Article from: www.thenewspaper.com/news/12/1284.asp

8/12/2006

Rocklin, CA Police Hold Ticket Writing Contest
Rocklin, California police fire officer who exposed a ticket writing contest designed to increase citation revenue.

The traffic enforcement shift in the Rocklin, California Police Department that issued the greatest number of red light camera tickets won a prize, according to a lawsuit filed by a twenty-year veteran of the force. Officer Rick Eaton called it a ticket quota, and for that he was fired.

"To inflate these (ticket) numbers, the department began offering a benefit, and that benefit was in the form of a free dinner for the entire shift that could write the most tickets for red light violators," Eaton told KOVR-TV in an interview. "I felt that was very inappropriate and I had a hard time supporting that."

Police officials denied there was a ticket quota, because quotas are illegal. Instead, to show Eaton was not fired over the ticket quota, officials released documents showing Eaton had maligned the police chief and been argumentative.

Source: Former Rocklin Police Officer Suing Department (KOVR-TV (CA), 8/11/2006)

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