Traffic ticket quotas are overwhelmingly unpopular and undermine communities' faith in police departments. Quotas particularly harm those least able to afford tickets, and the associated fines, fees, and interest can needlessly trap families in poverty. Traffic tickets should only be issued when necessary to promote public safety; tickets should not be issued to meet arbitrary quotas or hit particular revenue targets.

Around 20 states have already banned ticket quotas, and Virginia should join them. Of course, it's not quite enough to simply ban quotas because local government officials will find clever ways to get around them. Officers' ticket production numbers should be kept separate from their personnel files and ticket writing should be banned from consideration in promotions and firings as well as scheduling shifts, vacations, and breaks. 

Finally, lawmakers need to establish serious consequences, such as fines, suspensions, and demotions, for government officials who violate the ticket quota ban. By so doing, lawmakers can improve community relations with the police, and possibly even lower crime -- because officers will be more visible in the community and waste less of their time writing tickets and sitting in traffic court.