There could be some major ramifications for one Baltimore police department after a Howard County judge ruled that the county's police force made an arrest based on a citation quota. Quotas are illegal in Maryland, and the judge ended up throwing out a DUI charge against a 22-year-old woman.

An appeal is expected by the department, but there could also be appeals in other criminal cases where the quota may have had a direct correlation to the arrest. The woman was arrested last year when she was found going 13 miles per hour over the speed limit. During the traffic stop, officers applied a breath test and the woman's blood alcohol content was measured at 0.17. She was arrested and charged with a DUI.

However, the DUI arrest was made during what is called a "saturation patrol." This saturation patrol was funded by a federal grant, allowing officers working on the shift to be paid overtime. The grant required two to four citations per hour for "saturation patrols," and if the quota was not met, the department would lose its funding.

The department's Police Chief admitted that the grant had such a mandate, and he also addressed a memo to officers that outlined the grant's quota. He admitted that the memo had "not the best wording."

"The public has an expectation that we make good use of these funds," the Police Chief said. "I acknowledge how this could be misinterpreted."

A former Baltimore police officer warned that this story could lead to future appeals. "It introduces an unwanted dynamic in every traffic stop," he said. "People of Howard County need to have the confidence that the police are doing the right things for the right reasons."

Source: The Baltimore Sun, "Judge throws out DUI case, saying police had quotas," Peter Hermann, Jan. 5, 2012