OGDEN, Utah — According to several investigative reports from FOX 13 News, the Ogden Police Department is changing its policies regarding a “point system” that is viewed by the public — as well as lawmakers and even police officers — as a type of “quota.”

As FOX 13’s Adam Herbets reported, police quotas are illegal in the state of Utah, but the Ogden Police Department had a system where the more tickets officers wrote, the more points they received on their annual evaluation in the traffic category.

On Tuesday, the ministry announced that it would change its policy to eliminate aspects that the public might consider a kind of “quota.”

OPD said it consulted with the Utah Attorney General’s office, which confirmed the system was not an illegal quota.

“Nevertheless, this perception persisted among some community members and legislators,” Tuesday’s announcement said.

Newly elected mayor Ben Nadolski said the system worried him.

“Throughout my campaign, I faced many questions on this issue and became increasingly concerned about the safety of our officers and our ability to build trust with those we serve,” Nadolski said in the press release.

The mayor directed the police department to set up a committee to review its performance appraisal policies, leading to the changes announced Tuesday.

While the police department will continue to have a points system, all “police activities” will be given equal weight. That is, an officer will receive the same number of points for issuing a ticket as for issuing a warning.

“Previously, officers received different points based on the outcome of enforcement, with citations being given more weight than warnings,” the press release states. “This led to the belief that officers might be more motivated to issue tickets than warnings.”

The agency hopes this will help officers achieve the best public safety outcome in each scenario rather than feeling pressured to issue a citation.

Darick Fisher, president of the Weber Fraternal Order of Police, issued a statement Tuesday expressing the order’s full support for the policy change. Fisher said officers in Ogden have begun using this new system “without encountering any significant problems,” and he praised the department’s handling of the matter.