Question of the day
Friday, Apr 11, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* NBC 5…
A bill preventing the use of police ticket quotas passed in the Illinois Senate Thursday in a 57-1 vote.
The legislation would prevent ticket quotas at any state, county and municipal police departments. It also states that departments would not be allowed to evaluate an officer’s performance based on the number of citations they issue.
The bill had the support of 19 sponsors in the Senate, including Sen. Kirk Dillard. The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, however, fought the measures.
* SJ-R…
Republican Sen. Tim Bivins, the lone “no” vote, said the bill would give the small percentage of officers who don’t want to do their jobs incentive to slack off.
Bivins, a former sheriff in Lee County, said that if the bill passes, it would take discretion out of the hands of management and could be the first step toward “circumventing the collective bargaining practice that exists.”
But Manar argued that officers need more discretion, calling the bill “necessary because a quota takes away from a police officer’s ability to use good judgment.”
He also said local governments are often tempted to use law enforcement quota policies as a way to raise revenue.
* The Question: Have you ever experienced a traffic ticket situation where you believed the police officer didn’t have the discretion to issue a simple warning? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
panel management
- Anonymous - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 12:37 pm:
Yes, got speeding ticker from state trooper- radar unit with several pickup cars-don’t believe it was a quota, just the nature of that kind of operation.
- AFSCME Steward - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 12:41 pm:
Illinois State Police never give warnings.
- downstate commissioner - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 12:42 pm:
oops anon @ 12:37 was me
- downstate commissioner - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 12:44 pm:
“Never” is pretty strong-know of at least one incident where warning was given-wasn’t speeding though.
- countyline - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 12:48 pm:
No, but the speed trap at the Glenarm exit on I-55 seems to come alive the last week of the month, pretty obvious what’s going on.
- Dean Keaton - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 12:52 pm:
I’ve only been pulled over for speeding once when I was in college and I DEFINATELY deserved that ticket. The mandatory court appearance and huge fine taught me my lesson on that one 12 years ago.
- Walker - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 12:53 pm:
No
My beef is with officers who add multiple tickets to a simple speeding situation — failure to signal, improper lane use, rolling thru a stop, etc, when I am certain they did did not occur, yet it’s impossible to prove the officer made them up. Perhaps dash cams now help with this more than they used to.
- 47th Ward - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 1:00 pm:
This isn’t relevant necessarily, but this question reminded me of the first time I ever got a speeding ticket.
I was 16, and had my license for about a month before I was allowed to drive down to Charleston to visit my brother at EIU. So I’m driving along on I-57, minding my own business, keeping up with traffic on a beautiful spring day, probably going about 65 or so. This was back when it was still 55 of course, but it wasn’t like I was breaking any speed records or driving way faster than other traffic.
Then I saw something in the middle of the road, maybe a mile or more away. A car, stopped, blocking both lanes of the highway. I slowed, as did the cars near me, and as I got closer, it was a police car in the middle of the road. And the trooper was standing in front of his car waving us over to the shoulder. All of us, maybe 5 or 6 cars at once. There were a couple of other troopers parked there too, ready and waiting for us.
I’ll never forget the trooper who came to give me my ticket. He took one look at me and the date on my brand new license and said, “dang kid, if it was any other time I’d have let you go with a warning. But when we use the airplane, everybody has to get a ticket.”
After that, I always knew what those odd white lines on the pavement are for. Aerial speeding enforcement. Not sure if they even bother with that, but I still keep an eye out for planes when I’m driving on the interstates.
- x ace - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 1:00 pm:
Supreme Ct Rule 503 (a ) says multiple tickets should not be issued
( Anti “Wallpapering ” Rule been there a long time)
But Cops continually add Seat Belts and others to get Grant Money, satisfy Hire Back programs , and meet Quotas
- RNUG - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 1:04 pm:
- AFSCME Steward - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 12:41 pm:
Personally, years ago I was rolling up I-55 one morning in a bright yellow sports car during the rush hour doing a good 15 over just like the rest of the traffic. State Trooper pulled me over out of the pack at the 88 mile maker and his first words to me were: “I’m only going to write a warning. I wanted to slow down the traffic and you’re it.” Couldn’t get mad after he said that.
- anon - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 1:07 pm:
state troopers give a lot of warnings. I was never told to write a certain amount of tickets nor did I feel pressured to write a certain amount of citations. When I was on patrol the emphasis was on any kind of motorist contact (tickets, warnings, and assisting motorists), a state trooper
- Demoralized - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 1:10 pm:
I voted no, though I have been party to traffic stops where I believe the officer used poor discretion.
- Demoralized - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 1:11 pm:
==illinois State Police never give warnings.==
I would dispute that. I was pulled over by a state trooper doing 73 in a 55 one time and I got a very stern warning. No ticket though.
- wordslinger - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 1:25 pm:
Yes, but not in Illinois.
Kenosha County, WI, will tune you up if you have a Fibbie plate. They’re legendary.
Stone Park along Mannheim south of O’Hare is infamous for shakedowns, legal and otherwise.
- Darienite - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 1:29 pm:
Was ticketed on Bluff Road outside of Argonne on a Sunday afternoon doing 45 in a 35 zone. On the 28th of September. I think we can connect the dots.
- Ggal - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 1:30 pm:
Maybe it’s me, but, it bothers me that politicians are involved in performance evaluations.
