2018 Bills

SB 154: Prohibiting Police Quotas in Utah

This bill passed the Senate 23-2 and the House unanimously.

Libertas Institute supports this bill

Staff review of this legislation finds that it is aligned with our principles and merits support.

Police quotas exist in select law enforcement agencies throughout Utah. An op-ed we previously published shares some examples.

18 other states ban police quotas. Seeking to make Utah the 19th, Senator Howard Stephenson has sponsored Senate Bill 154. The bill states that a law enforcement agency or city may not:

require, suggest, or direct that a peace officer meet a law enforcement quota;
evaluate, promote, compensate, reward, or discipline a peace officer on the basis of a law enforcement quota; or
transfer a peace officer from an employment assignment on the basis of a law enforcement quota.

Compelling officers to arrest and cite citizens increases mistrust and weakens community relations, jeopardizing public safety. This type of system also creates a misguided prioritization that turns peace officers into revenue generators for their city.

As such, we fully support ensuring that peace officers are not required to be revenue generators for their city. This bill accomplishes that important public policy purpose.