Apr 12, 2011, 5:26pm ET

LAPD officers awarded $2M in ticket "quota" lawsuit

Two LAPD officers have been awarded $2 million in a lawsuit that claimed the department used a "quota system" that required officers to write 18 tickets per day.

Two Los Angeles Police Department officers have been award $2 million in a lawsuit claiming the department endorsed a "quota system" that required officers to write at least 18 traffic tickets per day.



The suit, filed in 2009 by officers Howard Chan and David Benioff, alleged the captain of the LAPD's West Traffic Division required motor officers to write at least 18 tickets per day. Moreover, officers were told to give out what are known as "major movers" - tickets for offenses like speeding and land straddling that carried several hundred dollar tickets.



The officers also testified that the department used terms like "orchard" and "cherry patch" to describe locations that were "laser certified" and yielded the most traffic tickets.



Although the officers' claims seem to be more detrimental to the general public, the jury sided with the officers 11 to 1 and awarded a $2 million judgment for loss of reputation and employment sanctions levied upon the officers after they reported the quota system.



"We're very hopeful that this will put an end to fleecing motorists on the West side of Los Angeles," said Benioff's attorney, Gregory Smith. "Quotas are a direct violation of the vehicle code and this case was about these officers being asked to break the law."



The LAPD maintains there was never a quota system and that it focused more on broad goals to increase road safety.



References

1.'Officers who...' view

