Gordon Graham
Category: Law Enforcement
Gordon Graham here with Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Today’s Tip is for my friends in law enforcement, and it’s about an old practice that still finds its way into the news cycle all too often.
In most jurisdictions, enforcement quotas are a thing of the past. But some officers still feel a need to pad their enforcement numbers, either due to departmental pressure or just to increase their stats.
This can lead to invalid enforcement activity whereby police officers issue citations to people they’ve never even stopped, with the intent of seeking dismissal later. These officers might even write additional “off the books” citations to drivers who they stopped, all in an attempt to increase their enforcement numbers.
Investigations in some states have revealed hundreds of fabricated citations. This activity is completely fraudulent, dishonest, and unethical. It may also skew the required reporting data for bias-based policing. Additionally, these false citations can lead to drivers being punished for failing to take care of charges they knew nothing about. And, as a blatant form of misconduct, it can result in serious departmental sanctions or even prosecution.
It goes without saying, but let’s remember that issuing traffic citations and warnings for legitimate violations is an effective way to enhance safety on public roadways. However, these actions should never be completed just to pad numbers. It’s unethical, illegal, and should not be tolerated at any level within the organization.
Departmental leadership must prevent ticket padding. This means taking proactive steps to audit traffic stops and enforcement to ensure the numbers add up and reflect legitimate law enforcement activity.
Law enforcement is constantly being scrutinized. Make sure the enforcement decisions you make are based on good police work and sound ethics. Anything less compromises public trust and tarnishes the reputation of your organization and our profession.
And that’s Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Until next time, Gordon Graham signing off.
