Latest news with #SenateBill114
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio lawmakers seek to put an end to police quotas
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio lawmakers are working to ban police quotas. 'Our law enforcement officers should not be used as revenue generators,' Rep. Kevin Miller (R-Newark) said. 'That's rule number one.' 'Ohio has become synonymous with high police ticket quotas,' Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake) said. New development denied at site of Pickaway County farmland Miller and Sweeny are behind House Bill 131; Senate Bill 114 is identical and both would prohibit law enforcement agencies from using citation quotas. 'They're out there to protect the public and they shouldn't be given some arbitrary number of citations that have no correlation to public safety,' Miller said. Miller formerly worked for the Ohio State Highway Patrol, where the union prohibits the use of quotas for that agency already. He said given that fact, no other police department should have an issue with a ban. 'If our Ohio State Highway Patrol, who is arguably the most proactive law enforcement agency in the state, can operate under a system that prohibits quotas, there's no reason other agencies can't do the same,' Miller said. Ohio University closing diversity offices, women and pride centers 'This is by no means to demonize anyone; there are real struggles to fill budget holes,' Sweeney said. 'It just should not be on the backs of Ohioans.' The bill passed a House committee during the last general assembly with no votes against it. The Senate bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee also with no votes against it on April 17. The legislation also creates an anonymous reporting system for officers to use if leaders are still requiring quotas or using them for things like promotions or evaluations. So far, between last year and this year, only one opponent has testified. That is Mike Crispen, president of the Central Ohio Chiefs Association. He was not available for an interview on Tuesday, but in a March post on his organization's website, he said the definition of quota is too broad in the bill and said it will lead to less accountability within departments. UPS to cut 20K jobs, close some facilities as it reduces amount of Amazon shipments 'And all of this sends the wrong message, especially now,' Crispen's statement said. 'When crime is rising and repeat offenders are cycling through the system, the last thing Ohio needs is a law that makes it harder for officers to act — or harder for supervisors to expect action.' Crispen said the memo outlines the organization's official position on the bill. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Yahoo
Tighter control of apartment master keys moves forward in ‘Miya's Law'
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Controls on access to apartment complex master keys got even tighter Thursday as lawmakers passed changes to a bill requiring criminal background checks for employees with access to the keys. 'Miya's Law,' named for a 19-year-old Florida woman who was killed by an apartment maintenance worker in 2021, was passed by the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor. Senate Bill 114 (SB114) initially applied to complexes with 200 or more apartments. An amendment brought that down to 100 units as the bill was approved in a work session Thursday. The bill also requires landlords to keep a log to account for the issuance and return of each key, along with written policies and procedures regarding their use. During a bill hearing on Monday, Miya Marcano's mother and father urged Nevada lawmakers to make Nevada the third state to pass legislation that could have saved their daughter. Florida and Virginia already have similar laws. 'What happened to Miya is not just my personal tragedy. It's a public safety failure,' Miya's mother, Yma Scarbriel, said. 'No parent should have to go through what we went through. No family should have to bury their child because basic housing protections were not in place.' Her father, Marlon Marcano, said, 'Let Miya's name represent action, not tragedy.' The man who killed Miya had a criminal conviction involving the detonation of a bomb at a school, according to a representative of the Miya Marcano Foundation. Lawmakers were reminded of a similar case in Nevada. In 1982, an 18-year-old student in Carson City was found dead in her apartment, a victim of strangulation. The case went unresolved until a DNA match in 1999 connected her death to David Mitchell, who worked at her apartment complex. Sheila Jo Harris was the reigning Miss Douglas County when she was killed. She had moved from Gardnerville to Carson City to be closer to school. Harris was killed five days after she moved in. SB114, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Julie Pazina, now advances to the full Senate for consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bipartisan bill would ban Ohio police from using arrest, ticket quotas
