Have you ever wondered if ticket quotas for law enforcement officials are a real thing in the United States? Well, they definitely are. In the winter of 2014/2015 I went undercover as a Sanitation Enforcement Agent for the City of New York, Department of Sanitation [DSNY]. While there, I discovered a mandate for the number of tickets an agent must write. As a uniformed ticket officer (DSNY insider) I was required to write 10 tickets per day, everyday or face termination; a direct violation of City, State & Federal quota law. Once discovered I blew the whistle as loud as I could securing 100% inescapable audio evidence (in their own words) that proves there is a quota, and it’s all about the money.
All told, DSNY fleeced an estimated $600 Million in bogus ticket revenue (over 30 years) from unexpected NYC businesses and residents. Unfortunately Mayor Bill de Blasio and Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia were never held accountable. Both still deny any wrongdoing. But the record is clear. For more than 30 years DSNY ran an illegal ticket scam. The rest is history.
