D’Amico Supports Removal of Police Quotas in Chicago

CHICAGO – State Rep. John D’Amico, D-Chicago, is sponsoring legislation to remove burdensome and ineffective quota requirements on police officers.

“Police officers have one of the most difficult jobs, having to be ready at all times to respond to crisis and ensure public safety,” D’Amico said. “Mandating that an officer fulfill a certain quota does not aid in their ability to protect our communities, only serving as a distraction from carrying out their jobs effectively.”

The D’Amico-backed Senate Bill 3509 removes a provision of current law that allows the City of Chicago to require police officers to meet a certain quota for citations within a given period of time. The city may also compare the number of citations an officer issues against other officers with similar duties as a job performance evaluation metric. Law enforcement and public safety advocates have long proposed the removal of quota requirements as they have shown little effect on increasing public safety, aiding community-police relations, or assisting job performance reviews. Quota practices are currently prohibited across the state, but Chicago has been exempt from the years-long prohibition.

“We must do everything we can to give officers the tools necessary so they may serve and protect rather than place arbitrary and frivolous requirements on them,” D’Amico said. “I stand with police officers and urge my colleagues to do right by them and our communities by supporting this important legislation.”