Opinions on appealing a speeding ticket

[TGH]

Hi...just looking for opinions from the law enforcement community on appealing a speeding ticket in court (in Massachusetts if that is relevant). I got stopped for 41 in 25 mph zone. The officer checked off both the 'Radar' and the 'Estimated' box on the ticket...I'm not exactly sure what that means. I certainly was exceeding 25 mph, although 41 surprised me. I'm basically planning to throw myself on the mercy of the court. My driving record is spotless....I'm 40 and this is the first speeding ticket I've ever gotten. And my motivation is primarily that the ticket is $160!! $110 for the ticket and a $50 'Head Injury' surcharge. In the middle of Christmas season that stings a lot. Is this worth appealing, and what typically happens in these cases? Thanks.

[jakflak]

You said you were speeding. Just pay the ticket.

[Magnum314]

Doesn't sound like much you can do. Everybody gets a ticket at one time or antoher. Think of it as the "Speed Tax". Assuming you've been driving for 24 years, that's pretty cheap.

Like jakflak stated, just pay it and move on.

Not sure how the courts work in your neck of the woods, but when my wife got a ticket, we were more concerned with the points and insurance increase. So she asked for a higher fine and no points. May cost a little extra on the front end, but I figure it saved us some over the course of the next couple of years.

As my old drill instructor used to say, "You play, you pay."

[Akadian8]

Hi...just looking for opinions from the law enforcement community on appealing a speeding ticket in court (in Massachusetts if that is relevant). I got stopped for 41 in 25 mph zone. The officer checked off both the 'Radar' and the 'Estimated' box on the ticket...I'm not exactly sure what that means. I certainly was exceeding 25 mph, although 41 surprised me. I'm basically planning to throw myself on the mercy of the court. My driving record is spotless....I'm 40 and this is the first speeding ticket I've ever gotten. And my motivation is primarily that the ticket is $160!! $110 for the ticket and a $50 'Head Injury' surcharge. In the middle of Christmas season that stings a lot. Is this worth appealing, and what typically happens in these cases? Thanks.

Head Surcharge? :confused: did someone get injured?

Anyways, don't come to a police officer forum for advice. Most of the "advice" you will get from this forum is designed to burn you.

You should get a lawyer, and he/she will help you make a decision in YOUR best interest. The POs here should not be looked at as attorneys, as you can see from the posts above.

[L-1]

The officer checked off both the 'Radar' and the 'Estimated' box on the ticket...I'm not exactly sure what that means.

Officers are taught to establish speed by a variety of means. One is to pace the other driver with the patrol car, next is radar and third is visual estimation. (With little effort you can learn to estimate within 1 or 2 MPH of the actual speed.) It sounds like both radar and visual estimation were used here.

Based on what you've written, I strongly suspect the judge will find you guilty if you appeal. The argument that you didn't realize how fast you were going will only hurt you as most violations and the resulting accidents, injuries and death are caused by inattention rather than deliberate acts. That's the whole point of the ticket, to get your attention and modify your behavior. <G>

I don't know about MA, but in California you have two choices. You can attend traffic school and not have the ticket go on your record. This saves you a lot with respect to license points and increased insurance premiums.
However, this option is not available to you if you elect to fight the ticket and lose. You might want to see if this option is available in your state and go with it.

[cmelton_4]

Talk to the prosecutor about Pre-trial diversion. That will get you past the holiday season before you pay the fine, and pre-trial can keep your driving record clean, as long as you don't get another one. Seeing as this is your first, I doubt that would be a problem.

[TGH]

Head Surcharge? :confused: did someone get injured?

Anyways, don't come to a police officer forum for advice. Most of the "advice" you will get from this forum is designed to burn you.

You should get a lawyer, and he/she will help you make a decision in YOUR best interest. The POs here should not be looked at as attorneys, as you can see from the posts above.

I hear ya! I wasn't really looking for sympathy...just interested in the other view. $160 is an utterly ridiculous amount of money for an offense like this, but definitely not worth getting a lawyer involved. From everything I've heard, if you have a clean record you will generally get the fine reduced in court. If I can save myself $100 it is worth it.