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Law enforcement agencies in Ohio would be banned from requiring officers to meet arrest and ticket quotas under a bipartisan Statehouse bill. State Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake) reintroduced the legislation last week in the Ohio House as House Bill 131 alongside Rep. Kevin Miller (R-Newark), a former State Highway Patrol officer of 20 years. The bill, which defines a quota as a certain number of arrests made or citations issued for any offense that a police officer must meet in a time period, aims to enhance public safety. U.S. Supreme Court likely to side with Ohio woman's reverse discrimination claim 'Law enforcement officers' primary job is to protect and serve our community — they can't do that if they are expected to meet arbitrary quotas that don't reflect the safety needs of the community,' said Sweeney, who also introduced the measure last General Assembly. 'We want our law enforcement officers to be evaluated based upon the quality of their police work, not the quantity of tickets they can write.' Similar legislation banning quotas has been enacted in 25 other states, including Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, the pair said. They also touted support from the Ohio Patrolmen's Benevolent Association (OPBA) and the Fraternal Order of Police. George Sakellakis, OPBA director of organization, argued that when agencies arbitrarily dictate a certain number of arrests or citations that an officer must issue to keep their job, the trust between the public and law enforcement, as well as the very nature of constitutional policing, is needlessly tested. 'Ohioans must be assured that any citation or arrest is valid, legitimate, and necessary. Police officers, sheriff's deputies and troopers are true professionals who risk their lives to serve our communities, not revenue generators,' said Sakellakis. 'They got into this business to protect our neighborhoods, not occupy them. We are thankful that the legislature is tackling this important issue.' Franklin County court restricts immigration enforcement to protect due process State Senator Tom Patton (R-Strongsville) also supports the legislation, and has introduced a sister bill in the Ohio Senate, Senate Bill 114. The measure would also prohibit law enforcement from requiring officers to meet quotas, and ban agencies from offering a financial reward or other benefits for meeting quotas. 'Law enforcement officers already have the difficult task of keeping us all safe, and should not be saddled with the additional and unreasonable burden of generating revenue for the bureaucracies they serve,' said Patton. 'Quotas make officers' jobs even harder by undermining public trust in law enforcement. Filling quotas also encourage unnecessary encounters between the public and officers, further hindering our primary goal of maintaining public safety.' H.B. 131 has been referred to the House Public Safety Committee for further consideration and awaits sponsor testimony. S.B. 114 has been assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee and is scheduled for sponsor testimony on Wednesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill would end practice of police traffic ticket quotas
CLEVELAND (WJW) — It's the start of a bad day. Being pulled over by the police for going over the speed limit. But state lawmakers and police groups are pushing to make sure that everyone who is pulled over is not being pulled over because of dollar signs. I-Team: Cleveland schools CEO dodges questions on travel costs 'The notion that our law enforcement officers that protect and serve us each day is being used as revenue generators, and that's wrong' State Representative Kevin Miller said. Ohio House Bill 131 would put an end to the practice of creating quotas, or as they're sometimes called, performance initiatives, which requires officers to issue a specific number of traffic or other violations every day. At a news conference Wednesday morning, lawmakers said it is legal in Ohio for local governments to require that of their officers. Now they want to not only stop it but also create a framework to report it to the state attorney general. Last term the bill made it out of committee, but late in the year, so it didn't come up for a vote. This time around they have a companion bill in the state senate with Senate Bill 114. 'Having a partner in the senate with Senator Patton as soon as we start education, other members in the house, they get excited they want to be a part of this every time this is in the media I get responses from all across the state,' Representative Bride Rose Sweeney said. 'This is a bill that Representative Sweeny has worked on so very very hard and I think it's good for the public, I think it's a good policy bill and good for the people in the state of Ohio,' State Senator Tom Patton said. The measure also has the support of law enforcement. The Fraternal Order of Police and the Ohio Patrolman's Benevolent Association say quotas keep officers from doing more important police work. Long-awaited project will connect residents to Cleveland Metroparks 'I can't find one police officer deputy or sheriff that opposes this. Anyone who opposes it under the guise of 'we're going to try to keep you safe and this limits it,' it's complete snake oil.' Ohio FOP President Brian Steel said. Both measures were introduced in the house and senate this week. It's not clear when they will get their first committee hearings. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
