Speeding tickets and court
Reading other threads got me wondering.
Everyone always says if ticketed unfairly, take it to court.
From my limited experience the judge will side with the cop 99% of the time, no matter how wrong he is.
With the exception of the cop failing to appear, Has anyone ever actually beat a ticket in court ?
Everyone always says if ticketed unfairly, take it to court.
From my limited experience the judge will side with the cop 99% of the time, no matter how wrong he is.
With the exception of the cop failing to appear, Has anyone ever actually beat a ticket in court ?
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Yes. 0 -
I've never been ticketed except that I knew I had it coming. So I never contested it. 0 -
I have spent hundreds of hours in court and have seen defendants win their cases many times.
If you expect to win you will need to be prepared. Do your homework ahead of time.0 -
quote:Originally posted by nunn
Yes.
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I made a couple of bad (stupid) decisions in my youth and in one of those I had to make a court appearance. I was hoping the LEO that ticketed me wouldn't be there but he was. Before I went before the judge the LEO grabbed me and we went to the prosecutor and the LEO talked the prosecuter into giving me a break. I was raised to respect our police but after that I really learned what respect meant. 0 -
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-Oh yes! I have! Several times when I was a kid back in El Paso, Texas streetracing. I knew this lawyer that I would go see. His usual greeting was "Hey! Have you been out there sinning again?" He would have his secretary figure out how much the fine would be, I would pay him double that and the secretary would go down to the police station and pull their originals out of the file. End of true, no s#!+ story.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Wolf.
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-Oh yes! I have! Several times when I was a kid back in El Paso, Texas streetracing. I knew this lawyer that I would go see. His usual greeting was "Hey! Have you been out there sinning again?" He would have his secretary figure out how much the fine would be, I would pay him double that and the secretary would go down to the police station and pull their originals out of the file. End of true, no s#!+ story.
Who gave her access to the citation files. They could go to jail for that.
What about the "court copy"... was she able to steal that also.
In Calif entering a building with the intent to steal something is Burglary.0 -
I wanted to contest my last one saldy though I wasnt able to appear at court cause I was incapacitated in Bradford from the last wreck. The cop was in an unmarked car and tailgated me all the way to my house so close if I would have left off the gas for a second he would have hit me (looked like a young kid too just trying to piss me off.) Even pushed me through 2 stop signs (if I would have touched the brake for a second he would have hit me) when I got to the road my house was on I floored it (this thinking it was a kid) Had no idea how fast I was going (no dashboard lights) Just as I was pulling in my driveway I saw the flashing headlights and the dashboard lights flashing red and blue (I got really pissed at that cop and blew up on him I got out of the car and yelled what the hell is your problem) got a sizable ticket which only got doubled cause my dad came out and made things worse cause the cop asked him how long I had been driving with an out of state liscense I told the cop two weeks and my dad said a year to which the cop replied thank you very much and added even more fines to my ticket. so what would have been a 175$ ticket ended up costing me 360$ I was very steamed I really dont think cops should be allowed to force you to speed just so they can fill thier qouta. Very unfair indeed. 0 -
Last year got a ticket for 82 in a 55.The cop asked me why i was speeding.Told him the car was,nt running right so i stopped at advance and got some injector cleaner and got on the road and opened her up,thats exactly what i did.He was not impressed with that,wrote me up for reckless driving.Went to court and asked the judge to reduce it to speeding.No luck, so i appealed and hired a lawyer i saw on a billboard.The lawyer had to do some fancy talkin,got it reduced to speeding under 20 and i had to go to driving school.I actually came out 1 point better on my driving record than before the ticket.Lawyers fees and court costs around $1000.So you can appeal if your case does not go well the first time.You will have to pay court costs if you lose but not if you win.Hope this helps. 0 -
Cyclonus.............If it happens again, let him rear-end you. He will have fun trying to explain that. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Laredo Lefty
If it happens again, let him rear-end you. He will have fun trying to explain that.
Actually the reason I didnt want him to hit me was for one If Idve known it was a cop I would have let him but I thought it was a young kid and I feared he had no insurance and I already have more than enough incidents on my record that my insurance would have went up and it was already expensive enough as it was.0 -
I pulled out of a gas station in a 1990 5.0 GT Mustang about 8 years ago and lit the tires "slightly"
I pulled the just used injector cleaner line, he let me go!0 -
quote:Originally posted by Zebra
I pulled out of a gas station in a 1990 5.0 GT Mustang about 8 years ago and lit the tires "slightly"
I pulled the just used injector cleaner line, he let me go!
I was driving a 2.5 Subaru.Thats what made it embarrassing.0 -
quote:I have spent hundreds of hours in court and have seen defendants win their cases many times.
