USA Today Interviews Matthew McNicholas on Illegal Police Ticket Quotas
USA Today interviewed Partner Matthew McNicholas about the dangers and repercussions of ticket quotas, which occur when officers are required or pressured to write a set number of tickets, or when they are pushed to issue more citations or face repercussions, including termination — a practice that is illegal in many states.
Matthew cited California Vehicle Code section 41600, which prohibits state and local agencies from imposing citation quotas on their employees. He noted that he has handled half a dozen lawsuits in recent years brought by officers subjected to quotas, emphasizing that the practice is not only illegal but also dangerous.
Matthew said to USA Today, “When you establish quotas – under the law – then police officers start falling all over themselves to make sure they write the quotas, and then they start taking chances they otherwise wouldn’t take on a motorcycle because their livelihood now depends on it.”
