In the state of Ohio is it legal for a mayor or police chief to order quotas?

Question

The officers in a small village were handed a policy each officer per shift were to make five contacts, is it legal?

Answer 1

Perfectly legal. In general courts and legislators don't like departments to set a certain amount tickets to be issued per shift.

But "contacts" are different than tickets, a contact is merely a car stop or ped check. The officer can issue a ticket or warning and it will have the same effect on his stats.  A contact is generally not referred to as a "quota", since contacts are generally used as a tool to measure performance, not a money gathering tool.

I easily stop 10 cars a shift, sometimes more if the call volume is low. When I worked traffic, I would sometimes stop 20-25 cars a shift. Some days I write less than half the people I stopped a ticket.

Answer 2

There are really two questions here.  

A "quota", spelling out how many citations or arrests would be illegal.  

If officers are being directed to make "contacts" they are just being directed to be proactive.  Many departments have instituted performance standards to promote activity with their officers.  

Answer 3

Sure it's legal. There are no laws on the books that prohibit a large number of contacts. Or tickets for that matter. I was not big on traffic stops. If I wanted to be Road n**i or Ramp Rooster (State Trooper), I would have tried to get hired on there instead of the Sheriff's Office. But when you make lots of contacts, for whatever the reason, you tend to find a lot of criminal activities.