Generally not due to the fact that they actually did not commit the offense but because it isn't worth the cops or procecutors time to pursue it.0 -
quote:Originally posted by cahas
quote:Originally posted by Zebra
I pulled out of a gas station in a 1990 5.0 GT Mustang about 8 years ago and lit the tires "slightly"
I pulled the just used injector cleaner line, he let me go!
I was driving a 2.5 Subaru.Thats what made it embarrassing.
Like the one on "My Name is Earl"? With the jumpseats in back?0 -
I have gotten off of many tickets right on the spot. I have gone to court over a few and gotten about half of them dropped. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by ljwrench
quote:Originally posted by cahas
quote:Originally posted by Zebra
I pulled out of a gas station in a 1990 5.0 GT Mustang about 8 years ago and lit the tires "slightly"
I pulled the just used injector cleaner line, he let me go!
I was driving a 2.5 Subaru.Thats what made it embarrassing.
Like the one on "My Name is Earl"? With the jumpseats in back?
No twernt fancy,just a wagon.0 -
quote:Originally posted by ljwrench
quote:Originally posted by cahas
quote:Originally posted by Zebra
I pulled out of a gas station in a 1990 5.0 GT Mustang about 8 years ago and lit the tires "slightly"
I pulled the just used injector cleaner line, he let me go!
I was driving a 2.5 Subaru.Thats what made it embarrassing.
Like the one on "My Name is Earl"? With the jumpseats in back?
No twernt that fancy,just a wagon.0 -
I need to go to bed,im repeating myself, G,nite 0 -
Recently I was zapped on an interstate in Ft. Worth. I decided to appeal the decision, I went to court, to go through the start of the process. I was told I will be contacted by mail IN 8 MONTHS TO 2 YEARS with my prospective court date.
I was flat out told, not to expect to hear anything before the spring or summer.
That's right, two years from now, I will get a letter with an upcoming date to go to court. With this knowledge, I figure screw it, I can speed anywhere, and anytime I want, when I get a ticket, go to court, and by the time the dust settles it will be of little or no consequence to my record.
I'm not being rude, but they're not exactly being prudent with the scheduling of my hearing date.
Two weeks later, a very similar ticket, on the same road, by the Ft. Worth P.D. he goes to court, and They tell him to just pay the fine, because his court date is not going to happen until "at least sometime in 2009".
Kind of makes you wonder what exactly they are accomplishing around here.0 -
quote:Originally posted by dakotashooter2
quote:I have spent hundreds of hours in court and have seen defendants win their cases many times.
Generally not due to the fact that they actually did not commit the offense but because it isn't worth the cops or procecutors time to pursue it.
Most of the time it was because they came in and flat out lied.... other times because they impressed the judge with being prepared and had figures and diagrams for display.
Most of these dismissals were from Pro-tem judges. These are attorneys filling in for "real" judges.0 -
Last week got an 87 in a 70 zone by a plane (got me as I was slowing down[;)]). Cop in the plane radioed a trooper who gave me a ticket. Last one I got two years ago and my laywer got the case dropped without a problem, hopefully he can do the same this time. It is possible to win, but it costs. 0 -
You know I wouldnt mind paying a ticket every once in a while but its the damn insurance that kills ya...... 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Nwcid
You know I wouldnt mind paying a ticket every once in a while but its the damn insurance that kills ya......
Exactly why I didnt want to let him hit me my rates where high enough as it is. Due to tickets and wrecks.0 -
First this is NOT an ALL cop bashing post, just a ONE cop bashing post. I know, shoot with, and respect MANY cops.
This wasn't a speeding ticket, it was with a "pair" of state troopers, for passing on a double yellow line. One in an airplane (observer) the other in a patrol car. (ticket writer)
I tried fighting it because the yellow paint was COMPLETELY gone. I went back and video taped this FACT.
This WAS a passing zone, the officer said I pulled out too early when I passed. There was a truck that was smoking and crawling along at 20 mph DOWNHILL in a 55 mph zone. I was the fourth vehicle behind him. The line behind us went back as far as I could see.
When I passed, I only passed the 3 cars ahead of me. There wasn't enough time to pass the truck, before the yellow (no passing) lines were there. If I was blatantly ignoring the law, I would have passed him there, but I knew there was another passing zone coming up, and I would get around him there.
When in court, after he said I pulled out over the yellow line, I asked the officer if the line was plainly visible. He said it was faded, but visible. I then asked the "other" officer the same question. He hung his head and said that he "couldn't remember." In other words, he was NOT willing to purger himself, for the other officer. He patrols that stretch of road all the time, and knows that I was telling the truth.
