OGDEN, Utah — After several investigative reports by FOX 13 News, the Ogden Police Department is changing its policies related to a "point system" that members of the public — along with lawmakers and even officers — saw as a form of a "quota."
As FOX 13's Adam Herbets reported, police quotas are illegal in the state of Utah. However, the Ogden Police Department had a system in which the more tickets officers wrote, the more points they would get in the “traffic” category on their annual evaluation.
On Tuesday, the department announced that it is changing its policy to remove aspects that the public may see as a form of a "quota."
OPD said it consulted the Utah Attorney General's office, which confirmed that the system was not an illegal quota.
"Nevertheless, the perception persisted among some community members and lawmakers," Tuesday's announcement read.
Newly-elected Mayor Ben Nadolski said the system was a concern for him.
"During my campaign, I encountered many questions about this issue, and I became increasingly worried about the safety of our officers and our ability to build trust with those we serve," Nadolski said in the press release.
The mayor had the police department form a committee to review its policies on performance evaluations, which led to the changes announced Tuesday.
The department will still have a point system, but all "police activities" will be weighed equally. That means an officer will receive the same amount of points for writing a ticket as they would for issuing a warning.
"Previously, officers received varying points based on different enforcement outcomes, with citations weighted more heavily than warnings," the press release stated. "This led to a perception that officers might be incentivized to issue tickets rather than give warnings."
The department says it hopes this will help officers prioritize the best outcome for the public's safety in any given scenario instead of feeling pressure to issue a citation.
Darick Fisher, the president of the Weber Fraternal Order of Police, issued a statement Tuesday expressing the Order's full support for the change in policy. Fisher said Ogden officers have begun using this new system, "without encountering any significant issues," and he applauded the department's approach on the matter.
