Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 114, which went into effect Sept. 30, prohibiting law enforcement agencies from using quotas for ticketing or arrests.
The bill prevents police departments and law enforcement officers from being encouraged in any form to reach a quota of arrests or citations, and officers are not allowed to receive any financial bonuses or rewards in return for hitting quotas.
Athens and Ohio University police departments patrol the streets often, checking the meters and making sure citizens are following parking procedures and guidelines.
Senate Bill 114 does not affect the number of tickets or the manner in which they are given for those parking at OU.
OUPD Community Relations Officer Evan Wilkof said the OU police department did not have a quota prior to this bill.
“While a lot of municipalities have quotas to help fund municipal programs and projects,” Wilkof said. “Our department, through the university, does not receive any income from any traffic tickets. It would not necessarily benefit anyone in particular, and I feel that's a good driving force to maintain an unbiased agenda when looking to enforce traffic.”
Senate Bill 114 does not affect OUPD’s ticketing or arrests, meaning parking enforcement officers will patrol as normal.
Wilkof said although the department does not encourage or implement a quota, they are committed to creating a safe environment for pedestrians.
“We weren't looking to enact a quota, but we do take traffic violations very seriously, just because we have an incredibly high volume of pedestrians,” Wilkof said. “And there were some traffic pattern changes over the summer, which I think have very much led to a safer campus.”
Megan Hoersten, a freshman studying journalism news and information, said she received a parking ticket even though she had two valid passes.
She was parked in Morton’s parking lot in an accessible parking space and received a $35 ticket. Hoersten said she felt as though it could've been a warning, as her passes were visible but simply flipped around.
“I have a disability, so I went to the transportation office and they verified that, if you have a disability, you can park in any handicapped spot on campus, it doesn't matter,” Hoersten said. “... I didn't think it was completely fair, because you could see both that I had the handicap sign, and I had my parking pass.”
Hoersten said she thought quotas hold officers accountable, but there is a chance for an officer to be nitpicky with their ticketing if there is a quota to meet.
Hannah Voegele, a senior studying field ecology, said she received a parking ticket from the Athens Police Department last year while she was taking an exam.
Voegele parked by Bentley Hall and paid for one hour, coming back five to 10 minutes late to find a $15 ticket on her windshield.
Voegele said she does not see a reason for a law enforcement agency to implement a ticketing quota, other than to collect more money. She said she can understand why departments provide bonuses or rewards for hitting a quota, but it doesn’t seem like a good use of time for any police department.
“Honestly, in a way, it kind of makes sense, but it shouldn't be a lot, honestly,” Voegele said. “I could see a motivation like, hey, do your job, write all these tickets, arrest these people. But again, I feel like it shouldn't be a goal to look out and make trouble or make these arrests and tickets.”
Voegele said OU and APD are often seen ensuring people have paid their parking fees.
“I will say it's serious out here, like I always see people checking police officers checking the meters,” Voegele said. “I always see tickets on people's windshields. It's serious.”
Hoersten said officers are simply doing their jobs, and without their work, it would be much harder to find any parking spots.
“I just think they're holding us accountable, though, because it's showing that if we could get away with it, we'd have so many cars on campus,” Hoersten said. “Nobody would be able to park anywhere.”
