Report: Police Using Quotas in 77 Precinct

The New York Police Department says that it does not have quotas for the number of tickets that officers must hand out, but a couple of internal memos found at the 77 Precinct, which oversees Prospect Heights, suggest otherwise.

The two memos, copies of which were published by the New York Daily News earlier today, list a specific amount of moving violations that must be given out in the precinct each week. They also list specific locations, including the intersections of Park Place and Vanderbilt Avenue and Eastern Parkway and Washington Avenue, where officers should look for the violations.

The violations cops are allegedly hunting for include the use of a cell phone while driving and driving without a seatbelt, among others.

NYPD Spokesmen Paul Browne told the Daily News that an officer posted the memos without approval, but Police union spokesman Al O'Leary said that a policeman would have no reason without specific orders to do so.

Browne acknowledged that each precinct has "productivity goals" related to the conditions in the area, but stood by the idea that the NYPD does not impose quotas.