Fucking cops

[MisterBob]

Thanks for all the replies.

Misterbob, I do not want to hire a lawyer. That would mean me paying for something I didn't do. I am not paying a dime on this.

Yes you are. Welcome to the real world.

We will see. I'm bringing the fucking rain.

Nope, we won't "see". Unless you are INCREDIBLY lucky and the cop doesn't show up (they are now paid quite well to show up, so not showing up is incredibly rare), you're paying something, it's that simple. Seems like you've never been ticketed before, lol.

Unless you're hiring a lawyer, you're paying some type of fine. If you've never been ticketed before, you'll likely get a non-moving violation, but its still going to cost you $100+.

Never hired an attorney and I've kicked a 90 in a 55 and an 80 in a 55 by going to court and speaking to the prosecutor myself. I dated the daughter of the DA, and when I got my first ticket (A 90 in a 55 while driving home from the the mandated driving class that KY makes all new drivers take...no shit, true story), she (G/Fs mom, a DA) suggested this, and it worked like a charm. I've used it twice now. And no, the DA wasnt prosecuting those tickets, they were in a different district Dress up really nice, be articulate, and maintain your composure no matter what. I'm not saying your gonna shake this completely, you may plead guilty, you may lose some points, you may go on probation, but I seriously doubt you'll pay anything.

In NY at least, ALL violations come with a fine. If they add points to your license, they must fine you, it's required.

[Vandole]

a police officer gave my mom a ticket for "driving on the wrong side of the road" at a highschool football game. there was no sign saying one way or anything... my mom was just trying to park her car... she fought it in court and won >.> the cop was fired cause he did it to like 10 other people and he was on his last straw apparently.

Good luck. you can beat the law.

[RustyMetal]

Fight every ticket. My past 3 tickets, the cops did not show up to court. No Ticket.

[Milks]

Cops have to a quota to meet when it comes to writing tickets. He's probably trying to get fill his quota early so he can slack off for the rest of the month.

Nope, thats a common misconception. The local Deputy Sherrif is a family friend, Cops don't have a quota, but their job is to catch people doing misdeeds. If a cop comes in and tells his boss "sorry mang, no one was doing shit," he will be fired because everyone is doing something wrong. They write in bullshit laws so they have probable cause at all times.

Like in my county there are laws against having anything hanging from your rearview mirror. of course everyone has something there so they don't pull you over for just that, but if they think you are doing something scandalous then they can use that as probable cause. Also there are 3 hat rules, if there are 3 or more people wearing hats in a car it is probably cause for gang affiliation. Cause Colorado is gangland central and what not.

Is it just me or do cops like always pull the "OMGz im like risking my life out here giving you M.I.P.s in the richest suburbs in the state."

Maybe it's because I live in Alabama, but my girlfriend's stepfather is a cop. He has a quota. :\

[Eaglestrike]

Don't act pissed off and aggressive in court. Come off as a nice guy and just keep pushing for proof, you're supposed to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that you're guilty, so make him do that in the nicest way possible.

[Tyche]

[quote=MisterBob]

Thanks for all the replies.

Misterbob, I do not want to hire a lawyer. That would mean me paying for something I didn't do. I am not paying a dime on this.

Yes you are. Welcome to the real world.

We will see. I'm bringing the fucking rain.

Nope, we won't "see". Unless you are INCREDIBLY lucky and the cop doesn't show up (they are now paid quite well to show up, so not showing up is incredibly rare), you're paying something, it's that simple. Seems like you've never been ticketed before, lol.

Unless you're hiring a lawyer, you're paying some type of fine. If you've never been ticketed before, you'll likely get a non-moving violation, but its still going to cost you $100+.

Never hired an attorney and I've kicked a 90 in a 55 and an 80 in a 55 by going to court and speaking to the prosecutor myself. I dated the daughter of the DA, and when I got my first ticket (A 90 in a 55 while driving home from the the mandated driving class that KY makes all new drivers take...no shit, true story), she (G/Fs mom, a DA) suggested this, and it worked like a charm. I've used it twice now. And no, the DA wasnt prosecuting those tickets, they were in a different district Dress up really nice, be articulate, and maintain your composure no matter what. I'm not saying your gonna shake this completely, you may plead guilty, you may lose some points, you may go on probation, but I seriously doubt you'll pay anything.

