The Free Thought Project – by Matt Agorist
Normal, IL — A group of police officers filed a lawsuit against the town of Normal last week alleging that the police department is forcing them to write a certain number of tickets or face disciplinary action.
Patrol officers Brian Larimore, Deborak Weir, and Todd VanHovein, were tired of being forced to collect a minimum amount of revenue each month or face disciplinary consequences. They claim the department is abusing its power and have filed a 27-page lawsuit detailing these allegations.
The lawsuit states that each officer had to write at least one traffic ticket each day. They also had to write four ordinance violation tickets per month, and make one DUI arrest every other month.
More than just traffic citations, the lawsuit details the requirements to make at least two criminal arrests per month. That means that these officers were forced to create criminals out of otherwise innocent people, or face disciplinary action.
The lawsuit goes on to say that day-shift patrol officers have no concrete requirements when it comes to criminal arrests or DUI arrests. Those day-shift officers are allegedly told to have a minimum number of traffic arrest and ordinance violation arrests.
According to WMBD, Larimore, Weir and VanHoveln all cited separate incidents where they were disciplined for failing to meet the required number of arrests. The claims date back to 2010.
Deborah Weir said she was even suspended for day without pay for falling short of her alleged quota.
The group of officers are claiming that these requirements encourage them to make arrests without probable cause. By refusing to make the arrest and therefore being disciplined, the lawsuit claims Normal Police Department is in violation of Section 20 of the Illinois Whistleblower Act.
While city officials haven’t made a comment in response to the lawsuit yet, WMBD did contact Chief Rick Bleichner who denied there being a quota system in place but did say that they have “expectations” for their employees.
This incident is hardly isolated. In June of this year, another Twin Cities cop, former Bloomington Police Officer Brent VanHoveln was charged with three counts of forgery and one count of official misconduct for writing fake tickets.
He claimed it was to meet the department’s quota.
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/oath-keeper-cops-stand-department-no-quota-system/#qiJq88BWmaDhPwRY.99
Cops standing up against writing tickets?
Hmmm…Well that’s not “Normal”.
Sorry. Had to say it.
I lived in IL. Was born and rased there. It is just not Normal IL. but a whole State problem. Look back. A judge up there tryed to go against the police. In 90 day’s he lost his drivers permit and was forced to resign after telling the police NO. To the way they act. We have a police revew board there. They disagreed with the police and the police went to the legislator and got the law changed so that only those facts they wish to give them can be revewed. Great rvew board but a little 1 sided in that State. In IL. you speak to a cop you will be beat and framed about there behavor there! File a infernal afairs complaint and they will put a gun to your head and let you know that is a NoNo with them. Still waiting for that internal afairs investigation here! Talking about SPFLD and Sang CO. If you try again property damage harasment stalking and they will make your life H@ll there. I was finaly forced to flee America under police death threat in that State. Not that I broke a law at all! So the police in IL. Need looked into from top to bottom and dismissed top to bottom for what they are as police!
Thank the officers for standing up to these gross unjust orders from the so called leaders of their departments. This is just a fraction of the problem of why all of a sudden we have rogue cops ,shooting dogs old ladies and unarmed citizens. The crap comes from the top of these agencies and runs down to the poor taxpaying mostly law abiding Citizen. They are out of control cause the system is giving them free vacations as punishment for shielded hide behind the badges murder. Paid administrative leave is an open perk for gunning down citizens and of course dead men tell no tales. These public servants need to be held accountable to some real citizens councils. None of this wet stamping not even investigated scams we have been getting from their so called internal bureau. No one is above the law not even the ones who are supposed to defend it.