This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Nobody, with the possible exception of the town treasurer, likes traffic ticket quotas.

Cops hate them. They don't like being told how many warnings they have to issue, and how many tickets they have to write.

Lawbreakers hate them, too. The mere mention of ticket quotas makes motorists angry. It seems like the system is conspiring against you.

And it appears Utah lawmakers aren't too fond of quotas, either. House Bill 264, sponsored by Rep. Neil Hansen, D-Ogden, cleared the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee by a 6-1 margin Wednesday, and is speeding toward a vote in the full House. If signed into law, it would prohibit governments and law enforcement agencies from imposing traffic ticket quotas on law enforcement officers.

We know what you're thinking. It's about time somebody put those money-hungry police departments in their place. But let's slow down and think about this.

Last year, 285 motorists died on Utah streets and highways, according to the Utah Department of Transportation. Can you guess what the leading cause of highway fatalities was? That's right, speeding. At least 72 deaths were attributed to speeding last year, 23 more than in 2006. And traffic citations are a proven deterrent to driving at unsafe speeds.

And why shouldn't a manager, whether it's a newspaper editor or a factory supervisor or a chief of police, require a certain level of production from an employee? A quota, especially when traffic patrols are conducted in danger zones, assures that officers are earning their pay, and the public is being protected.

It's also a bit ironic that the Legislature, which rails against federal mandates on states, would try to tell local officials and law enforcement leaders how to run their affairs. Not to mention hypocritical. Lawmakers don't want police supervisors telling officers how to do their jobs, so they propose a law that, in effect, is telling police supervisors how to do their jobs.

Nobody likes getting a traffic ticket. That's why we suggest you drive carefully, and obey the laws.

Let's remember who the bad guy is. It's not the cop writing the traffic ticket. And it's not the police supervisor who insists that officers enforce the law. It's the guy behind the wheel with the lead foot.