[TGH]

Talk to the prosecutor about Pre-trial diversion. That will get you past the holiday season before you pay the fine, and pre-trial can keep your driving record clean, as long as you don't get another one. Seeing as this is your first, I doubt that would be a problem.

Thank you - this is helpful. I assume the information on how to go about contacting the prosecutor will be sent to me when they send me my court date?

[jerrymaccauley]

Another consideration is that if you plead not guilty and you lose, the court costs will be added to your fine.

[jerrymaccauley]

Head Surcharge? :confused: did someone get injured?

Anyways, don't come to a police officer forum for advice. Most of the "advice" you will get from this forum is designed to burn you.

You should get a lawyer, and he/she will help you make a decision in YOUR best interest. The POs here should not be looked at as attorneys, as you can see from the posts above.
This is why we frown on non leos answering these questions. if you're a paralegal, you need to stay out of this discussion,because obviously you know more than a mere police officer who has attended hundreds of traffic hearings. the head injury surcharge is a seperate fund set up to help offset the cost of paying for trauma injuries for uninsured or underinsured motorists, but a paralegal already knows that, right?

[keith758]

I agree with jakflak: If you're guilty, face up to it and pay.

[lazycop]

Thanks for explaining "head injury". We dont add that here, and I did not know what it was either.
Anyway I usually tell offenders to take it to court if they want it to go away, they can usually pay court costs or take a driving class. Both usually cost more than the ticket here, but it wont go against the DL. This is assuming its not excessive, then they are just screwed.

[TGH]

I agree with jakflak: If you're guilty, face up to it and pay.

I don't disagree...it's a matter of 'how guilty'...in Mass, it's $50 for the first 10 miles over the limit, then $10 per mile after that. I have serious doubts I was going 41. If I had gotten a $50 ticket, I'd have paid it already. For $160 I am clearly incentivized to go the court route, particularly given everything I've heard about it being practically a given that going thru the process will result in a lower fine if you have a clean slate.

[gotthblues]

i dont know about your area, but where i worked, if you did have a good driving record and the violation wasnt too bad, you could ask for either a differed sentence *which is kinda like guilty without saying the word guilty* would get you court cost and 3 to 6 months probation, or you could do defensive driving, $20 plus court cost, around $45 i think,
but if i remember right you said you were ticketed for 41 in a 25, thats almost twice the limit, so i dont know if either would work, you might also consider the area where you were cited, was it a conjested residential area, or an open area between residences or businesses, something to think about,
also, just a thought here, * counting on honesty, not that i have any reason to doubt your honesty* but you said that you were speeding but you dont think you were going 41 in a 25, well, you never said how fast you were going, so you dont have an arguement to fight the citation, because to me, from what ive read, you dont know how fast you were going,

also, if you decide to just pay and be done and are worried about the holidays, most courts have a defered payment plan, you make small payments, like $40 every four months, or something like that,

[Akadian8]

This is why we frown on non leos answering these questions. if you're a paralegal, you need to stay out of this discussion,because obviously you know more than a mere police officer who has attended hundreds of traffic hearings. the head injury surcharge is a seperate fund set up to help offset the cost of paying for trauma injuries for uninsured or underinsured motorists, but a paralegal already knows that, right?

Why would you frown upon my advice for the guy to get EXPERT advice? You probably frown upon anyone contesting what you charged them with.

If you are not here to legitimately answer the original poster's question in HIS best interest, then YOU need to stay out of the discussion.

[Akadian8]

Thanks for explaining "head injury". We dont add that here, and I did not know what it was either.
Anyway I usually tell offenders to take it to court if they want it to go away, they can usually pay court costs or take a driving class. Both usually cost more than the ticket here, but it wont go against the DL. This is assuming its not excessive, then they are just screwed.

Based on jerrymaccauley's opinion, the people who don't know what head injury is need to stay out of the discussion. That means everyone including paralegals and police officers BUT him. He is the almighty enforcer of the law - he knows everything. For someone who is as elitist as him, maybe he should have been a judge by this time.

I certainly don't proclaim to know everything about the law because if I did I would not have advised the original poster to seek professional counsel.

