March 21, 2006

• Quota
   "The volume of product that a registered producer is entitled to produce during a specified period of time"

  (Disclaimer:
  This converstion may not have happened... Between me and Police officer
  R. Harris, a balding older caucasian male, thin build approximately
  5'10", in Downtown San Jose, working near First street and Taylor... It
  may have only happened in my mind...)

  Phil: So Police officers don't really have a quota do they?
  R. Harris: No, officially, it's not really a quota.
  Phil: But you said that your performance is judged by how many tickets you issue right?
  R. Harris: Well, what happens
  is at the end of the month, each officer is evaluated by the "average"
  of tickets everyone has issued.  So if the average is 40 in a
  month, and you've only issued 20, your performance "reviewed" because
  you're not working "up to par" with the other officers.
  Phil: Isn't that a quota then?
  R. Harris: Kind of, Technically
  we can be on the stand and say truthfully that there is no quota, since
  there is no required amount of tickets.
  Phil: I see... That's pretty jacked.
  R. Harris: That's how the system works.
  Phil: It's broken. I mean God
  forbid that the reason you didn't give out too many tickets was because
  your beat has people who follow the law.
  R. Harris: Just follow the law and you don't have to worry.
  Phil: That's not what I'm
  worried about.  I'd hate for a cop to be sitting behind a speed
  trap waiting to fill his "quasi quota" to be above the average, when
  there are a lot of real things, burglaries, rapes, murders... things
  that in my mind really matter going on.  I think it's a tremendous
  waste of a good resource.
  R. Harris: I agree. But the system is built to resist change.
  Phil: Thanks for taking time out to talk to me abou this.
  R. Harris: No problem. Like you
  I see the broken system. I would like to change some things. But like I
  said, The system is built to resist change.
  Phil: You seem like a reasonable cop. Why aren't there more like you that can change the system.
  R. Harris:  People want to get paid, they have families, they don't want to rock the boat.  Inaction will undo us one by one.
  Phil: I say we should get a
  group of people together and find all the speed traps and hold up
  warning signs. We should follow the cops around so that when they go to
  speed traps we can warn the people down the road.
  R. Harris: haha. That's not going to solve the problem.  The problem is much deeper I'm afraid.
  Phil: Well, I look forward to us talking again.  I'll see you later.
  R. Harris: No problem. Anytime.
  Phil: Good luck out there.

  ~Oneazn2nv

  • 6:58 pm
  • 3 Comments