Ah, I got a ticket ... but with less "H"

Message

scan · #11 Unread post by **scan** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:16 am

plasmabot wrote:I would be more than happy to pay the $150 fine if it meant I wouldn't get any points. But how do I tell that to the judge without making it sound like I'm admitting to it?

In my case I appeared and admitted I was going too fast and asked for leniency. I paid $80 and she dropped the points. Some judges might just say "too bad" though and make you take the whole hit.

roscowgo · #12 Unread post by **roscowgo** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:19 am

Er, how did he know it was You if he was around the corner and behind trees?

sorry, just seems weird to me. kinda like "I know the grass is green, because the road is paved."

sorry you got a ticket tho

CNF2002 · #13 Unread post by **CNF2002** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:28 am

Put together a huge presentation. Get a few posterboards and draw out the street, locating the police and you and your direction, along with the cop's assumed point of view. Add trees, then dig up some studies via google on speed estimation when fixed objects are in place at various distances from the target, maybe something about looking through tree leaves and bushes bending light and making objects appear to move faster than they are...or just make it all up. If you can get creative enough and make it all sound realistic and spend 30 minutes arguing your case, you might entertain the judge enough for him to dismiss it.

Make up charts and diagrams too. Make a replica speed sign out of cardboard and set it up for no apparent reason and label it "Exhibit A".

Fri Aug 04, 2006 10:01 am

[quote If you can get creative enough and make it all sound realistic and spend 30 minutes arguing your case, you might entertain the judge enough for him to dismiss it.

i was in court one day (another miscarriage of justice) and one guy tried all this stuff until the judge got tired of all of it and sentenced him to 30 days in jail.

CNF2002 · #15 Unread post by **CNF2002** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 10:03 am

9000white wrote:[quote If you can get creative enough and make it all sound realistic and spend 30 minutes arguing your case, you might entertain the judge enough for him to dismiss it.

i was in court one day (another miscarriage of justice) and one guy tried all this stuff until the judge got tired of all of it and sentenced him to 30 days in jail.

LOL on what charge?

spinner · #16 Unread post by **spinner** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 10:25 am

LOL 30 days in jail? Probably for making his ears bleed.

Er, how did he know it was You if he was around the corner and behind trees?

sorry, just seems weird to me. kinda like "I know the grass is green, because the road is paved."

It's definitely some kind of strange system this cop had. it sure seemed he was hungry for some ticketing. After he took my license, he wrote the ticket... but here is the crazy part: when he got out of his car, instead of walking toward my car and giving me my ticket, he walked right out into the middle of the highway and put his hand up (people coming from around the corner doing 75-80)...I thought oh my god this guy is nuts. He pointed at a minivan and directed it to pull over and wait. So when the cop was done with me, he simply went on to the minivan... he sure knows how to pipeline the ticketing process....

Being a computer engineer, I was itching to ask him what kind of system he had set up in there that could provide him with such an 'accurate' representation of every car on the road with their respective speeds.... but he seemed like he was in a hurry.

Fri Aug 04, 2006 12:51 pm

CNF2002 wrote:
9000white wrote:[quote If you can get creative enough and make it all sound realistic and spend 30 minutes arguing your case, you might entertain the judge enough for him to dismiss it.

i was in court one day (another miscarriage of justice) and one guy tried all this stuff until the judge got tired of all of it and sentenced him to 30 days in jail.
LOL on what charge?

the charge was contempt of court after the judge told him to sit his silly ash down and shut up and he kept right on blubbering about he wasnt guilty the judge told him 2 times to stop and when he didnt he went off for 30 days.

JC Viper · #18 Unread post by **JC Viper** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 6:29 am

a turnpike in MA? that's basically a speedway for many drivers. Just state that you were keeping up with traffic since it's statistically much more dangerous to be slower than the surrounding traffic.

niterider · Sun Aug 06, 2006 3:47 pm

Send them the money and slow the car down for another 2.5 yrs. One can't hardly win against the people despensing the law.

Sun Aug 06, 2006 7:27 pm

My experience with the Mass traffic court is 10 yrs old. From your description tho it looks like they are using the same tickets. IIRC, Mass tickets have 4 boxes where the officer checks how he gauged your speed. Something like this; laser, radar, pacing, estimate. He is only supposed to check one box.
If more than one box is checked or none at all I would definitely show up in court and bring this to the magistrates attention. Also, before sending in the ticket be sure to make a photocopy and bring that to court. Compare it to the prosecutions copy. You'd be surprised how many tickets are changed after the fact. You have a right to see/view all the evidence against you.

Heres where it gets funky. When you show up in court the officer doesn't show up. A police officer acts as the prosecuter and its conducted in front of a magistrate. (Altho it is possible the same officer that wrote you the ticket will pull prosecuter duty that day) If you want to fight the ticket you will have to show up in court again and then the original officer who wrote the ticket will be there. (If your keeping count thats 2 court apperances)

My advice is fight the ticket and show up the first time. Point out the mistake on the ticket (2 boxes checked) and ask for the ticket to be dismissed. Do nothing more and nothing less. DO NOT ADMIT GUILT AT ANY TIME DURING THE PROCEEDINGS.

Backup strategy - ask for the fine or the charge to be reduced only if the ticket isn't dismissed. It never hurts to ask. Maybe the magistrate got a nice handjob that morning and is in a good mood.

My personal experience went like this. I received a speeding ticket in Mass and the officer didn't check any of the 4 boxes. I went in front of the magistrate plead "not guilty" and the ticket was dismissed. I was in court for 5 minutes. DO NOT LET THE OFFICER/PROSECUTER TRY TO BAIT YOU INTO ADMITTING GUILT. IGNORE THIER QUESTIONS. IF YOU ARE NOT TESTIFYING YOU CAN NOT BE CROSS EXAMENED. FUTHERMORE YOU HAVE THE 5TH AMENDMENT BEHIND YOU AS WELL.

Don't follow the suggestions of creating signs and diagrams and what not. Judges/magistrates do not like it when you waste their time.

Another tip is don't speed thru Mass or Conn. The statie cops here are very aggressive in enforcing speeding laws.