So I'm cruisin along @75, minding my own business...

beatersubi · Post by **beatersubi** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 9:52 am

The story starts out...
I was on my way home after a particularly hard day at work. I had worked about ten hours, my phone had become kaput and I was in a generally bad mood.
So, I'm on my way home, travelling southbound on I-5 just south of the 74th st. exit. I was pacing a bimmer, 540, doing the usuall 70-75mph when the bimmer suddenly changes lane to the right (into the #2 lane). I should've taken this as a sign, as we'd been cruising at about the same speed for the last couple miles. He slows down, I'm about to change lanes in front of him when I spot... A TROOPER, closing from behind at high speed (for a Crown Vic). He flashes on his lights. So I'm hoping beyond hope that he'll stop the bimmer... if it wasn't for bad luck, etc.

So much for wagons being transparent to cops.

The pig is giving me the usuall 'well I clocked you a 72, but I only wrote the ticket for 5 over' schpeal. And he's a decent guy, for a state robot. Let me off with a warning for defective eqipment (cracked tailight, severly cracked windshield) and also a warning for no proof of insurance. But I'm still peeved. The state takes enough of my (our) hard-earned money as it is.

The piont of the story is... does anyone have any good tips for contesting a valid ticket?

dscoobydoo · Post by **dscoobydoo** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 2:58 pm

Good luck.

He probably did radar the two of you, and due to your "other"issues, you got picked.

They always do the " but I dropped it to _ less that you were going thing"

Good luck contesting it.

If you REALLY want it gone:
Write in for a court date.
Then ask for an extension ( about 2 times)
By the third time, the tropper will not show, and you might get lucky.

But then again, I had a judge who said:" I am taking the trooper at his word and holding on the fine."

And I am a LE officer also, so good luck there.

555BCTurbo · Post by **555BCTurbo** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 5:12 pm

Yeah, contesting valid tickets is kinda a futile practice...

You might be able to get them to reduce it, or get traffic school?

dscooby- what agency do you work for?

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 10:38 pm

In MA, they almost always knock half of it down if you request a hearing to see about bringing it to court. Never bothered bringing it any further. These cars are getting a little old now to be transparent, especially when you have other issues for them to notice. Cops profile and an old car gets attention, one that's damaged more so, modified even more, and driven by a minority, fugetaboutit.

thehookeup · Post by **thehookeup** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:35 am

step 1: plead not guilty at your first court date, then at the next hearing start on step 2
step 2: never admit to doing anything above the speed limit. just say
"To the best of my knowledge i was doing the speed limit" dont say "well i was going a few mph above the posted speed limit"

Step 3: ask to see the calibration record of the radar gun or laser, and the up to date officer's certification to use the radar gun or laser.

a lot of times the cop wont even show up to the hearing, or wont come prepared. a bunch of my friends have gotten out of speeding tickets by doing so. so far its only failed 1 time. its worth a shot just so it doesnt go on your driving record and then in turn up your insurance.

555BCTurbo · Post by **555BCTurbo** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:10 am

thehookeup wrote:step 1: plead not guilty at your first court date, then at the next hearing start on step 2
step 2: never admit to doing anything above the speed limit. just say
"To the best of my knowledge i was doing the speed limit" dont say "well i was going a few mph above the posted speed limit"

Step 3: ask to see the calibration record of the radar gun or laser, and the up to date officer's certification to use the radar gun or laser.

a lot of times the cop wont even show up to the hearing, or wont come prepared. a bunch of my friends have gotten out of speeding tickets by doing so. so far its only failed 1 time. its worth a shot just so it doesnt go on your driving record and then in turn up your insurance.

Officers are not required to use a radar gun or any other similar device to assign you a speed for a ticket...So the whole calibration thing will fall on deaf ears.

BSOD2600 · Post by **BSOD2600** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 8:23 am

If you do get a dumb ticket in the Seattle area, I've successfully used Jeannie Mucklestone and prevented a ticket (2 lane changes at once -- dumb!) from going on my record. Basically you pay ~$300 and thats it. It's still cheaper than having a(nother) ticket on ones record for 3 years and higher insurance premiums.

AWD_addict · Post by **AWD_addict** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 8:33 am

If they use a radar as the basis for the ticket and the gun is not up to date on calibration, that can help.

A friend of mine got rid of a ticket because the gun used was two years out of spec.

