COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio lawmakers are working to ban police quotas.  

“Our law enforcement officers should not be used as revenue generators,” Rep. Kevin Miller (R-Newark) said. “That’s rule number one.”  

“Ohio has become synonymous with high police ticket quotas,” Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake) said. 

Miller and Sweeny are behind House Bill 131; Senate Bill 114 is identical and both would prohibit law enforcement agencies from using citation quotas.  

“They’re out there to protect the public and they shouldn’t be given some arbitrary number of citations that have no correlation to public safety,” Miller said.  

Miller formerly worked for the Ohio State Highway Patrol, where the union prohibits the use of quotas for that agency already. He said given that fact, no other police department should have an issue with a ban.  

“If our Ohio State Highway Patrol, who is arguably the most proactive law enforcement agency in the state, can operate under a system that prohibits quotas, there’s no reason other agencies can’t do the same,” Miller said.  

“This is by no means to demonize anyone; there are real struggles to fill budget holes,” Sweeney said. “It just should not be on the backs of Ohioans.” 

The bill passed a House committee during the last general assembly with no votes against it. The Senate bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee also with no votes against it on April 17.  

The legislation also creates an anonymous reporting system for officers to use if leaders are still requiring quotas or using them for things like promotions or evaluations.  

So far, between last year and this year, only one opponent has testified. That is Mike Crispen, president of the Central Ohio Chiefs Association. He was not available for an interview on Tuesday, but in a March post on his organization’s website, he said the definition of quota is too broad in the bill and said it will lead to less accountability within departments. 

“And all of this sends the wrong message, especially now,” Crispen’s statement said. “When crime is rising and repeat offenders are cycling through the system, the last thing Ohio needs is a law that makes it harder for officers to act — or harder for supervisors to expect action.” 

Crispen said the memo outlines the organization’s official position on the bill.