Police encounters

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Bergen23

You know the whole quota thing is a myth, right?

No. It's not.

When I was 17 I was pulled over by a small town cop for speeding. I really was speeding, and I own that. The cop yanked me out of the car, slammed me against the hood, frisked me, handcuffed me and shoved me in the back of his cruiser. All this machismo to write me a speeding ticket.

A second cop pulled up. That cop came up to the first cop's cruiser and told the first one that he hadn't met his quota (and he used that exact word, "I ain't met my quota"), so between the two of them they decided the second cop could cite me for an illegal turn I didn't make. I ended up going to court over it, and through a bizarre twist I won't explain here, I actually got out of the speeding ticket and ended up paying the ticket for the illegal turn I didn't make. Go figure.

A few years later I was working television news. My reporter was chatting with a cop on a crime scene, and they got on the subject of tickets (apparently someone at our station had a lead foot and was well known to the cops). The cop said something like, "We got our quota to meet. I mean, we're not supposed to call it a quota. It's not really a quota. But if I don't write enough tickets I hear about it, so it's a quota."

So if it's a myth, somebody needs to tell that to the cops, because they apparently didn't get that memo.

And then there are stories like this:

Los Angeles approves $6-million settlement over alleged traffic ticket quotas

Waldo cops say they've been under ticket quota by Chief Mike Szabo

Former Alabama cop claims he was fired after blowing whistle on ticket quotas

One North Texas Officer Says Ticket Quotas Do Exist…And It May Be A Ticket To A Trophy

So if it's a myth, somebody needs to tell that to the police administrators and city governments, because they apparently didn't get that memo either.

[2much]

good thread

[Bergen23]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

No. It's not.

When I was 17 I was pulled over by a small town cop for speeding. I really was speeding, and I own that. The cop yanked me out of the car, slammed me against the hood, frisked me, handcuffed me and shoved me in the back of his cruiser. All this machismo to write me a speeding ticket.

A second cop pulled up. That cop came up to the first cop's cruiser and told the first one that he hadn't met his quota (and he used that exact word, "I ain't met my quota"), so between the two of them they decided the second cop could cite me for an illegal turn I didn't make. I ended up going to court over it, and through a bizarre twist I won't explain here, I actually got out of the speeding ticket and ended up paying the ticket for the illegal turn I didn't make. Go figure.

A few years later I was working television news. My reporter was chatting with a cop on a crime scene, and they got on the subject of tickets (apparently someone at our station had a lead foot and was well known to the cops). The cop said something like, "We got our quota to meet. I mean, we're not supposed to call it a quota. It's not really a quota. But if I don't write enough tickets I hear about it, so it's a quota."

So if it's a myth, somebody needs to tell that to the cops, because they apparently didn't get that memo.

And then there are stories like this:

Los Angeles approves $6-million settlement over alleged traffic ticket quotas

Waldo cops say they've been under ticket quota by Chief Mike Szabo

Former Alabama cop claims he was fired after blowing whistle on ticket quotas

One North Texas Officer Says Ticket Quotas Do Exist…And It May Be A Ticket To A Trophy

So if it's a myth, somebody needs to tell that to the police administrators and city governments, because they apparently didn't get that memo either.

Bravo, fuckboy. Posting links to articles on whistleblowers for quotas. Which aren't a real thing. They can be called whatever the fuck you want them to be called. But there's no official quota.

Source: Me, with previous experience in LE

[Pkush]

Originally Posted by Bergen23

Bravo, fuckboy. Posting links to articles on whistleblowers for quotas. Which aren't a real thing. They can be called whatever the fuck you want them to be called. But there's no official quota.

Source: Me, with previous experience in LE

So you're telling me a cop can write 0 tickets in a month and he won't get a call from HR or whatever the department is called?

[Bergen23]

Originally Posted by Pkush

So you're telling me a cop can write 0 tickets in a month and he won't get a call from HR or whatever the department is called?

Did I say that? I also seriously doubt human resources would give a shit how many tickets a cop is, or isn't writing. But what I can say is that on the books, there's no such thing as a quota.


Just like people in real life, some cops are cool, some are ****s. Just remember, if you're pulled over for "nothing" don't be too upset with the cop. They may have just gotten done with a domestic dispute call, where they had to help the beaten spouse pick their teeth up off the floor.

[PhantomX]

Let's all step back and breath. As some have pointed out, law enforcement in the US and Canada are different. Canada may not have quotas, but the US does... At least in some states/cities/municipalities

[Bergen23]

Finally finished reading this thread and @extrashaky has provided many lols. We get it. You don't like the police. But, at least be an educated hater. You sound like you're in high school with the things you're saying.

[Tcoat]

I think (don't know) that the fundamental difference that may lead to "quotas" in the States is the policing of towns and even some smaller cities. In Canada that duty is usually performed by the RCMP or Provincial police, both of which are at least partially either Federally or Provincially funded. The towns do pay a fee for the service but are not reliant of other cash to operate them. I understand (and have seen) some very small towns in the States that have their own police force. Tax dollars can only go so far and these areas may very likely have some sort of cash flow requirement that would require X number of tickets issued to meet.
I stand to be corrected on this but I have always wondered how some small town in the middle of nowhere Tennessee could have 24 hour police coverage with a tax base of 1000 people.

[Cliu91]

Cops here will always speed up and catch up to me. Once they are in range they will run my plates only to find nothing on their system and I carry on with me day.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I stand to be corrected on this but I have always wondered how some small town in the middle of nowhere Tennessee could have 24 hour police coverage with a tax base of 1000 people.

Wonder no more:

Policing for Profit

This was a big story when I lived in Nashville. Cops from counties and small towns along I-40 would line up along the interstate and pull people over to steal their money. It sounds like something that couldn't happen in America, yet it does, and the rural cops in Tennessee are really good at it.

[HATED1]

Like what alot of people have said, it's all based on the driver's attitude and the way he/she drives prior to being pulled over.

[Scenic Driver]

2 years, almost 60k miles and I've never been bothered or pulled over in my BRZ.

[Akari]

Originally Posted by HATED1

Like what alot of people have said, it's all based on the driver's attitude and the way he/she drives prior to being pulled over.

Yup.. Look at the attitudes of the few people complaining they get pulled over frequently here. Correlation much?

Being nice and courteous goes a long way. Police officers have some decision making power in who they want to pull over, that can't be argued. Who do you think comes off as a greater threat to the road, the Prius owner driving like a jackass or the random red BRZ being courteous to other drivers? What you drive plays a very, very small part in their decision as opposed to other aspects.

[G-awesome]

I was busted for speeding....does that count?