Ft. Worth, Texas
In the state of Texas, it is against the law for police to have a traffic ticket quota.
However, according to some Fort Worth Police Department insiders, the department somehow must have missed that memo.
A local television station has discovered other memos that reveal some officers who are part of a special enforcement program – funded by a federal grant and administered by the state — must make at least four traffic stops an hour.
A veteran Fort Worth officer, who spoke to TV station investigative reporters, on the condition that he remains anonymous, says the Fort Worth PD has a well-oiled quota system underway.
The FWPD is one of numerous law enforcement agencies in Texas that participate in the Selected Traffic Enforcement Program, also known as STEP.
The Dallas Police Department’s recent step grant is reportedly worth nearly $1 million. But when the I-Team repeatedly asked Dallas police about whether they have a quota on ticket writing, they simply did not respond.
“They don’t come out and say ‘write four citations,’ they say four “contacts,” the officer told the I-Team, adding: “But the officer working the grant knows what “contact” means.”
The station obtained several exclusive Fort Worth police internal memos, including one that says, “Our contractual agreement with the state of Texas is that officers will make four traffic contacts per hour. Performance at this level is paramount to maintaining the grant.”
An older police memo said the “law enforcement objective” for the STEP grant program was to increase speed citations by 14,250; DWI arrests by 200; safety belt citations by 975 and child safety seat citations by 100.
Police patrol officers who participate in the STEP program are paid overtime, which is funded by the grant.
The three officers who write the most tickets by the end of the grant period “get a trophy and a letter of appreciation for being the top producers,” the veteran officer told the I-Team.
Fort Worth Police Chief Jeff Halstead initially agreed to be interviewed by the station, but he changed his mind right before the interview.
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