[SgtScott31]

Why would you frown upon my advice for the guy to get EXPERT advice? You probably frown upon anyone contesting what you charged them with.

If you are not here to legitimately answer the original poster's question in HIS best interest, then YOU need to stay out of the discussion.

Whether good advice or bad, maybe you missed the first thread in this forum:

THE RULES: Only Law Enforcement Personnel Reply To Questions Here

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To ensure this forum stays on topic as much as possible, ONLY law enforcement personnel should 'reply' to topics in this thread. The original poster can be ANYONE, but those who reply should be the ORIGINAL POSTER and LAW ENFORCEMENT personnel ONLY.

If you want to discuss the topic, are NOT in LE, and are NOT the original poster, post it in an appropriate public forum, but the 'Ask a Cop' should no longer be used as a breeding ground for civilian vs. cop discussions.

Users are encouraged to report posts that are clearly not LE.

HOWEVER, is you are a civilian and have a NEW Question or need clarification of an answer, you can reply in the original post. But we will not permit the 'Ask A Cop' discussion to turn into a battleground between civilians and cops...or for that matter cops and cops, or all in between

IF YOU POST HERE AND DO NOT QUALIFY AS THE ABOVE, YOU WILL BE BANNED IMMEDIATELY AND FOREVER. CANNOT STATE IT ANY CLEARER. NO EXCEPTIONS. NO WARNINGS. NO ANTI-LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSES OR POSTS.
Thanks
WebTeam

Simply stating, you are violating this forum's rules by posting answers in an ASK A COP section. By Ask a Cop, it means those posting questions should be answerd by LEO's ONLY. If you think you have a good answer, then PM the poster. My .02.

[SgtScott31]

Most of the "advice" you will get from this forum is designed to burn you.

Our advise is solely to burn people? Whatever. We give honest answers by what we see in the courts every day.

I do not advise people to lose in court, but I tell them there is a good chance they will lose when they try to fight moving violations against an officer, particularly in a scenario such as his.

[Centurion44]

Hi...just looking for opinions from the law enforcement community on appealing a speeding ticket in court.

You don't appeal a speeding ticet, Perry Mason. You can only appeal court decisions. For some crazy reason, they don't let us hand out court sentences on the side of the road.

The citation (not really a ticket) is an accusation. Your local state or recorder's court is accusing you of speeding. THe court date on the citation is when you can either plead guilty or not guilty.

So, my opinion on appealing a speeding citation is like my opinion on Superman: What ever the opinion is, it doesn't matter, because it doesn't exsist.

Like I've said countless times. If you're old enough to drive 1500lbs of steel at a high rate of speed, then you're old enough to know right from wrong. If you believe you were falsely accused, then contest the citation. If you are guilty and know it- then shame on you.

If the only reason you have for contesting the citation is your inability to pay a fine, then simply talk to your local solicitor (or whoever represents the state or city in court) and explain the situation. Most places are willing to have you do community service in lieu of payment. Or they can put you on probation as you pay your fine in installments. My state also offers a No lo contenre plea which also keep points from going on your license.

You're old enough to drive. For once stop acting like a democrat and take responsibility for your actions.

[Centurion44]

Anyways, don't come to a police officer forum for advice. Most of the "advice" you will get from this forum is designed to burn you.

No. However my job is to make sure people answer for their actions. Not help them avoid the reasponsibility.

You should get a lawyer, and he/she will help you make a decision in YOUR best interest. The POs here should not be looked at as attorneys, as you can see from the posts above.

Ha! I love it. Which is more harmful? My advice above or hiring an attourney at $500 bucks an hour to avoid a $200 fine?

I love it when I see people I've cited bring an attourney to court. Even if the case gets dismissed, they are out more money than a citation would have cost- and so I'm still happy as a pig in swill- if you'll pardon the expression. :D

[51094]

I have serious doubts I was going 41..... I am clearly incentivized to go the court route, particularly given everything I've heard about it being practically a given that going thru the process will result in a lower fine if you have a clean slate.
As for questioning whether or not you were going 41, the device that recorded your speed is more than likely very acurate. It goes in for regular servicing and the cop who was operating the RADAR has most likely done so numerous times before.

