Article from: www.thenewspaper.com/news/13/1372.asp
Maryland State Legislature
HOUSE BILL 13
By: Delegate Smigiel
AN ACT concerning Law Enforcement Agencies - Prohibition Against Arrest and Citation Quotas
FOR the purpose of prohibiting a law enforcement agency from establishing a quota for the agency or law enforcement officers of the agency for making arrests or issuing citations; prohibiting a law enforcement agency from using the number of arrests made or citations issued by a law enforcement officer as the sole or primary criterion for promotion, demotion, dismissal, or transfer of the officer; providing for an exception under certain circumstances; defining a certain term; and generally relating to law enforcement agencies and quotas for making arrests or issuing citations.
BY adding to Article - Public Safety
3-504.
(A) IN THIS SECTION, "QUOTA" MEANS THE MANDATING OF A FINITE NUMBER F ARRESTS MADE OR CITATIONS ISSUED THAT A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER MUST MEET IN A SPECIFIED TIME PERIOD.
(B) A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY MAY NOT:
(1) ESTABLISH A FORMAL OR INFORMAL QUOTA FOR THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS OF THE AGENCY; OR
(2) USE THE NUMBER OF ARRESTS MADE OR CITATIONS ISSUED BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AS THE SOLE OR PRIMARY CRITERION FOR PROMOTION, DEMOTION, DISMISSAL, OR TRANSFER OF THE OFFICER.
(C) THIS SECTION DOES NOT PRECLUDE A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FROM:
(1) USING QUANTITATIVE DATA FOR ARRESTS, CITATIONS, AND OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES AS MANAGEMENT TOOLS OR IN EVALUATING PERFORMANCE;
(2) COLLECTING, ANALYZING, AND APPLYING INFORMATION CONCERNING THE NUMBER OF ARRESTS AND CITATIONS IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT A PARTICULAR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER OR GROUP OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS DOES NOT VIOLATE AN APPLICABLE LEGAL OBLIGATION; OR
(3) ASSESSING THE PROPORTION OF THE ARRESTS MADE AND CITATIONS ISSUED BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER OR GROUP OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS.
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect October 1, 2006.