- Keyser Soze - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 1:31 pm:
During the 55 mph era I was pulled over, along with a number of others, in an airplane sting in Montgomery County. The trooper apologized for giving me a ticket and told me to blame it on the Governor, Jim Thompson at the time. It was almost a pleasant experience.
- Sooooo... - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 1:36 pm:
Officer actually said “I wish I could give you a warning since you have a clean record, but I already gave someone else a warning today.”
- Jake From Elwood - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 2:06 pm:
In my experience, respect and politeness can usually get you out of minor speeding violations.
- AFSCME Steward - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 2:26 pm:
“state troopers give a lot of warnings. I was never told to write a certain amount of tickets nor did I feel pressured to write a certain amount of citations. When I was on patrol the emphasis was on any kind of motorist contact (tickets, warnings, and assisting motorists), a state trooper”
I was with my wife near Rockford. She was the last car in a row of cars all going the same speed (about 10 MPH over the limit). She was given a ticket. No warning.
- Precinct Captain - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 2:32 pm:
==Illinois State Police never give warnings.==
Nope, was with a relative a long time ago and she got a warning from ISP regarding lights in rain.
- Precinct Captain - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 2:34 pm:
I meant to add that the warning my relative received literally said “Warning Ticket.”
- anon - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 2:36 pm:
AFSCME Steward, in my experience, “about 10 MPH” = around 15-18 over. I never said troopers didn’t write tickets. I just said they weren’t pressured to do so. The only guys I know that were told to write a specific amount of tickets during a shift were smaller town police and they were usually looking for non-residents.
- Belle - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 2:52 pm:
I’ve never had a warning but I’ve not had many tickets either. Any tickets I’ve received, I deserved.
- AFSCME Steward - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 3:03 pm:
“AFSCME Steward, in my experience, “about 10 MPH” = around 15-18 over. I never said troopers didn’t write tickets. I just said they weren’t pressured to do so. The only guys I know that were told to write a specific amount of tickets during a shift were smaller town police and they were usually looking for non-residents.”
Not 15-18 over. She was the last car in a line of cars all going about 10MPH over, like everybody does. Not excessive. Not 85, or 90. Just flowing with traffic. For some reason they picked her out & got her.
- Anonymous - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 3:18 pm:
I was pulled over for speeding and deserved a ticket if ever a ticket was deserved. After following someone in a single lane on interstate going about 15 mph in a construction zone where speed limit was 45 for about 10 miles, I had had it and floored it to make up time. No question I deserved it. But when officer pulled me over, ran my VIN and came back after 10 mins or so to tell me I was driving a stolen vehicle (and I was terribly late for an important meeting now), I broke down. Of course it wasn’t stolen. Bought and paid for and sat in my garage for 5 years now. But I was imagining being carted off in his vehicle and arrested. Respectfully I told him that this was impossible. After about another 15 minutes, he came back and stated that he’d entered the wrong VIN by one digit and he’d let me go with a warning for speeding. Now, I’m about an hour late but always wondered what that was really all about. That was some warning I got and I’ve been a slowpoke driver ever since.
- Amalia - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 3:33 pm:
ever experience a speed trap where the speed changes at a point where your speed naturally increases because you are going downhill, and because you do not realize that what is coming up is a zone 15 miles slower than where you have just been? and the officer who pulls you over is mean and relentless and says you are more than speeding, you are a danger? some places exist to make revenue and the officers on patrol have no mercy. perhaps they can’t have mercy, but they sure have none.
- Nearly Normal - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 3:46 pm:
One of our teachers had been a city policeman. When we left school one Friday afternoon, he told us to be careful while driving. It was a new month and the police have their quota of tickets to fill each month.
I said I had always heard that there was a quota but did not ever hear if it was true or not. Oh yes, he said, it’s true especially for the state troopers.
- A guy... - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 3:56 pm:
I know I did. The cop told me so. He also advised me to go to court and “he wouldn’t be there”. He told me what to tell the judge. He wrote me up for 6-10 over instead of 15 over. I did as he said and the judge waived the charge and part of the fee. The good natured, but insistent cop told me when not to speed in the area. His quota was for tickets. Convictions didn’t matter.
- Ahoy! - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 3:57 pm:
Yes, it was during a road side stop, my drivers licence renewal was less than 30 days past due, a judge dismissed the ticket.
- Just The Way It Is One - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 3:57 pm:
Yes–pretty much when they’ve got the “Gun,” i.e. Radar, on you, and you’re WAY over, I’ve heard where a couple guys try to talk themselves out of it, but feel as if since they have you dead to rights, and eSPECIALLY if they have to meet a Quota, there’s really no discretion allowable in their minds at that poing–i.e. they just HAVE to give you the Ticket because it’s just SO clear that they’ve got you beyond a doubt–which is not always as easy to prove on some tickets as some folks might like to think…!
- Just The Way It Is One - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 3:58 pm:
That was meant to read above, “…at that point…!”
- titan - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 4:21 pm:
I got pulled over on Route 38 near DeKalb, with a half dozen other cars, for going marginally over the limit (but right with the flow of traffic), aby a team of a few cops - right before the end of the month. All the cars got tickets. It had a rather unusual “automated production line” sort of feel to it.
- Wumpus - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 4:57 pm:
No, I’ve gotten out of more tickets than I received. One in Philly/NJ, one in SC and one in IL. It must be my respectful nature, winning smile and handsome face.