Police Department Ticket Quotas Illegal In New Year

Some police departments in Illinois could be issuing fewer tickets in the new year. A new state law went into effect on Jan. 1 that aims to get rid of ticket quotas.

Very few police departments would ever admit to having a ticket quota -- a target number of tickets and other violations officers have to hit each month. Even if there's no official policy in place, some police departments still often follow a loose quota system.

State Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) says he was approached by cops around the state who said they were being evaluated based on the number of tickets they gave out. Manar says many of these departments feel pressured by shrinking budgets in smaller municipalities.

But he says quotas can lessen the quality of law enforcement, in favor of quantity.

"Police departments, whether they serve a small town or a county or a large urban city in the state, should not exist to be revenue-generating operations."

Manar's legislation was signed by Gov. Pat Quinn in the summer, and took effect last week.