AS for the "clean slate" comment: I'm not so sure about where you are, but if you're clearly guilty and don't give a better reason other than it's Christmas time, the judge (at least here) does have the right to give you a higher fine. I've seen it done before when someone wastes the time of the court. (Not saying you are wasting time, because I don't know ALL the circumstances in your ticket)

[Bing_Oh]

Unless you can, in open court, adequately attack the accuracy of the radar equipment itself, the training of the officer operating that equipment, or the actions of the officer in operating the equipment, you have little chance of beating a speeding citation. If the officer was following his/her training in radar, the reading was correct.

As for the second box marked "estimated," that's quite normal...part of radar training involves visual estimation of the speeds of vehicles which appear to be exceeding the speed limit.

[Akadian8]

No. However my job is to make sure people answer for their actions. Not help them avoid the reasponsibility.



Ha! I love it. Which is more harmful? My advice above or hiring an attourney at $500 bucks an hour to avoid a $200 fine?

I love it when I see people I've cited bring an attourney to court. Even if the case gets dismissed, they are out more money than a citation would have cost- and so I'm still happy as a pig in swill- if you'll pardon the expression. :D

And you know what 4 demerit points will do to someone's insurance? I'm sure by simple mathematics ($500-$200 = $300) the difference is smaller than the increase in insurance premiums.

I love it when people like you don't think about the whole picture. It leaves a lot of holes in your argument.

[Akadian8]

No. However my job is to make sure people answer for their actions. Not help them avoid the reasponsibility.


Your job is to enforce the laws hence....law enforcement. It is the job of the prosecutor to make sure people are responsible for their acts.

Get a clue.

[jerrymaccauley]

Akadian8, if you're done dispensing your paralegal advice, maybe you should just post your law firms website and hope that the guy who "Asked a Cop" will visit you there. As for your violating the rules of this forum, I suggest you consult with your attorney and see if we can keep you out.

[jasc451]

[QUOTE=Centurion44]You don't appeal a speeding ticet, Perry Mason. You can only appeal court decisions. For some crazy reason, they don't let us hand out court sentences on the side of the road.




Makes you wonder why others answer the questions when you get a responce like this from a cop

[jerrymaccauley]

[QUOTE=Centurion44]You don't appeal a speeding ticet, Perry Mason. You can only appeal court decisions. For some crazy reason, they don't let us hand out court sentences on the side of the road.




Makes you wonder why others answer the questions when you get a responce like this from a cop
It's all relative. Consider the questions and some of the non-cop advice. By the way, the Perry Mason reference was probably lost on the paralegal who was offering the legal advice.

[Centurion44]

Your job is to enforce the laws hence....law enforcement. It is the job of the prosecutor to make sure people are responsible for their acts.

Get a clue.


Whew. I'm so glad you told me that. Now I don't have to go out and arrest people anymore. I'll just file the warrant or citation and forward it to the prosecuting attourney, who can then go and execute the warrant/citation and place the person under arrest.

[gotthblues]

Your job is to enforce the laws hence....law enforcement. It is the job of the prosecutor to make sure people are responsible for their acts.

Get a clue.
point of fact, it is an officer's job to see that people answer for their actions, if an officer does not issue a summons, citation, ticket *whatever animal you want to call it* then said person would never appear before a prosecutor or judge, so actually, part of the responsiblitity does fall on the officer, not to mention said officer is responsible for testifying against said person. said clue to get?

[Akadian8]

point of fact, it is an officer's job to see that people answer for their actions, if an officer does not issue a summons, citation, ticket *whatever animal you want to call it* then said person would never appear before a prosecutor or judge, so actually, part of the responsiblitity does fall on the officer, not to mention said officer is responsible for testifying against said person. said clue to get?

It is the officer's job to enforce the law period. Sentencing is the punishment, and remind me again, who determines the punishment? Last time I heard it wasn't the officer but the judge. Punishments is what makes people responsible for their actions.

To get said clue?

