Ohio House Unanimously Approves Bill to Ban Police Quotas for Tickets and Arrests

COLUMBUS, OH — The Ohio House of Representatives voted unanimously Wednesday to approve House Bill 131, a bipartisan effort that seeks to outlaw the use of arrest and citation quotas by law enforcement agencies across the state. Sponsored by State Representatives Kevin Miller (R-Newark) and Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake), the legislation aims to prioritize public safety and fairness over numerical benchmarks in policing.

“Passing this legislation would give Ohioans confidence that their police force is looking out for their best interest and issuing tickets for the sole purpose of furthering public safety — not to meet an arbitrary ticket quota or generate additional revenue for the city,” Miller said in a statement.

Under existing Ohio law, it is legal for agencies to require officers to meet citation or arrest targets. House Bill 131 would prohibit both formal and informal quotas and prevent law enforcement agencies from using those figures to influence promotions, transfers, or disciplinary actions. The bill also introduces a provision for anonymous reporting of quota policies to the Ohio Attorney General’s office, which would have the authority to investigate and issue cease-and-desist orders if needed.

Sweeney said her interest in co-sponsoring the legislation stemmed from conversations with the Ohio Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and other law enforcement officials. “This practice encourages officers to focus on the quantity of tickets they write rather than the quality of their police work,” Sweeney stated. She added that some officers fear retribution or the loss of career opportunities if they do not meet unwritten expectations for ticket issuance.

While the measure has drawn strong support from civil justice advocates and several police organizations, it has also raised concerns within some law enforcement circles. Mike Crispin, president of the Central Ohio Chiefs of Police Association, cautioned against conflating performance expectations with quotas. “The suggestion that supervisors who expect arrests are demanding ‘quotas’ is a misrepresentation of responsible leadership,” Crispin said.

Robert Butler, representing the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, supported the bill in testimony before the House Public Safety Committee. “(Quotas) erode public trust by creating an environment where officers are pressured to issue citations or make arrests not based on the merits of each situation, but to meet arbitrary numbers,” he said. Butler also noted the mental toll quotas can take on officers.

The legislation also received personal backing from Leonard Mazzola, a former Independence police lieutenant who said he was dismissed for publicly addressing quota practices in his department. Mazzola settled a related lawsuit against the city for $1 million in 2022.

At least 25 other states, including Michigan, Iowa and Pennsylvania, have implemented similar bans. While the Ohio Senate passed a companion bill last year by a 33-0 vote, neither version has yet reached Governor Mike DeWine’s desk.

“It only gives the public more confidence that if they're getting a ticket, it was because you actually did something wrong and it was in the name of public safety,” Sweeney said.

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