Rep. Sweeney's Bipartisan Bill Banning Police Ticket Quotas Takes Effect

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake) today announced Senate Bill (SB) 114—a companion to her House Bill (HB) 131—officially takes effect. The new law bans the use of ticket and arrest quotas in Ohio, ensuring that law enforcement officers are never again pressured to meet arbitrary numerical goals to generate money for their city’s budget. Instead, it allows them to focus on what truly matters: keeping communities safe, strengthening public trust, and using their professional discretion to enforce the law fairly.

Rep. Sweeney has championed this reform across multiple General Assemblies, first introducing legislation in the 135th General Assembly, where it advanced out of the House Homeland Security Committee with a bipartisan 10-0 vote. Building on that momentum, she reintroduced the measure as HB 131 in the 136th General Assembly, which passed the Ohio House earlier this year with unanimous, bipartisan support, 91-0.

The law earned widespread bipartisan support, including criminal justice organizations and police officers across the state. The legislation is also supported by the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (OPBA) and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).

“Ticket and arrest quotas undermine the public’s trust in law enforcement and can distract officers from their true mission of protecting and serving the public,” said Rep. Sweeney. “Ohioans deserve the confidence that every stop is made for a legitimate reason—not because an officer is under pressure to hit a quota.”

Under the new law, law enforcement agencies are prohibited from:

• Establishing a plan that uses a quota, which is defined as a mandate of a finite number of arrests made or citations issued that an officer must meet in a specified period, as the basis for evaluating, promoting, compensating, transferring, or disciplining an officer;
• Requiring or suggesting that an officer must or is expected to meet a quota; and
• Offering a benefit to an officer based on the officer’s ticket or arrest quota.

The law also requires the attorney general to establish a confidential reporting system for officers, investigate alleged violations, and issue cease-and-desist orders when necessary.