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$2M Win For Officers Who Alleged LAPD Traffic Ticket Quota
Photo by Mary Lindsay via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
Two police officers claiming retaliation after complaining about an alleged Westside quota system mandating each motor officer to write 18 tickets a day, were awarded more than $2 million on Monday in a civil suit against the city and the department, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Howard Chan and David Benioff, veteran motor officers in the LAPD's West Traffic Division, sued the department in 2009 alleging that the "quota" required them to ticket "major movers," notes the LA Times, for violations like "speeding, lane straddling or running a red light -- offenses that could each generate revenue of several hundred dollars each."
The civil court jury sided with the officers by a vote of 11 to 1. The damage award was for loss of reputation and specific employment actions against the officers by the department affecting their careers after they reported the misconduct and refused to meet the quotas.
Shaun Dabbe Jacobs, the city attorney's lawyer defending the LAPD, argued the department "had broad goals rather than specific quotas and that the intent was to reduce injuries and fatalities on the road."
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