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House approves ban on law‑enforcement citation quotas after debate on local control
Summary
Lawmakers passed HB264 to prohibit agencies from directing officers to issue a specific number of citations; the bill passed 39–31 after floor debate about local control and whether the legislature should dictate municipal practices.
Salt Lake City — The Utah House approved House Bill 264 to prohibit citation quotas in law enforcement agencies after heated floor debate about local control and managerial practices.
Sponsor Representative Veil Hansen said HB264 would ‘‘make it so that any law enforcement agency in the state will not be directing their officers to be able to write a specific amount of tickets, warnings or complaints within a specific amount of time.’’ Hansen and supporters argued the measure restores discretion to officers and responds to constituent complaints alleging quota policies in some jurisdictions.
Opponents, including Representative Greenwood, said the bill risks the Legislature intruding on local governance and questioned whether the problem is widespread; Greenwood urged local remediation rather than statewide mandates. Members also discussed whether some police chiefs or departments actually use quotas for performance evaluations and whether the bill would create management problems in units with dedicated traffic enforcement duties.
After debate, the House approved HB264 by recorded vote 39–31; the bill will be referred to the Senate for further consideration.