[gotthblues]

It is the officer's job to enforce the law period. Sentencing is the punishment, and remind me again, who determines the punishment? Last time I heard it wasn't the officer but the judge. Punishments is what makes people responsible for their actions.

To get said clue?
sentencing was never brought up, you'd be correct, but that is a different area, but to say that an officer has NO responsiblity to see that persons do not answer for their transgressions, would be inaccurate.

as a previous poster said, i dont ever remember seeing a court clerk, juror, attorney *def or pros* or judge serving warrant and or issuing summons in the first place,

check mate, have a :) day.

[AtlCop]

If you were speeding, accept responsibility for your actions. You were caught and it wasn't pleasant. However, if everyone in society would take responsibility for themselves, this would be a much better place.


Also, how long are we going to ignore the fact that anyone posting answers in here that is not a cop, I won't mention names, is in violation of the rules?

[AtlCop]

The court system is already abused in this country. You have the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, I don't think the mockery that some attornies and defendants have made out of our court system is what our founding fathers had in mind.

Example:

You can have someone caught redhanded on audio and video. You can have a audio and videotaped confession as well. Yet, they can waste weeks, months, or even years in motions, hearings, and appeals.


I'm sick and tired of people who abuse the system because they don't agree with "fines" or because they know they're guilty but think they were just being "picked on" or any other number of pathetic excuses.

In my opinion, the system was designed to allow truly innocent people from being sent to jail. It was not created to be made a mockery out of like people do today.

[e-man]

OK People OK. I think we all need to take a chill pill. The person who is asking innocently enough how to handle a speeding ticket is in line and in the proper place for it. He asked what he should do and most of us have giving him decent {free :rolleyes: } advice, for the internet. Now as far as Akadian still posting here, go away this is NOT ASK a Paralegal, this is not Free Advice dot com and when u start to bash cops and tell us what we do and how to do it, your gonna be sent away. Yeah I know its not a big deal and no mommy is not here to punish you BUT this is OFFICER DOT COM not 1800LAWYER DOt com.
COme on guys, I thought the holidays were happy times. :rolleyes:
P.S- take a traffic court hearing, tell the judge or local magistrate you know you were speeding and would like some help on the points on your license. Pay the fine and be done with it.
E

[Centurion44]

It is the officer's job to enforce the law period.

Okay, my sarcasm was apparently missed, so let me ask you this: What, exactly, does that mean to you? Obviously it doesn't mean we apprehend suspects and see to it they appear in court. Because that would mean they'd have to answer for their actions. So how do you propose I enforce the law?

[AnGardaSiochana]

Hmmm, in Ireland (yeah thats **** all use to the asker I know) you get a 60 euro fine and 2 penalty points. Now heres the kicker, you cannot go to court. You simple fail to pay and see if you get a summons. 20% dont due to limits and time. If you get the summons and get to court chances are you will be found guilty straight away and fined upto 800 euro and now have 4 points. All it takes is 12 to be off the road and theres no exceptions to getting points.

Ark,
Over here we study law for 2 years and get law degrees at the end. We prosecute our own cases unless its deemed very serious (IE trial by jury) or request a solicitor (which I dont do usually). I have yet to lose a hearing that I have prosecuted because I know the law and operate within it and I know the facts from being there. In my experience solicitors generally get confused due to only having a file in front of them instead of the facts stored in memory.

As for the ticket, cant you guys go to traffic school to avoid points? Thus saving your insurance? And anyway, if you regularily speed them you should pay higher insuarnce because your a danger.

[willowdared]

I hear ya! I wasn't really looking for sympathy...just interested in the other view. $160 is an utterly ridiculous amount of money for an offense like this, but definitely not worth getting a lawyer involved. From everything I've heard, if you have a clean record you will generally get the fine reduced in court. If I can save myself $100 it is worth it.

Why do you think that is an excessive amount? Were you going thru a school zone by any chance?

[Frank Booth]

Go to court and ask the cop if he'll agree to let you plead responsible for a violation with no points. It's not a big deal. The city just wants their money. They're not interested in helping your insurance agent make his boat payment.

