Just got pulled over by a ridiculous cop..
01-10-2006, 11:11 AM
#23
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Just pay it. If you go to court, she'll show up; you'll lose; and then you'll have to pay court costs on top of the ticket. If you get a lawyer, you'll lose and end up paying five times what the ticket is worth.
"Making a point" when dealing with cops is lose-lose. I just stay the hell away from them, if possible.
"Making a point" when dealing with cops is lose-lose. I just stay the hell away from them, if possible.
When a cop pulls a person with a expensive car over, it's a win-win situation for him/her. Why?
1. The driver probably will not waste time disputing it. His time is more valuable.
2. The driver probably has a lawyer and will lose in court anyway.
3. The driver is probably rich, he pay up. Beside, he wouldn't want an arrest warrant which will waste more of his valuable time.
01-10-2006, 11:18 AM
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I'm afraid I have to disagree with most of you on this board regarding:
1. Envy/Jealous - Cops can make upwards of $100,000 a yiear with overtime, extra job, etc. My brother has been with the force for years (since 1992) and with traffic management over 5 years now. He owns an 05 MB S500, and a 04 Corvette to name a few. Envy/jealous is not the issue.
2. Fight it - yes. Fight it and make it worth your time with a trial by jury. Juries are more receptive to understanding your situation than a judge. Build your case based more on "emotios" if you know what I mean. Now this is an advice a good lawyer will tell you if you "want to fight it."
3. Showing up in court - Cops in Houston have to show up in court. No excuses unless they are dying. Small county usually don't require. So depending on where you were stopped, you can decide.
4. Speedometer as evidence - Cops use speedometer as evidence, but now a days, it does not hold well in court with the judge much less the juries. Why? Large cities have special task force (traffic enforcer) to do the job. Any good lawyer can argue for the client based on speedo evidence, but a radar evidence is a more difficult hurdle. Unless, a "regular" cop will pull you over for speeding, and write some down some other violations too to piss you off or make the stop "worth their time."
It seems that you have 20" rims which will throw your speedometer off, but not by 15 mph. Perhaps maybe 5 to 10 being a libral, but not 15 mph.
Summary of your defense
If I were you and have time to waste, go to court and contest trial by jury. Don't mention the 20" rims, and emphasize that you were cruise, wasn't in a hurry to any place, and was traveling noticeable slower than some people around you when you got pulled over. For whatever reason not mentioned, you where picked on and pulled over. Your time is very valueable, perhaps more than the time to be in court, but you know that you were not speeding, and have a need to straighten the facts out so the next driver can comfortably drive within the limits of the law and not be afraid to get pulled over unjustly because a cop (police officer) is driving behind him/her. Ladies and gentlemen, why are we afraid when we see a polic cruiser even when we are driving within the limits of the law - because we have rotten apples that tend to spoil the rest of the bucket. You can word it in a nicer way.
OR . . .
pay the damn ticket and move on and hate every cop you see on the road, except that ones helping your family members out of a robbery, accident, etc.
Rightly so. Your time is worth more than dealing with the dishonest cops. I respect you for that.
When a cop pulls a person with a expensive car over, it's a win-win situation for him/her. Why?
1. The driver probably will not waste time disputing it. His time is more valuable.
2. The driver probably has a lawyer and will lose in court anyway.
3. The driver is probably rich, he pay up. Beside, he wouldn't want an arrest warrant which will waste more of his valuable time.
[/quote]
number 3 especially. Personally, I'd show up in court, but, then, my schedule is very flexible, and I'd tell my story the way it happened if the cop showed--just the facts--not accusing, not ranting, not raving, etc. The truth, being objective, and being polite is your best chance.
1. Envy/Jealous - Cops can make upwards of $100,000 a yiear with overtime, extra job, etc. My brother has been with the force for years (since 1992) and with traffic management over 5 years now. He owns an 05 MB S500, and a 04 Corvette to name a few. Envy/jealous is not the issue.
2. Fight it - yes. Fight it and make it worth your time with a trial by jury. Juries are more receptive to understanding your situation than a judge. Build your case based more on "emotios" if you know what I mean. Now this is an advice a good lawyer will tell you if you "want to fight it."
3. Showing up in court - Cops in Houston have to show up in court. No excuses unless they are dying. Small county usually don't require. So depending on where you were stopped, you can decide.
4. Speedometer as evidence - Cops use speedometer as evidence, but now a days, it does not hold well in court with the judge much less the juries. Why? Large cities have special task force (traffic enforcer) to do the job. Any good lawyer can argue for the client based on speedo evidence, but a radar evidence is a more difficult hurdle. Unless, a "regular" cop will pull you over for speeding, and write some down some other violations too to piss you off or make the stop "worth their time."
It seems that you have 20" rims which will throw your speedometer off, but not by 15 mph. Perhaps maybe 5 to 10 being a libral, but not 15 mph.
Summary of your defense
If I were you and have time to waste, go to court and contest trial by jury. Don't mention the 20" rims, and emphasize that you were cruise, wasn't in a hurry to any place, and was traveling noticeable slower than some people around you when you got pulled over. For whatever reason not mentioned, you where picked on and pulled over. Your time is very valueable, perhaps more than the time to be in court, but you know that you were not speeding, and have a need to straighten the facts out so the next driver can comfortably drive within the limits of the law and not be afraid to get pulled over unjustly because a cop (police officer) is driving behind him/her. Ladies and gentlemen, why are we afraid when we see a polic cruiser even when we are driving within the limits of the law - because we have rotten apples that tend to spoil the rest of the bucket. You can word it in a nicer way.