I watch the officer that was in the airplane LIE THREE SEPARATE TIMES, in court. I could have PROVED it with my video, but the judge would not allow the tape to be introduced as evidence. I was found guilty of course.
I have been around long enough to know, when I get a ticket I am guilty of, just to plea bargain it, and accept your slap on the wrist.
I later asked some cops that I shoot with about this. They said (off the record) that YES, some cops DO lie if they have to. They want to keep their record, of having any tickets overturned, down to a minimum.
This experience sure cemented my faith in "some" police officers and the judicial system. [V][V]0 -
I have beat a couple tickets with the officer there.
Even 1 that I was as guilty as hell!
CHP clocked me doing 70 going up hill over the Altimont pass in an 18 wheeler (tractor pulling a set of doubles). I showed up to court with a letter from my company's safety officer stateing 2 things:
1: All the trucks in the company were governed down to 62 MPH.
2: that none of our trucks while loaded would clime a hill at more than 40 MPH
Well I happened to be running empty at the time, and I happened to have the only truck in the company that was not governed down to the 62MPH.
But when I gave the judge the info from our safety officer he asked the CHP officer when the last ime his speedometer had been calibrated. The officer replied that it had been about 4 months. The judge said he needed to have it checked again. The judge did say that I very well could have been speeding but he did not believe a truck could climb the hill at that speed and dissmissed the ticket.0 -
I have been issued 3 citations in my life, and 2 of them got dropped. The third one I was going 91 in a 75mph zone, and actually got passed by a semi less than 5 seconds before the cop got me on radar. The semi continued to pull away from me so he had to be doing 95+. It was in Callaway county Missouri, and it cost me $350. I had to pay an added fee to avoid coming back to court 30 days later, and it was a 5 hour drive for me to go back.
Back when I was a street cop I had a few of my tickets dismissed, but never had one dismissed that wasn't represented by an attorney who cost the person more than a ticket's fine.0 -
And you couldn't have done something logical like, I don't know, pull over and let a dumb ass driver pass by? Makes much more sense to roll stop signs, and floor it to pulll away from him....... Sounds more like a standard excuse of blame someone else for your actions.
quote:Originally posted by Cyclonus
I wanted to contest my last one saldy though I wasnt able to appear at court cause I was incapacitated in Bradford from the last wreck. The cop was in an unmarked car and tailgated me all the way to my house so close if I would have left off the gas for a second he would have hit me (looked like a young kid too just trying to piss me off.) Even pushed me through 2 stop signs (if I would have touched the brake for a second he would have hit me) when I got to the road my house was on I floored it (this thinking it was a kid) Had no idea how fast I was going (no dashboard lights) Just as I was pulling in my driveway I saw the flashing headlights and the dashboard lights flashing red and blue (I got really pissed at that cop and blew up on him I got out of the car and yelled what the hell is your problem) got a sizable ticket which only got doubled cause my dad came out and made things worse cause the cop asked him how long I had been driving with an out of state liscense I told the cop two weeks and my dad said a year to which the cop replied thank you very much and added even more fines to my ticket. so what would have been a 175$ ticket ended up costing me 360$ I was very steamed I really dont think cops should be allowed to force you to speed just so they can fill thier qouta. Very unfair indeed.0 -
quote:Originally posted by bhale187
And you couldn't have done something logical like, I don't know, pull over and let a dumb ass driver pass by? Makes much more sense to roll stop signs, and floor it to pulll away from him....... Sounds more like a standard excuse of blame someone else for your actions.
quote:Originally posted by Cyclonus
I wanted to contest my last one saldy though I wasnt able to appear at court cause I was incapacitated in Bradford from the last wreck. The cop was in an unmarked car and tailgated me all the way to my house so close if I would have left off the gas for a second he would have hit me (looked like a young kid too just trying to piss me off.) Even pushed me through 2 stop signs (if I would have touched the brake for a second he would have hit me) when I got to the road my house was on I floored it (this thinking it was a kid) Had no idea how fast I was going (no dashboard lights) Just as I was pulling in my driveway I saw the flashing headlights and the dashboard lights flashing red and blue (I got really pissed at that cop and blew up on him I got out of the car and yelled what the hell is your problem) got a sizable ticket which only got doubled cause my dad came out and made things worse cause the cop asked him how long I had been driving with an out of state liscense I told the cop two weeks and my dad said a year to which the cop replied thank you very much and added even more fines to my ticket. so what would have been a 175$ ticket ended up costing me 360$ I was very steamed I really dont think cops should be allowed to force you to speed just so they can fill thier qouta. Very unfair indeed.
It was already 1:00 AM in the morning and all I wanted was to go home and get some sleep. and for your information there wasnt any safe place to pull over.0 -
The only tickets I have received, I deserved, so no I have never contested one. 0
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