So, help me with a ticket....

[upflying]

Originally Posted by SnowVert

There are laws preventing departments from establishing quotas. As a supervisor, I can't even suggest that an Officer write more tickets.

You are right, my sgt. calls tickets "expectations of ethical responsibility".

[05stram]

Originally Posted by Liltuffgirl

Again where the hell have I supported any "BS laws"????
I said around here people don't get thrown in jail for smoking. Granted we've had an idiot arrest a girl for DUI for being high on weed but that's not something I would do unless she caused an accident.

I have dark tint.. I just don't like it on windshields.

Yes I'm a police officer. I RARELY write tickets that aren't fixable. I do write for driving suspended and sometimes for DUI (have to when I take overtime shifts for DUI patrol and always will if it's their 2nd DUI).
I stop cars to find worse things than simple traffic violations. I can't stand a thief and love finding stolen cars or other items.


Would I have pulled OP over? Yup! Would I have written him a ticket? As long as he was respectful nope not for speeding.
I've written 3 speeding tickets in 2 years. One I wrote as open docket so only goes against her if she gets another ticket (she was going 32 over). One told me to write her and let her go on with her business :shrugs: ok.

I've never even written anyone for having shake or a smoked blunt or anything like that.

But keep on trying to stir that pot there big boy. I do my job and haven't had a complaint yet.

I have to say most officers in WV are straight up and will give you the benefit of doubt. However I do know from NOT MY past court appearance but one I was involved in - that you CAN request the officer write on the warrant his last time and the ambient temperature at time of calibration on the warrant he is issuing. A warrant must contain enough evidence to propel you to appear. The guy I was with actually got pulled over in a 25 MPH zone and requested this and the officer refused so his case was thrown out. Per the judge in Charleston a citizen cannot be propelled to invoke outside representation to obtain the information and must be presented with enough evidence to fight their case. Now not saying this to be the case everywhere but I did see this in this particular case and it was dismissed because of it.
In WV though I find it ironic they even pull anybody over for speeding considering a lot of them break the law speeding everyday and ride the passing lane like it is their right of way.

[Gone to the bowtie side]

Originally Posted by SnowVert

There are laws preventing departments from establishing quotas. As a supervisor, I can't even suggest that an Officer write more tickets.

I don't want to sound snarky or question your integrity but we know that nobody breaks the law, right?

[KJS]

Speed kills....

[flyer08]

Around here its $100 to get affix lawyer. Friend is 4-4 for getting off with them

[Freyguy08]

Never pay a ticket. It's better to take your chances with the prosecutor than to just plead guilty. I have gotten 3 tickets in 10 yrs and got out of all of them by pleading my case. Worst they can do is deny your plea and you pay for it.

[CobraBall]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBfromPeoria

I happen to think that's a pretty reasonable stance.

John B.

It's a perfectly reasonable stance to anyone that knows anything about law enforcement. I've got a buddy that works in one of the worst parts of St. Louis, I'm saying the worst of the worst. If he pulls over someone for a DUI and they're not blasted out of their mind, he escorts them home and tells them to stay home. With processing, a typical DUI arrest takes 5-6 hours, he just can't afford to be off the street that long during a shift for some ticky tack DUI charge.

In a perfect world, sure, we'd make an arrest on every DUI. But the reality is that resources are limited, especially in dangerous areas where those officers are needed on the street to respond to more serious crimes.

[Mydivorcegift]

Originally Posted by Squillo

The left lane is not the fast lane, it's the passing lane.

To pass people going under the speed limit right?

[Mydivorcegift]

Originally Posted by KJS

Speed kills....

Not really. Idiots kill. People not paying attention to what they are doing kills. People not maintaining the tires, brakes, steering, kills....

Autobahn is far, far safer than US roads...

[upflying]

Originally Posted by KJS

Speed kills....

Wrong, the stop kills.

[lscamaro]

Originally Posted by upflying

Wrong, the stop kills.

