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OGDEN — The Ogden Police Department has tweaked its officer-evaluation policy to counter perceptions that it encouraged officers to ticket motorists to get better performance reviews.
"This new approach ensures that public safety remains our No. 1 focus while also assuring the public that our officers make decisions based solely on what is best for the community," Mayor Ben Nadolski said Monday in a statement announcing the change.
The issue emerged last year, prompting debate in the Ogden City Council and state scrutiny after a news report suggested the department's policy amounted to a ticketing quota system. Ticketing quotas — requiring that officers issue a predetermined number of traffic citations in a given period — are prohibited by a 2018 state law, Senate Bill 154.
The Utah Attorney General's Office scrutinized the policy at the request of the department after the issue emerged, finding it didn't constitute a quota. Still, the issue created some confusion, the statement reads, leading to the policy shift.
Nadolski raised questions last year as a member of the Ogden City Council after the issue emerged, and fielded queries on the topic from the public during his successful 2023 mayoral bid, he said. After he took office in January, he asked the police department to review the process in light of the questions, leading to the change announced Monday.
"During my campaign, I encountered many questions about this issue, and I became increasingly worried about the safety of our officers and our ability to build trust with those we serve," Nadolski said. The issue was even the focus of an Aug. 28 meeting last year of the Utah Legislature's Rules Review and General Oversight Committee, which queried then-Ogden Police Chief Eric Young on the policy but ultimately took no action.
At issue was one of numerous elements of the police department's officer evaluation policy that scored officers based on the number of traffic tickets issued. Defenders of the policy said the aim wasn't to encourage ticketing and the resulting revenues that come with the associated fines — prohibited by SB154 — but rather to ensure officers were attentive to the safety of the city's streets. The Standard-Examiner reported two citations issued in a 40-hour workweek for moving or non-moving infractions would have been enough to meet minimum policy guidelines, per the former policy.
Under the new policy, the number of citations carries no more weight than other actions in evaluating officer performance.
"Previously, officers received varying points based on different enforcement outcomes, with citations weighted more heavily than warnings. This led to a perception that officers might be incentivized to issue tickets rather than give warnings," the police department said. "Under the revised framework, all police activities — whether a warrant arrest, a police report, a field interview or a citation — are now weighed equally. This approach emphasizes officer discretion, encouraging decisions that best meet the situation's needs, with the overarching goal of enhancing public safety in our community."
Darick Fisher, president of the Weber Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents Ogden officers, supports the change.
Involvement of a broad cross-section of police personnel in the policy review "ensured the development of an evaluation program that is fair and responsive to our community's concerns," Fisher wrote in a letter accompanying the department's statement. The new guidelines, he went on, will "support our officers in their professional growth and maintain the high standards of service that the Ogden Police Department strives to uphold."