[Akadian8]

Hmmm, in Ireland (yeah thats **** all use to the asker I know) you get a 60 euro fine and 2 penalty points. Now heres the kicker, you cannot go to court. You simple fail to pay and see if you get a summons. 20% dont due to limits and time. If you get the summons and get to court chances are you will be found guilty straight away and fined upto 800 euro and now have 4 points. All it takes is 12 to be off the road and theres no exceptions to getting points.

Ark,
Over here we study law for 2 years and get law degrees at the end. We prosecute our own cases unless its deemed very serious (IE trial by jury) or request a solicitor (which I dont do usually). I have yet to lose a hearing that I have prosecuted because I know the law and operate within it and I know the facts from being there. In my experience solicitors generally get confused due to only having a file in front of them instead of the facts stored in memory.

As for the ticket, cant you guys go to traffic school to avoid points? Thus saving your insurance? And anyway, if you regularily speed them you should pay higher insuarnce because your a danger.

Insurance in the United States is a giant scam anyways. The fact that insurance is required and is a for-profit equates to injustice. Insurance, by itself, does not prevent damage and accidents, it only resolves it in a half-arsed way after the fact. Often times, law-abiding citizens must shoulder the burden of uninsured drivers, which makes no sense at all. Insurance would probably be better off as a entity of the government.

In NJ, the auto insurance is ridiculous. If the difference in auto insurance is too great between neighboring states, then we will people using loopholes to undermine the system. Let's say that I live in NJ, but the auto insurance is ridiculous. By saying ridiculous, I mean that buying a small property in Pennsylvania and declaring that as my residence and using car insurance in Pennsylvaia would equal the cost of car insurance in NJ. All I would have to do is cross the border every 13 days and be totally legit while circumventing the system.

[gotthblues]

All I would have to do is cross the border every 13 days and be totally legit while circumventing the system.
ding ding ding, point made about "most" lawyers ;) sorry, wanna be's too

[Centurion44]

Insurance in the United States is a giant scam anyways. The fact that insurance is required and is a for-profit equates to injustice. Insurance, by itself, does not prevent damage and accidents, it only resolves it in a half-arsed way after the fact.

I agree. Let's repeal the insurance law, that way victims of careless drivers will have no recourse.

Insurance would probably be better off as a entity of the government.

Spoken like a liberal. Let's let the government fix it. Since the government is real good at fixing things.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you a future Supreme Courty Justice.

Edit: By the way, why are you avoiding my questions? If it will help, I'll try to use less logic and facts that counter your transparent agenda.

[SO535]

Stop feeding the trolls Centurion. It's quite obvious that they have never had anything bad happen to them or their family.

Remember you and I are just jack booted thugs who get our salary form this guy's taxes. ;)



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DISCLAIMER: This post contains sarcasm and may not be suitable for viewing for the weak of mind and librels. :D
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[Centurion44]

Oh yeah, I forgot.

[Wisconsin Migra]

I don't disagree...it's a matter of 'how guilty'...in Mass, it's $50 for the first 10 miles over the limit, then $10 per mile after that. I have serious doubts I was going 41. If I had gotten a $50 ticket, I'd have paid it already. For $160 I am clearly incentivized to go the court route, particularly given everything I've heard about it being practically a given that going thru the process will result in a lower fine if you have a clean slate.

***B.S. ALERT!!! **** B.S. ALERT!!! ***** B.S. ALERT!!! *****
*****WHOOOOOP*****WHOOOOOP******** WHOOOOOOP*****

$50 for the first 10 mph and $10 for each mile thereafter would be a $110 ticket. For a $160 ticket, you would have been cited for 21 mph over, which is 46 mph in a 25 zone.

That's one problem asking for advice on a cop forum, we are trained to smell bull***** miles away. Either way, go to the hearing, be respectful, admit guilt, tell them this is your first citation ever and tell the magistrate you will accept whatever they see as fair. More likely than not, you will get the $50 minimum and out the door. Magistrates are like cops, they too can smell the B.S. , so no use arguing.

Or if all else fails, call the paralegal and spend two grand on your defense.

[Akadian8]

I agree. Let's repeal the insurance law, that way victims of careless drivers will have no recourse.