In NY at least, ALL violations come with a fine. If they add points to your license, they must fine you, it's required.[/quote:ce4c9]

I had to look this up, because I've never heard of anything like that kind of system, and indeed, this is incorrect. The TVB (Traffic's violation Bureau) takes the cases in New York City, Buffalo, Rochester or major portions of the towns of Babylon, Brookhaven, Huntington, Islip, Riverhead and Smithtown in Suffolk County, and doesn't allow you to plea bargain and hearsay evidence is admissible (lol). They have to maintain a 65% conviction rate, so it's incredibly difficult to bounce a ticket in NYC. None-the-less, it is possible to bounce a ticket, but a hell of a lot harder than it would be in other area's on NY.

[AzazaelFenrir]

1) Your brother can show up and say you weren't going that fast, but they will argue that you can't get a clean view of the speedometer from the passenger side unless it is digital.

2) Some states will have court fines with their tickets, so just showing up means you have to pay something (usually small ~$25).

3) Most cops don't have quotas, but if they don't write any tickets in a month they get reprimanded.

4) It was already stated but cops do show up in court and 90% of departments give them the time to do it. It was a stupid rumor anyway, why wouldn't the city/state/county want the cops there to get them revenue? Kinda like the 'loophole' I was told about in college where if the officer wasn't in full uniform (hat included) the ticket didn't count.

5) Most times anymore there will be multiple cops at traffic stops. This usually has about 0 to do with being bored, it has more to do with officer safety.

6) To the guy who speed up when the cop was behind him and the idiot who said 'entrapment'. Ok learn the definition of entrapment first of all. And next time someone is tailgating you like that, pull over, it is a lot cheaper in the long run.

Those of you with the "Fuck the Popo" attitude make me laugh. I realize there are asshole cops out there, and some corrupt ones. However they are just doing their jobs, like it or not. I always amazed me how people want the cops to leave them alone when they are just slightly breaking the law, but then turn around and bitch when the cops aren't around when they need them.

[Kuya]

Fuck the Popo

[jmc]

a police officer gave my mom a ticket for "driving on the wrong side of the road" at a highschool football game. there was no sign saying one way or anything... my mom was just trying to park her car... she fought it in court and won >.> the cop was fired cause he did it to like 10 other people and he was on his last straw apparently.

Good luck. you can beat the law.

No way was the officer fired, its not that easy to fire a sworn officer for something stupid like that. Under federal law, sworn civil servants are protected under Civil Service Laws. 7 months ago, we had a officer here in boston get arrested for A/B Deadly Weapon, and Attempted Murder on his wife (Went to shoot his wife with his service weapon, and missed lol) he has been suspended upon hearing his trial status however, tech. he is still a police officer without a badge/weapon because the process to fire someone under civil protection can take months and sometimes years.

As for probable cause.... ya, its probably the best option we use for stuff. In Mass, its called Chapter 90 Laws. If were investigation someone, or a group of kids in a car looks like they are upto no good.... we will pull them over for various things like: Car rolling over, or through the Stop line. Rolling through a stop sign. Objects hanging in the rear view mirror etc..... That way, we can get information about people we are looking at while keeping it legal.

[Penthesilea]

Driving 75 in a 55 zone, passing a cop was fun. He just sped up, matched us in speed and flashed 5 fingers twice and then sped away after we dropped to 65. I've been ticket free since I've been driving, so 7 years now and I tend to not follow the limit.

[Naver]

Since you asked him about the radar gun measurement, another good idea would've been to ask him about the calibration date on the radar gun. Usually those have to be calibrated more often because of faulty read-outs. In this case, the only possible times he could've used the gun was while the officer was standing still. It's nearly impossible to get an accurate read-out on that radar gun while moving. Hope that helps.

