I fought the law and I won! I went to fight a traffic ticket in court today and I won! Actually, the officer didn't show so they dismissed my case before I said anything. Strangely, only 3 cops showed up with like 20+ people getting their cases dismissed. I've never actually gotten to trial before, but I was surprised at how many people just got their cases dismissed today. I'm sure glad I was one of them!
Good Job! In actuality I'm comforted that the police are more busy busting crime than sitting around in court comfirming tickets. later, tom
actually, for once I was actually innocent. It was a strange ticket, made even stranger by the cop's behavior. More than likely I would have won either way.
What county do you live in? That sounds sort of shady to me having so many cops not show. Some sorts of internal problems must be going on.
Riverside county CA. Not only that, the judge didn't show either. I had to sign a paper allowing a "Pro Tem" judge (a lawyer acting as a judge) to dismiss my case.
Man, you Americans have a strange system over there. I can't believe you can go to court where not only the policeman isn't there but the judge isn't there either. It sounds like it's completely set up or they just don't bother with people who appeal their tickets. Maybe they just feel it's a waste of their time because they know they'll lose.
It's actually a pain to get to trial and every step of the way somebody is telling you "just plead guilty", "you can go to traffic school" or something like that. I've picked up probably a dozen tickets myself, I was not guilty for 2 of them. One I fought today, one I tried to fight on Colorado, but I pleaded down to a lesser charge so I didn't have to fly out there again. A third one, I got a ticket for going 140 when I was only going 110, but I figured I was going over 100 anyways - which is the official law that I broke, so I plead guilty to that too. I also figured I'd driven 140+ enough times that I deserved it.
Try getting a ticket in Atlanta and having to go to court there when you live in cali. I've tried to plead with them over the phone asking how much they want, was prepared to send them money. They've said "no, you have to appear in court or it will turn into an arrest warrant". So when I finally showed, all I had to pay was $100. The trip and the time I missed off of work of course were the bad part. It was a pretty bad ticket (I drive like a maniac), but the judge was a female and after 10 minutes of "You should know better, sweetheart", I was free to go. Mike
A strange ticket. A cop acting strangely. A judge not showing up. Do you live in Bizarro World? Congrats on the ticket though.
Around here, unless it's a major offense (DWI, etc.) the District Attorney will usually allow a person to 'plead-it-down' to a no insurance points conviction. After all, the governing body is really looking for $$$, not hand-slapping.
Here you give 30 bucks to the policeman when he stops you and he rips up the ticket and wishes you a good day...
Mexico is fun, I love it down there. Tijuana is bad, but then again so is South-Central L.A. All depends on where you're at I guess.
I actually have to do this on wednesday. My g/f has to commute through a speed trap. She got a ticket, but is very, VERY careful now, to go exactly 55 or under. Anyway, she got a ticket for 70, while several other cars were on the road. She was passing one in the left lane, but it was up hill, and it was a truck towing a boat, it was going well under 55. (This is a steep mountain I'm talking about). We don't know at what point he hit her with the radar, but before she started to pass (when the truck slowed as it hit the grade), cars were zipping by both her and the truck. And once she moved out to pass, there were several cars in front of her going faster. She had cruise control set on 60, only to compensate for the hill, because her cruise control has a wide variance on these grades. Set at 55 down hill, it can reach near 70, set at 55 uphil, it can drop to 45. But she is positive that while passing the truck she didn't break 60 even. So, I'm not sure what defense to use. The cop zoomed up behind her with lights on, so he tagged her, then there was some delay and he came up behind her. It seems to me, that he likely radared the wrong car, and caught up to her in the left lane and pulled her, instead of one of the cars that was zipping past the truck in front of her, or one of the ones gaining quickly behind her (it's an interstate, so many people don't know it's a speed trap, but she commutes it, so she is aware, that is why most people are driving 70, and the ones that live here go 55 or less.) Anyway, anyone here had any luck beating a ticket? It kinda sucks, because she is an honest person and would accept a ticket if it she was speeding. But she's certain she wasn't, and I've driven the route with her many times and constantly she says to slow down in this same area, so I'm positive she's extremely conscientious here and constantly checking the speedometer. I'm not sure how much credibility that will lend. Any ideas are welcome! =) Would it be possible to plead it down to a no insurance points? That would be ideal, the ticket is nothing... the insurance rates will be a monster though.
Before I went in, I checked out: http://www.helpigotaticket.com/index.html which had some pretty decent information. It's probably a little late for you - as it was for me - to follow all of the advice, but maybe not. Did you know you can have a trial on paper first? And if you lose, then you can go in and have a trial in front of a judge! Speeding is one of those things that is so commonly fought that there is a ton of info out there. You can check the certification date on the radar machine - which if that isn't accurate you are good. If she was surrounded by other cars that makes the radar questionable too - since if there is another car right close by it could have been the other car that the radar picked up. Speed traps are illegal - but there are a few criteria that need to be met by a speed trap which you need to lay out during your trial. I don't personally know what they are, but maybe at the web site I ref'ed above you can find it. The other thing you can fight is whether or not 55 is a reasonable speed limit for the area. I'm not sure about the logistics involved in that argument, but I've read stories of people winning tickets for driving 80 because it was a reasonable and safe speed so it's do-able.
I clicked on this thread expecting some crazy ass story about you bumping off a bank, escaping with $2 million, tearing down the motorway in the get away Vehicle, police hot on your tail, wind in your hair, money in a black sack in the boot, the monkey's playing loudly on the radio as you drive through the dusty dessert in your stolen mustang, police helicopters overhead circling you, cops spread out further down the dusty dirt track, police car sirens wailing audiobly in the distance, guns at the ready, will he survive, will he pass the police and dodge the helicopters... but instead it's about a parking ticket. A PARKING TICKET. To say i'm dissapointed would be an understatement.
Actually, the ticket was for "failing to obey a traffic sign", and it involved the officer driving off the freeway in the rumble strip and cutting people off in order to get back on the freeway in order to pull me over, so it was a little more exciting than a parking ticket, but still nowhere near as exciting as bumping off a bank... "The Monkeys"?