The suddenly becoming stationary is what gets you

[Spartan01]

I was a cop in a major metropolitan city.
here is what most people do not understand: It is NOT your word vs the cops word, it is your word vs the STATE's word. The cop is the agent of the state. It really doesnt matter what happened, or what you say happened. Genreally all that matters is what the cop said happened.
Your best bet- HIRE A TRAFFIC LAWYER. Usually if the ticket is $200 they will charge around $220.
The reasons for this are numerous, but here are a few of the main ones:
1.) If the cop made a mistake on the ticket and you point it out, the judge, at his discretion, can decide wether or not to toss the case, however if a lawyer does this the judge has to toss the case.
2.) Often the lawyer can trap the cop into admitting a mistake, good luck doing that on your own.
3.) THE SYSTEM- the sytem in this country is designed to do 2 things very well, a.) #uck You over, and b.) Take Your Money. When you play the game by the rules, such as hiring a lawyer, you are not fighting the system, you are buying into it, and the judge is far more likely to reduce the ticket or reduce the points.
Good luck

[Da Mammer]

Originally Posted by Knockoutpie

Well here's the story, I was a good 1/4 mile ahead of the officer, I knew this guy was following me and I wanted to make sure so I turned off the main street and pulled into a neighborhood. I drove down the neighborhood I was about half way down it and I was him turn in and he put his lights on. So I was 1/2 of the neighborhood in front of the guy I'd say it's 1500ft long neighborhood. Pulled me over said I was criminally speeding but he won't cite me for that only civilian speeding... He never clocked me, never radared me. Only assumed I was going 40mph + Which I wasn't. It's very difficult to get 40mph in a neighborhood. I was going 29. Speed limit in there was 25 so I was going 4 over. On the ticket he says The speed limit was 25mph, he says my speed was 40+. <-- Indicating he guessed a speed and put the number down and thought if it was over 40 i'll just put a plus sign behind it. So he really had no clue what my speed was.... What you guys think I should do? Pay it, Traffic School, or Fight it...? Help me out.

Take it to court. Ask the officer what your speed was. And how he got that figure. He has to have measurable proof you were speeding, if he didn't radar you or time you and is only guessing that's not proof enough to hold up in court unless your judge (as someone pointed out) is being an a-hole and using his discretion which typically won't work out in your favor because you are in a sport car hence a menace to society. (I had this happen to me) if the officer says he was traveling at 40+ miles per hour ask him why he was doing so, because he himself just admitted to breaking the speed limit for no justifiable cause. He is supposed to prove that you were speeding that's your best bet to get out of this without paying the fine. Sometimes the cop will negotiate the ticket before court so that may happen too. If it were me I'd take him to court and ask him why he didn't use the multithousand dollar device designed with the sole purpose of measuring a vehicles speed sitting in his squad car to measure me instead of 'guessing'. best of luck to you.

[2012-1822]

Originally Posted by Freyguy08

Never pay a ticket. It's better to take your chances with the prosecutor than to just plead guilty. I have gotten 3 tickets in 10 yrs and got out of all of them by pleading my case. Worst they can do is deny your plea and you pay for it.

Depends on the ticket. Uhem, a guy I know, well see, what had happened was. Basically not my proudest moment and I talked to the prosecutor and he was offering I lose my license for a year min, I told him to kiss it(figure of speech here, don't take it seriously), came back with an attorney and the ticket went away, but it could have gotten ugly without an attorney.

Originally Posted by SnowVert

There are laws preventing departments from establishing quotas. As a supervisor, I can't even suggest that an Officer write more tickets.

Apparently not in Alabama. Patrol officers cannot be assigned a quota, but traffic units absolutely are and it works out to just under 2 a day where I am at. What's the difference between patrol and traffic? Not much. My buddy just went from patrol to traffic. He has to go work accidents, and doesn't necessarily get calls for domestic violence and what not unless a patrol unit isn't available.

In addition, my buddy wasn't getting promoted on patrol because his "stats" weren't up, which included arrests and tickets. Easier to pad stats with tickets, sounds like a quota to me.