[Norelco]

Last month a cop pulled over my fiance and 3 of her co-workers and said he clocked her going 70 in a 45, and talking on her cellphone. She was like, "WTF are you talking about? I just pulled out over there. There's no way my crappy 4 cylinder car with 4 people could have possibly accelerated fast enough to reach 70 at the point you gunned me. Also, here is my cellphone. It was in my purse, zippered up, and here is the call log to prove I wasn't on my phone."

LOL, the officer was dumbfounded and let her go. He asked where she was going, she says to lunch at so and so, and then as she's leaving the lunch place she spots the cop there getting lunch. She thought that was kind of creepy. I'm not sure if he was checking up on her just to make sure she wasn't lying or that he likes her and was stalking her like a psycho, or just thought it was a good idea to get lunch at that place.

At any rate, she owned him with logic. And having 3 other people in the car to back up her story helps too. He knew he was caught in the wrong, but was still a dick about it apparently.

[jmc]

Since you asked him about the radar gun measurement, another good idea would've been to ask him about the calibration date on the radar gun. Usually those have to be calibrated more often because of faulty read-outs. In this case, the only possible times he could've used the gun was while the officer was standing still. It's nearly impossible to get an accurate read-out on that radar gun while moving. Hope that helps.

Winner right here.

Yes, they need to be calibrated at least once a year. Otherwise the readouts can be wrong by 2-4 MPH. Its usually the reason why in a speed trap, you dont get pulled over if your going 5 MPH over.

[Andarvi]

Cops have to a quota to meet when it comes to writing tickets. He's probably trying to get fill his quota early so he can slack off for the rest of the month.

Nope, thats a common misconception. The local Deputy Sherrif is a family friend, Cops don't have a quota, but their job is to catch people doing misdeeds. If a cop comes in and tells his boss "sorry mang, no one was doing shit," he will be fired because everyone is doing something wrong. They write in bullshit laws so they have probable cause at all times.

Like in my county there are laws against having anything hanging from your rearview mirror. of course everyone has something there so they don't pull you over for just that, but if they think you are doing something scandalous then they can use that as probable cause. Also there are 3 hat rules, if there are 3 or more people wearing hats in a car it is probably cause for gang affiliation. Cause Colorado is gangland central and what not.

Is it just me or do cops like always pull the "OMGz im like risking my life out here giving you M.I.P.s in the richest suburbs in the state."

Maybe it's because I live in Alabama, but my girlfriend's stepfather is a cop. He has a quota. :\

My dad was a MA statey for 20 years. 40 ticket a week quota.

[Haelian]

Now, exactly what the fuck do I do? Anybody out there experience this type of thing before? How do I defend this case when my major defense is that he's a straight up fucking liar. Is that what I do? I feel like 'what the fuck' cause I didn't do something I was accused of and have no idea how to prove that. This is like a 200$ ticket, 4 points.

I'm not asking for legal advice cause I know some smart ass is going to post the tired old "BG: Giving legal advice since blah blah blah" I'm asking for opinions and/or similar situations.

I've fought 5 speeding tickets and have won all of them (Massachusetts here). Firstly, you CANNOT admit to speeding. The only exception might be if it's your first ticket, but even then I don't think so. Use these pointers:

1. I wouldn't call the cop a liar, just incorrect.
2. If the cop did "pace" you, then he probably means that he either guessed it or checked it by catching up to your car and tailing you to figure it. That's what cops are SUPPOSED to do, use radar and check speed by tailing. The ticket should say what method he used and if he didn't use the radar, it's pretty easy to win.
3. If you have a good record, bring that up. Note how you never speed, blah blah.
4. Personally, I'd stay away from mentioning that you saw him and knew not to speed, because a judge might see through it and tell you, "so you'd be speeding if you didn't see him?"
5. I've been to 3 different courthouses for tickets, they were all pretty lame. I walk into a small office-like room and talk to the "judge" who just looks like a typical worker really. I've only seen the cop show up once for me, and he didn't say word the whole time.
6. You can try to tell them that you need your car for work and you may not be able to afford insurance after this. Also make sure that they know that you need to work (tell them you have dependents if you need to). Be careful though, don't lay this point out unless you really need to, they might see through it.
7. Cry if you have to. I haven't, but it really just works. Bring down the tears and act desperate.

