Move to end ticket quotas in New Jersey (Opinion)

A bill passed the Assembly Monday that would end the practice of NJ police departments using citation and arrest numbers being used for promotions. As it stands there are no actual ticket quotas being used by police departments in New Jersey.

But many departments use the number of summonses and arrests as criteria for advancement in the police ranks. So, there's an incentive to write more tickets to increase your chances of promotion.

Assemblymen Hal Wirths and Parker Space sponsored bill (A4058) which aims to end the practice.

This would not only help regular people in New Jersey in keeping us from just being part of a numbers game, but it keeps officers from being forced into writing so many tickets rather than using their discretion in all interactions with the public. This move also helps strengthen the very tenuous relationship police have in some towns with the public at large.

People in New Jersey have complained for a long time about "ticket quotas" and although there are no such policies for hitting a certain number in a particular month or time period, using the number of citations and arrest as a benchmark for promotions or demotions, amounts to basically the same thing.

The Senate passed its version of the bill back in January and it's now up to Governor Murphy to sign it. He doesn't have a great track record when it comes to keeping the heavy hand of government off our backs and out of our pockets. Let's see what he does with this one.

We'll keep you posted.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. Any opinions expressed are Dennis Malloy's own.