Police department quashes quota system

July 31, 2009

The Village of Los Lunas Police Department has gotten rid of its quota system, which required police officers to issue a number of citations and even arrest a number of people each month.

Chief Roy Melnick said the previous administration had an “unwritten policy” that set quotas.

In a report discussing his first four months as chief, he says he got rid of quotas because it was contributing to “less than friendly” attitudes between officers and the public.

“Officers were disciplined or threatened with discipline if their numbers were not up to the expectations of the last administration,” Melnick writes in the report. “I have stopped this practice and have redesigned a new officers weekly log to track officer contacts, warning, citations that [they] make on a daily basis with an emphasis on educational law enforcement.”

Educational law enforcement means educating the public about what the law says, coupled with a verbal or written warning, instead of citing or arresting someone.

Melnick believes getting rid of quotas will reduce the number of complaints lodged and lawsuits filed against the police department, saying quotas were likely “one of the contributing factors leading to the number of civil tort actions filed against the Village.”

He said there have been no new court actions filed against his department since he took over in mid-March.

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