety.

Well, you have a lot of people who seem to think getting a ticket for 51 in a 45 means a cop is out to get them and fill a quota. I mean, never mind the fact the sign CLEARLY says 45. Lol. People seem to think laws only apply to others.

I told a cop here in town a while back I had discovered a way to never get caught speeding again. No amount of laser/radar or pacing would ever catch me! Do the dang speed limit and you'll never catch me sucka! He laughed. .....it's true. If you wanna save money, spend less. If you wanna avoid tickets, obey the traffic laws.
Its a pretty startling revelation ain't it? Edited July 25, 2013 by Caster

[tnguy]

That'll be fun. Since speed limits are often set at the 85th percentile, we'll be chasing lower speed limits all the way down.

 

Variance in speedometer calibration should be fun too.

[RobertNashville]

Well, you have a lot of people who seem to think getting a ticket for 51 in a 45 means a cop is out to get them and fill a quota. I mean, never mind the fact the sign CLEARLY says 45. Lol. People seem to think laws only apply to others.

I told a cop here in town a while back I had discovered a way to never get caught speeding again. No amount of laser/radar or pacing would ever catch me! Do the dang speed limit and you'll never catch me sucka! He laughed. .....it's true. If you wanna save money, spend less. If you wanna avoid tickets, obey the traffic laws.
Its a pretty startling revelation ain't it?

No question that following the speed limit will usually result in no speeding tickets. But, it's not always a 100% because it's not always a certainty which car in speeding if the LEO is using Doppler radar and there are multiple targets.

 

Radar unit manufacturers and trainers may like to profess otherwise but there is and has to be a bit of human choice in the matter and they can chose incorrectly.  Plus; you put a bright red Corvette and a mini-van close to each other with the van doing 78 in a 70 zone and the Corvette doing 75 and I can almost guarantee you that more often than not, the 'Vette will draw the ticket for doing 78!  ;)

[Joseg]

Well, you have a lot of people who seem to think getting a ticket for 51 in a 45 means a cop is out to get them and fill a quota. I mean, never mind the fact the sign CLEARLY says 45. Lol. People seem to think laws only apply to others.

I told a cop here in town a while back I had discovered a way to never get caught speeding again. No amount of laser/radar or pacing would ever catch me! Do the dang speed limit and you'll never catch me sucka! He laughed. .....it's true. If you wanna save money, spend less. If you wanna avoid tickets, obey the traffic laws.
Its a pretty startling revelation ain't it?

 

 

You know I would agree with you, but Metro has a tendency to place their Motorcycle cops on a downward slope and hide at the bottom of the hill or place themselves less than half a mile and within visual range of a higher speed limit sign. BTW, you could possibly do 5 miles over, they have to allow for variances for people that are passing vehicles that are doing less than the optimal speed limit. 

 

Then there's the thing with tires and how certainly not all mark the same speed limit, I can go from stock to up one size aftermarket wheels and be going differently that what the speedometer is saying..

Edited July 25, 2013 by Joseg

[Guest dieselshadow]

Well, you have a lot of people who seem to think getting a ticket for 51 in a 45 means a cop is out to get them and fill a quota. I mean, never mind the fact the sign CLEARLY says 45. Lol. People seem to think laws only apply to others.


I told a cop here in town a while back I had discovered a way to never get caught speeding again. No amount of laser/radar or pacing would ever catch me! Do the dang speed limit and you'll never catch me sucka! He laughed. .....it's true. If you wanna save money, spend less. If you wanna avoid tickets, obey the traffic laws.

Its a pretty startling revelation ain't it?

You know I would agree with you, but Metro has a tendency to place their Motorcycle cops on a downward slope and hide at the bottom of the hill or place themselves less than half a mile and within visual range of a higher speed limit sign. BTW, you could possibly do 5 miles over, they have to allow for variances for people that are passing vehicles that are doing less than the optimal speed limit.

Then there's the thing with tires and how certainly not all mark the same speed limit, I can go from stock to up one size aftermarket wheels and be going differently that what the speedometer is saying..

None of the reasons you posted allows you to break the law. Speeding is speeding. Man up if your caught.

[AU_88]

As someone who lived in Auburn/Opelika for seven years, I can say that the Auburn Police pull over and arrest more people then I've ever seen. The yellow lights are as short as they come and all you have to do is be that half second too late. I got pulled over for speeding and the sign was behind a tree!!! The town has some of the best schools and is as clean as they come, but there's some crooked people. With all that said, I would move back in a heartbeat!