Lawsuit over police ticket quotas settled
Update March 13, 2014: An unexpected settlement was reached Thursday in a lawsuit brought against the city by a police officer who accused his police department of requiring traffic ticket quotas and then retaliating against him after he complained.
The terms of the settlement were not disclosed by either side and came at recess after opening statements began Thursday in Superior Court, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports.
Before the settlement was reached, those expected to testify included former Paso Robles police Chief Lisa Solomon, current Chief Robert Burton, city manager Jim App, and dozens of current and former police officers and administrators.
Original story March 12, 2014: Opening arguments were set begin Wednesday in a lawsuit that claims there was a quota system for officers to issue traffic citations to drivers in Paso Robles.
Former Paso Robles police officer Jon Tatro filed a lawsuit in February 2012 that accuses the police department of instituting a quota system for issuing tickets.
The suit claims that officers received monthly performance reviews with the number of citations they wrote compared to other officers’ averages. Tatro says he received notice that he failed to meet expectations by falling below the average. Tatro resigned from the police department after a 25-year career on the force.
Paso Robles City Manager Jim App on Tuesday told the San Luis Obispo Tribune that he could not comment on the active litigation. The lawsuit asks for unspecified damages and attorney fees.
Read more at the San Luis Obispo Tribune
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