Gary Traffic Ticket Quota System Called Off
GARY, Ind. (WBBM/CBS) -- Remember the traffic ticket quota system that was in the headlines this week in Gary, Indiana? It's over.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Bernie Tafoya reports, the Gary police Cmdr. Timothy Tatum had wanted to make his officers more productive, so he ordered them to write at least 10 tickets per eight-hour shift.
But even Lake County, Ind., Prosecutor Bernard Carter objected. He said officers need more wiggle room to make traffic ticket decisions based on the circumstances.
Meanwhile, officers on the street told CBS 2 it is pretty easy for them to write 10 tickets a day. But they say this requirement puts one more policy on top of all the others they face.
LISTEN: Newsradio 780's Bernie Tafoya reports
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After word of the policy got out, police administration quickly pulled back, saying the quota didn't exist. They said they were merely stepping up how they enforce traffic laws.
Now, according to the Northwest Indiana Post-Tribune, Gary Mayor Rudy Clay says the traffic ticket quota is over. Still, Clay says, if traffic officers are working hard and doing their jobs, they will still likely write 10 tickets each shift.
