Interestingly, cell phones tickets and seat belt tickets were, by far, the largest portion of the quota. Neither of these tickets carry points and present a much lower safety hazard than, for example, disobeying a red light or speeding.
This is not the first time that the NYPD has been caught imposing quotes. Earlier this year, a whistleblower cop recorded a supervisor in the 81st Precinct vowing to go after officers who don’t make at least one arrest a month.
State law prohibits police from using quotas – or setting a target number for arrests or summonses during a specific time frame. The practice is illegal because it places pressure on police officers to issue traffic tickets (even when a violation may not have occurred) and removes their discretion. The NYPD has denied this practice for years despite evidence to the contrary.