The California Vehicle Code prohibits law enforcement agencies from requiring public safety officers to meet quotas for tickets issued. But according to former officer Jon Tatro, this was standard practice at the Paso Robles Police Department.
Tatro filed a lawsuit against the agency in February 2012, seeking unspecified damages and attorney fees. He amended the suit after resigning that following December, ending a 25-year career on the force.
Tatro has alleged that he received monthly performance reviews that compared him to other officers on the force. Tatro fell below the shift average and has claimed that his fellow officers and department supervisors denied him promotions and made malevolent comments about him behind his back.
In early spring 2012, The Tribune obtained an internal department memo that suggested there may have been a quota in place, evidenced by the number of officers who had brought it up.
“There was no quota and the memo was a reflection of that to the troops,” City Manager Jim App said in response in April 2012.
Tatro’s suit will officially go to trial this week and is expected to conclude next week.
Read more at The Tribune.