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Mo. Senate votes to ban traffic-ticket quotas

Posted at 1:27 PM, Feb 04, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-04 14:27:30-05

The Missouri Senate has voted to bar cities, counties and law enforcement agencies from setting traffic-ticket quotas.

Senators on Thursday unanimously passed legislation that would make it a crime for a public official to require any police officer to write a certain number of citations. The proposal would also prohibit supervisors from suggesting their subordinates issue more tickets.

A Republican and a Democrat from the St. Louis area sponsored the legislation. Sen. Eric Schmitt said politicians shouldn't be pressuring police to bring in more revenue.

The Glendale Republican said this bill continues reforms launched after the unrest in Ferguson, pointing to proposed limits on ordinance violations and traffic fines that passed the Senate last week.

The bill now heads to the House.