Sarasota deputies ordered to write more tickets

[Media]

Florida law prohibits agencies from setting quotas. However, in an email that was obtained by the Herald-Tribune, Sheriff’s Capt. Ryan Brown wrote to all patrol supervisors: “Our [ticket] productivity is way down.” Deputies were then ordered to “have a proactive attempt at traffic enforcement every day.”

Brown continued, “I look at the overall number, but it is up to you to look at individual deputies and encourage them [to write more tickets]. I do not want to call out individual deputies and their supervisors – but I will, if it gets to that point.”

Retired Deputy Steve Hall explained, “Deputies do not want to punish citizens [by writing mandatory tickets], but they have to write [a minimum number of] tickets [during each shift] to keep their jobs. Deputies [and the state statute] use the word ‘quota,’ but [senior] staff uses the word ‘goals’ [to circumvent state law].”

Chief Deputy Col. Kurt Hoffman said, “If you take his email in context — which I 100 percent support — he’s increasing productivity [by making deputies write more tickets].”

Many current deputies are angry about the memo.

Hoffman and Brown both said that writing traffic tickets reduces crime because...

Full story:
https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/2...e-more-tickets

[Unregistered]

Hoffman and Brown both said that writing traffic tickets reduces crime because...

One time when I wrote a driver a ticket for having a burned out tail light, it had a ripple effect and it reduced criminal activities as follows:
- reduced domestic batteries inside residential homes by 4
- indirectly caused a reduction in 2.5 retail thefts
- reduced burglaries by 3
- and reduced armed and strong armed robberies by 1.8

[Unregistered]

I used to have a car with TRAFFIC written on the side fender. Hardened Criminals feared me when they saw those letters! They just new they were getting slapped with a No Proof Of Insurance Ticket and maybe even a WARNING!

[legal review]

Since 1930, the year the FBI began compiling statistical data, policing has been addicted to the numbers game. This is not new, but what is new is the brazen reiteration of an old, failed tactic. In an era of Community Policing, quotas are antithetical; hell they have always been. Arrests and Citations are tools of our vocation, like most of our police equipment; citations are not metrics for measuring officers’ effectiveness.

Granted, enforcement has its place in policing, especially when guided by CompStat data suggesting its need at specific locations, by days of the week and time of the day. Then, the objective is to deter and reduce crime, vehicular crashes and behaviors that lead to such consequences. Not just by enforcement, but by its discretionary application; meaning arrests, citations or warning, whichever is most applicable in that targeted hotspot.

Of course, as with all things government, follow the money. Enforcement can be a proverbial “cash cow” for Sheriff Tom Knight. Below is a paragraph from FSS 318.21 titled: Disposition of civil penalties by county courts.

• 3. If the violation occurred within the unincorporated area of a county, including the unincorporated areas, if any, of a government created pursuant to s. 6(e), Art. VIII of the State Constitution, not within a special improvement district of the Seminole Indian Tribe or Miccosukee Indian Tribe, 56.4 percent shall be deposited into the [County’s] fine and forfeiture fund established pursuant to FSS 142.01.

Apparently Sarasota County’s “cash cow” is running a bit dry! Still, Capt. Ryan Brown and Brigadier General Kurt Hoffman need to be forcefully and legally reminded of the following: FSS 316.640 Enforcement. (8) TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. (b) A traffic enforcement agency may not establish a traffic citation quota. (Regardless of how subtly such demand for increased citing is written).

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/...s/0318.21.html

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/...s/0142.01.html

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/.../0316.640.html

[Unregistered]

A traffic enforcement agency may not establish a traffic citation quota. (Regardless of how subtly such demand for increased citing is written).

The problem is solved by simply filing a union grievance to get the attorneys involved. Oops, Knight convinced us to abolish the union with promises of naked elves riding on flying unicorns. Never mind.

[Unregistered]

Good luck in finding someone to organize another union. When there was union there were idiots that let knighmare and his jesters BS them. Too bad the only ones that got anything out of it were the few that promoted knightmare's agenda. Pretty good for now Capt DT for abolishing the sergeants union and LT AK for abolishing the deputies union. How's everone else doing? If you were at top pay back then you haven't seen a raise in many years but those that blew smoke up your collective arses are being well taken care of.

