No, they do not earn bonuses/commission on citations or arrests. And doing so is illegal in every state that I’m aware of. Likewise, ticket/arrest quotas are illegal and against every agency policy. However, unofficially, many agencies do look more favorably on officers who write more citations and make more arrests, and those officers are generally more likely to get the preferred shifts or promotions. BTW, if you’re wondering what “motivates” police to write tickets, even for itty-bitty violations like running a light or driving a bit over the speed limit, just remember that police are usually the first emergency workers on-scene at traffic accidents, including ones with mutilated bodies resulting from someone who “had a great excuse and circumstance” to run that red light . . .
