Lawman turned legislator wants to end revenue-driven policing

January 27, 2016

Restoring a sense of integrity in law enforcement could start with ending the quota system that affects not only police officers, but the community.  That from a veteran lawman turned legislator.  Ruth Johnson reports from Olympia.

Johnson: Republican Representative Jeff Holy spent seven years on patrol, and 15 as a detective.  He says the majority of officers today are under immense pressure to perform, and that policing has become a numbers game that can mean big money for departments and cities.

Holy: “If an officer was given a third of each ticket that he wrote, the public outrage would be amazing on that.  Why is it when you have a department or municipality that receives one third of each ticket that is written, and that’s just one degree of separation from the officer, why is there not a like outrage?”

Johnson: Holy says quotas take away from the personal integrity of the job of policing.  He has introduced a bill that would eliminate revenue driven policing.  He says it would allow officers to act with objectivity, neutrality, impartiality, and fairness.

Ruth Johnson, Olympia.