As for the ticket quota, it's great that the email was leaked and now the public will see that car stops and warnings is not enough. When a guy is trying to feed a family he really doesn't need that $200+ ticket. Isn't the idea of car stops and traffic enforcement to change behavior? Yes, you stop the same guy 2 or more times and let him off with a warning, he's not learning nor changing his behavior. He deserves a ticket. So if I stop cars in one shift and give 10 warnings, I am not doing my job but id=f I give 10 citations then I'm golden.

So according to that email, I am supposed to do traffic enforcement, check on warrants, stop by the schools, and be ever present in school zones. When am I supposed to answer calls for service and patrol the neighborhoods in my zone? Is that why the motto of the Sarasota Sheriff's Office is "ANY UNIT IN THE AREA OF"?

[Unregistered]

Snip...

Florida law prohibits agencies from setting quotas.

Sheriff’s Capt. Ryan Brown wrote to all patrol supervisors: “Our [ticket] productivity is way down.”

Brown continued, “I look at the overall number..."

Ryan, you're looking at ticket numbers...

which is causing you to order deputies to write more tickets...

to produce bigger numbers...

it's a quota (aka a numbers "goal")...

and hence comes your order to write more tickets to produce more numbers OR you will "call out" (or publicly humiliate?) deputies and their supervisors, if their "numbers" don't meet your quota.

Ryan and Mr. Hoffman, please obey the law and: https://www.safetysign.com/images/so...ages/X4558.jpg

[Unregistered]

Florida law prohibits agencies from setting quotas. However, in an email that was obtained by the Herald-Tribune, Sheriff’s Capt. Ryan Brown wrote to all patrol supervisors: “Our [ticket] productivity is way down.” Deputies were then ordered to “have a proactive attempt at traffic enforcement every day.”

Brown continued, “I look at the overall number, but it is up to you to look at individual deputies and encourage them [to write more tickets]. I do not want to call out individual deputies and their supervisors – but I will, if it gets to that point.”

Retired Deputy Steve Hall explained, “Deputies do not want to punish citizens [by writing mandatory tickets], but they have to write [a minimum number of] tickets [during each shift] to keep their jobs. Deputies [and the state statute] use the word ‘quota,’ but [senior] staff uses the word ‘goals’ [to circumvent state law].”

Chief Deputy Col. Kurt Hoffman said, “If you take his email in context — which I 100 percent support — he’s increasing productivity [by making deputies write more tickets].”

Many current deputies are angry about the memo.

Hoffman and Brown both said that writing traffic tickets reduces crime because...

Full story:
https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/2...e-more-tickets

This is 2019 and many people are very anti-Police right now. You can spin this email 6 different ways, but it's always someone in the middle of the heap to take the fall. The people (and the legislators) don't like quotas - and all it has to do is look like a quota - and then the media will do the rest. This is the era of social media and emails. If you put illegal or questionable stuff like this in writing, then you're asking for it.

[Unregistered]

Mr. Williams if you read this site I really wish you would do major digging into the SSO under Tom Knight. Under freedom of information act you would find so much to write about. I can assure you that Col. Hoffman's response to the ticket quota is nothing short of bullshit. If a Sheriff's Deputy does not come in with a minimum of 10 tickets and 10 FI's per month he/she will be spoken to. They could have solved 10 felonies that month and made 10 great arrests but none of that matters to the Sheriff and his command staff. 10 and 10 minimum or you will be on a short list.

Mr. Williams I would encourage you to look into why the Sheriff does not have a security clearance so he can be briefed by members of the department that do.

[Unregistered]

Mr. Williams I would encourage you to look into why the Sheriff does not have a security clearance so he can be briefed by members of the department that do.

Due to the sensitive information that is being discussed, it seems that it would be nearly impossible for a reporter to delve into these kinds of national security issues because the feds are tight lipped.

This is very confusing to ask (with clarity), but here it is anyway:

QUESTION #1: Since Knight was denied a federal security clearance, is it legal for those who DO have a federal clearance to brief Knight on sensitive security issues that they have been briefed on? How can a deputy tactfully say NO to his employing sheriff?

QUESTION #2: Don't those that have federal security clearances have to sign a contract, stipulating that they will not release certain information? But then doesn't that put them in an odd political position, if they tell Sheriff Knight that they cannot give him that information? (think job security)

QUESTION #3: Is Knight being briefed by those who DO have federal security clearances, thus getting access to that information?

Due to the sensitive nature of this material, it is highly unlikely that the public will ever be privy to the facts of this odd case.