OR . . .
pay the damn ticket and move on and hate every cop you see on the road, except that ones helping your family members out of a robbery, accident, etc.
Originally Posted by Evenflow545' post='222167' date='Jan 10 2006, 12:34 PM
Just pay it. If you go to court, she'll show up; you'll lose; and then you'll have to pay court costs on top of the ticket. If you get a lawyer, you'll lose and end up paying five times what the ticket is worth.
"Making a point" when dealing with cops is lose-lose. I just stay the hell away from them, if possible.
"Making a point" when dealing with cops is lose-lose. I just stay the hell away from them, if possible.
When a cop pulls a person with a expensive car over, it's a win-win situation for him/her. Why?
1. The driver probably will not waste time disputing it. His time is more valuable.
2. The driver probably has a lawyer and will lose in court anyway.
3. The driver is probably rich, he pay up. Beside, he wouldn't want an arrest warrant which will waste more of his valuable time.
[/quote]
number 3 especially. Personally, I'd show up in court, but, then, my schedule is very flexible, and I'd tell my story the way it happened if the cop showed--just the facts--not accusing, not ranting, not raving, etc. The truth, being objective, and being polite is your best chance.
01-10-2006, 11:28 AM
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Sorry to hear about your run-in with the law, especially being wrongly accused of speeding.
As you probably already know, in California you can appear in court to contest the ticket. If the officer who gave you the ticket doesn't show up, you win your case. On the other hand, if the officer does show up and the judge rules in their favor, you will have to pay the fine and miscellaneous court fees. Even worse, however, is that the infraction will show up on your driving record and your insurance premiums will increase!
Your other option is to pay the fine and go to Traffice school, assuming that you haven't had a ticket within the specified time. By going to Traffic school, the infraction DOESN'T appear on your driving record and your insurance premiums are unaffected.
Only YOU can decide what you're most comfortable with. I'm not a gambler so Traffic school would be my choice even though I knew that I was innocent.
Martin
As you probably already know, in California you can appear in court to contest the ticket. If the officer who gave you the ticket doesn't show up, you win your case. On the other hand, if the officer does show up and the judge rules in their favor, you will have to pay the fine and miscellaneous court fees. Even worse, however, is that the infraction will show up on your driving record and your insurance premiums will increase!
Your other option is to pay the fine and go to Traffice school, assuming that you haven't had a ticket within the specified time. By going to Traffic school, the infraction DOESN'T appear on your driving record and your insurance premiums are unaffected.
Only YOU can decide what you're most comfortable with. I'm not a gambler so Traffic school would be my choice even though I knew that I was innocent.
Martin
01-10-2006, 12:50 PM
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Sorry to hear about your situation. I have had similar experiences before. Here in Canada, there are ticket fighters for hire as they are mostly retired cops who have relationships in the force and are familiar with the traffic laws. Nevertheless, considering the "magnitude" of your violation the speed ticket is not going to cost you much. If I were you, I would just pay the damn ticket and move on. Life can never be 100% fair to begin with. On the other hand, I would curse the b*&ch and hope that she would get her lesson one day 
.
.
01-10-2006, 01:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Evenflow545' post='222270' date='Jan 10 2006, 03:45 PM
Fight a speeding ticket in a jury trial?
On the other hand, if you know or is a family member of the law enforcement body, then you can try the professional courtesy plead (in the street). Then you don't have to mess with the court mess.
01-10-2006, 02:17 PM
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If you were indeed at 30mph, you probably got pulled over due to your modded car.
Try fighting the ticket via a trial by declaration. It's supposed to be pretty simple and I've heard many who have had success with it. If you don't want to do it yourself, www.ticketassassin.com will guide you through it. I think they charge a small fee?
Try fighting the ticket via a trial by declaration. It's supposed to be pretty simple and I've heard many who have had success with it. If you don't want to do it yourself, www.ticketassassin.com will guide you through it. I think they charge a small fee?
01-10-2006, 02:25 PM
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Originally Posted by soc_fans' post='221993' date='Jan 10 2006, 03:36 AM
I just got a speeding ticket and guess what.. I wasn't even SPEEDING at all. I was cruising at the speed limit (35mph) and a bloody *&*@*#! cop pulled me over. At first i thought she pulled me over just to check if i was drunk, but u know what.. SHE CLAIMED THAT I WAS GOING AT 50mph! I was so furious and she said she was pacing me at 50mph!! OMFG i didn't even hit the 40mph mark and she claimed that she was pacing me at 50mph. She didn't even look at me while she was talking and it's definite that she was lying! She said if i wanted to complain anything, just do it in court. She's really one bloody M*@!*$!F*@!$ER.
I would like to seek an advice from you guys.. PLEASE HELP! I apologize for the bad language used, i'm really furious about it and felt that these whole matter was really unfair to me.
Thanks.
I would like to seek an advice from you guys.. PLEASE HELP! I apologize for the bad language used, i'm really furious about it and felt that these whole matter was really unfair to me.
Thanks.
just get a lawyer,then he'll get u traffic school at the worst