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Advocates and officers describe harms of ticket quotas as Senate hears bill to ban them
Summary
Supporters including OFUPAC, the Ohio PBA, the FOP and a former patrol commander urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to pass Senate Bill 114, a measure to prohibit ticket and arrest quotas and create an anonymous reporting avenue to the attorney general. Former Independence patrol commander Leonard Mazzola described how an implemented quota and
Advocates, union representatives and current and former officers told the Senate Judiciary Committee that ticket and arrest quotas undermine policing and public trust and should be prohibited by law.
Emily Cole, executive director of Ohio Families Unite for Political Action and Change (OFUPAC), described quotas as policies that encourage revenue generation over public safety and said the bill would reduce unnecessary interactions between officers and Ohioans. "Productivity in a department should never be tied to police enforcement mechanisms," Cole said.
Representatives of law‑enforcement organizations supported the bill as well. George Sokolakis, director of organization for the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, said quotas are "alive and well" despite assumptions to the contrary, and that agencies sometimes disguise quotas as "performance standards" or "production expectations." He praised a provision in the bill allowing officers to report quota policies anonymously to the attorney general for investigation.
Travis Parker of the Fraternal Order of Police said the measure would emphasize that officers are not revenue generators and described the bill’s accountability provisions as important to protect officers from retaliation.
Former Independence patrol commander Leonard Mazzola gave detailed testimony about his experience after his department adopted a quota system. Mazzola said the chief ordered a minimum of 10 tickets per month per officer with a rolling 90‑day assessment, leading to disciplinary actions against supervisors who questioned the policy. He said the dispute culminated in a forced resignation or discipline ultimatum on April 1, 2019; Mazzola later filed a federal lawsuit that resolved in a settlement in June 2022. "Ticket quotas are unethical and immoral and need to be against the law in the state of Ohio," Mazzola said.
Committee members asked how departments would ensure officers perform core duties without a numeric tool; witnesses pointed to leadership, supervision, and existing professional standards as management tools. The committee recorded SB 114’s second hearing; no vote or amendment was taken at the session.
