Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A new law bars South Carolina’s law enforcement agencies from setting ticket quotas for officers.
Gov. Nikki Haley signed the ban into law Thursday.
Its sponsor, Democratic Rep. Justin Bamberg, has said quotas pressure officers to stop people for minor offenses. He thinks the law will help repair officers’ frayed relationships with residents.
Bamberg also represents the family of Water Scott, the black man fatally shot as he ran from a North Charleston police officer last year. He’d been pulled over for a broken third brake light.
The law says officers can’t be required to write a certain number of tickets within a specified time frame.
However, officers can be evaluated on their “points of contact.” That’s defined as their interactions with residents and businesses and involvement in community initiatives.
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