Edit: If the cop doesn't show up, it doesn't mean that you're free. When I had tickets and the cop didn't show up, they had an officer there (not in uniform) who acted in place of them and was there just to make sure you wouldn't try to pull a fast one and say that the officer did something that a cop would never typically do. You might have a better chance if the officer doesn't show up, but I'm not so sure if it really matters to the cop whether or not you win, besides the principle of the matter.

Edit 2: Appearance does matter quite a bit. Wear a shirt and tie, try not to look tired/hung over/anything besides awake and nervous. Don't slur words or use slang, do NOT the assume the judge will ever "know what you mean." Tell them you had a meaningful place to go whilst being pulled over, if you tell them you were just driving around then they will not sympathize. Lastly, avoid lying in general, just because no one's a good liar really.

[Daydreamer]

Edit: If the cop doesn't show up, it doesn't mean that you're free. When I had tickets and the cop didn't show up, they had an officer there (not in uniform) who acted in place of them and was there just to make sure you wouldn't try to pull a fast one and say that the officer did something that a cop would never typically do. You might have a better chance if the officer doesn't show up, but I'm not so sure if it really matters to the cop whether or not you win, besides the principle of the matter.

If the cop doesn't show up you either a) get off or b) get a new date because you have the right to question you accuser. If he isn't there they can not convict you of anything because you can't question your accuser, but they can reschedule. Usually they just let you go though because it's easier.

There was an article about this on msn a few days ago

[Anyway]

2. If the cop did "pace" you, then he probably means that he either guessed it or checked it by catching up to your car and tailing you to figure it. That's what cops are SUPPOSED to do, use radar and check speed by tailing. The ticket should say what method he used and if he didn't use the radar, it's pretty easy to win.

On the ticket it says "speeding pace" and has the 20+ mph over box checked.

Also, when I googled the statute number on the ticket it came up as "Failure to observe traffic signal." Wtf?

[Grievear]

Means you didn't follow the speed limit sign.

[Melena]

ehh, it's possible for a cop to get fired like that. It's difficult being that they are union, but is possible. There may have been other factors as well (cardinal sins come to mind). As for fighting it, dress professionaly, suit and tie, whole nine yards. remain calm and polite and push the whole part of him being a few blocks behind you at one point.

Now for the super secret. If you want to get out of 99.9% of all tickets, just become a cop yourself. I can't count how many times i've been with my uncle or father who have gotten pulled over for stupid stuff like speeding and all they have to do is hand there police ID card with there license and every time (except the time we accidently left the food out when we were in yosemite) they have gotten out of the ticket with just a warning.

[jmc]

Edit: If the cop doesn't show up, it doesn't mean that you're free. When I had tickets and the cop didn't show up, they had an officer there (not in uniform) who acted in place of them and was there just to make sure you wouldn't try to pull a fast one and say that the officer did something that a cop would never typically do. You might have a better chance if the officer doesn't show up, but I'm not so sure if it really matters to the cop whether or not you win, besides the principle of the matter.

If the cop doesn't show up you either a) get off or b) get a new date because you have the right to question you accuser. If he isn't there they can not convict you of anything because you can't question your accuser, but they can reschedule. Usually they just let you go though because it's easier.

There was an article about this on msn a few days ago

Not in the state of MA.

Departments around here including Boston, Dedham (That I know of) have other officers or lawyers represent the department and the officer who wrote the ticket in court. Dedham it happens all the time, they have a department lawyer show up instead of the officer. In Boston, it only happens when the officer is ordered to a double tour of duty and cannot attend the court date.

However, it a lawyer or a different officer shows up the hearing proceeds and you dont get off the hook.