That steak has turned green. 

Maybe Illinois State Police Trooper Greg Miller merely hoped to boost morale last week by offering a steak dinner to District 22 Squad A, which performed the most big rig inspections in recent months. Maybe the district's safety officer simply adopted a widely employed private sector strategy to nudge officers toward doing a less than joyous part of their job. But, against the backdrop of recent history, the incentive program has more than a whiff of rotten meat.

For years, the elected class saw police as a quick and easy way to fill budgetary gaps. Ticket and infraction quotas were established throughout the country. The message was clear for officers: hit your number or face the repercussions. The issue got so bad, and Illinoisans so perturbed that, last year, the General Assembly finally outlawed policing quotas altogether.

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