Spoken like a liberal. Let's let the government fix it. Since the government is real good at fixing things.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you a future Supreme Courty Justice.

Edit: By the way, why are you avoiding my questions? If it will help, I'll try to use less logic and facts that counter your transparent agenda.

Well, victims of careless drivers would have no recourse either if the careless driver was taken off the insurance policy and therefore not subject to the new adjusted rates and surcharges.

I'm anything but a liberal. The problem at hand is which is worse. I don't imagine how the government could be any worse as an insurance entity compared to the for-profit insurance companies out there already. Didn't GEICO originally start as a insurance company that was owned in large part by the government?

[BufordTJustice]

Why would you frown upon my advice for the guy to get EXPERT advice? You probably frown upon anyone contesting what you charged them with.

A. Expert advise, give me a break, it would cost this guy more money to get this EXPERT advise than it would to just pay the fine. Also he admitted he was speeding so what could this EXPERT advise be "LIE". Oh yeah thats right this EXPERT adives would be coming from a lawyer.

If you are not here to legitimately answer the original poster's question in HIS best interest, then YOU need to stay out of the discussion.

B. For the most part the way it is in MA is you have the right to a traffic hearing before a Clerk Magistrate where you and the officer plead your case. The Clerk then decides whether the citation gets dismissed, reduced or you pay the full amount. If you or the officer are not satified as to the outcome from the Clerk you have the right to a Judge's hearing. Although through a Judge's hearing you will not have the citation reduced, the citation is either dismissed or you pay the whole amount.

[SlowDownThere]

So your the guy. I wanted to use that name when I joined this site, as Bufford is my all time favorite movie cop. But it was taken.

I really like the scene where he leaves the men's room of the diner and has TP stuck to his pant (or shoe) and calls the waitress "nice lady" as he leaves while trailing the TP behind him.

What a great charactor. My hat is off to you sir.

[Mid_Ohio_Po]

All I would have to do is cross the border every 13 days and be totally legit while circumventing the system.


Ahh, and that is precisely why people despise lawyers, and even wannabe lawyers. It's all about circumventing the system.

Please see the forum rules, another poster said it perfectly. This is not ask a paralegal, it's ask a cop.

[1sgkelly]

Originally Posted by Akadian8
All I would have to do is cross the border every 13 days and be totally legit while circumventing the system.

Now can you do that three times and come back twice?

:rolleyes:

[133MPD]

In ohio officers should visually estimate the speed of the violater and then confirm the speed with the radar. that is probably why he also checked "estimated." You admited you were speeding, just pay the ticket. You probably werent even thinking of your speed until you observed the unit that stopped you.

[8656]

You have to love guys like alkadian8. I wish everyone I write would take me to court. Win lose or draw I get overtime pay, he or she gets found guilty 95 percent of the time and loses a day of pay. If they are allowed in their state to bring a lawyer, so much the better. Any lawyer that wastes his time defending speeding tickets can't be much of a lawyer.

[jakflak]

You have to love guys like alkadian8. I wish everyone I write would take me to court. Win lose or draw I get overtime pay, he or she gets found guilty 95 percent of the time and loses a day of pay. If they are allowed in their state to bring a lawyer, so much the better. Any lawyer that wastes his time defending speeding tickets can't be much of a lawyer.

You said it. If I win, I get paid. If I lose, I get paid.

[TGH]

You have to love guys like alkadian8. I wish everyone I write would take me to court. Win lose or draw I get overtime pay, he or she gets found guilty 95 percent of the time and loses a day of pay. If they are allowed in their state to bring a lawyer, so much the better. Any lawyer that wastes his time defending speeding tickets can't be much of a lawyer.

Who's losing a day of pay? I won't be. We'll see what happens, and I will post the results, but my guess is I save myself $50 to $100 by going to court. To me, that's worth the trip.

[Bigg Dogg]

I think this forum should have a temporary membership good for about 10 days for people that get tickets and think they can come on a Police Forum and try to get answers from a bounch of cops on how to get out of a ticket!!Then after 10 days they are banned!Account dissolved!!!Be alot less members!