Now if they pace you, I think you're screwed.

Tleg93 · Post by **Tleg93** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:28 pm

Anymore, I fight just about everything. I'd rather fight than go quietly. This isn't related but the other night we were shooting off some 'legal' fireworks and this town cop walks onto my buddy's property. I stood and watched for obvious reasons when I heard him tell the cop to get off his property, now... He threatened a lawsuit and I was just about bursting with joy. No offense to any cops out there but I enjoy seeing the law taken down a few notches, there's way too many cops out there and waaaay too many people in jail.

NuclearBacon · Post by **NuclearBacon** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:52 pm

dude, i was on I-5 two weeks ago and a trooper got me for doing 72....

BUT HE GAVE ME A TICKET.

i'm fighting it in glenn county court on the 24th of september. i have a copy of the california state penal code and vehicle code....

One of my (nerd) friends got out of a ticket by proving the cop couldnt have gotten him on radar using Trig.... i'm going to find out how that happened... and use it.

i'll keep you posted

Murphy · Post by **Murphy** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 12:14 am

in kentucky its doesnt just go on your record automatically

if you ticket is marked "payable" they give you choices as to what to do
-2 weeks suspension (no fine)
-ticket fine (usually $200+)
-points (no fine, but it goes on insurance record, and you can only get 12 points and your liscnece is suspended)
-traffic school
-community service (usually not an option but sometimes the judge throws it in)

beatersubi · Post by **beatersubi** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 4:40 am

Thanks for all the good tips!
So far I'm planning on contesting and extending two or three times just to see if they take any action. I once contested a ticket from Shelton PD and they dismised it.
I'm pretty sure he radared me, as he came out of nowhere and there are some notes on the ticket that I don't recognize. I think they're related to how he radared me though. Under the cited speed is writen:
(L-1329 / 196.1ft)
Any ideas?

I don't have a problem with cops in general (besides their self-illusion of excessive authority, and usually their inferiority complex). We, as a society, need something to keep us from doing whatever we want all the time. But I just hate to give more money to a government who wastes too much as it is and doesn't give anything in return.

Thanks for taking the time to read my crappy blog.

Murphy · Post by **Murphy** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 5:15 pm

beatersubi wrote: (L-1329 / 196.1ft)

maybe: Radar model / distance shot was taken

BAC5.2 · Post by **BAC5.2** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 9:20 pm

Probably Laser. Did he aim and shoot like he was shooting a gun?

beatersubi · Post by **beatersubi** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 1:14 am

I didn't even see him until he was behind me, but I have seen other highway pork aiming like that.

asc_up · Post by **asc_up** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 6:16 pm

yeah i actually did a ridealong with a wa trooper and a guy went flying by us and i was like..."uhhh are we going to chase him?" and the trooper said no because he didn't have his radar on and it doesn't hold up in court. lol.

but yeah i got pulled over last night by a dupont cop because of my muffler.....wtf?! i didn't know they could do that. i got a $124 ticket.

dupont cops apparently have nothing to do if they're writing 'exhaust modification' tickets.

Murphy · Post by **Murphy** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 7:41 pm

what are dupont cops? i know its slang, but what odes it mean

ive always wanted to do a ride-along, but from what some people have told me is that they just sit filling out paper work on tickets n stuff most of the time

asc_up · Post by **asc_up** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 8:11 pm

hahahaha dupont is a small kinda hick town in WA.

i was just passing through there to get on the freeway when i got pulled over lol.

dscoobydoo · Post by **dscoobydoo** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:27 am

I work for Uncle Sam, for Imm/Customs stuff, but I work with a lot of local LE's.

As for the Muffler tickets, I ask them how in the hell you find a stock muffler for a 14 year old car.

As long as it was not very loud, you can get out of them.

But if it sounds way louder than stock, you are hosed.

asc_up · Post by **asc_up** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 1:18 am

hahaha yeahhh mine's pretty loud. i went to a fair and the guy who was directing cars on places to park said he heard my car coming in and was going to park me in the back because he thought my car was a big ass truck.

so the cop had a reason to give me a ticket lol.

smh0101 · Post by **smh0101** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 2:38 am

My mom just married a friggin pig ( I call him bacon boy and his kids bacon bits). I havent even met the guy but he MAILED my dad a ticket without even pulling him over just because he was driving.

So um yea I kinda cant drive through Woodland WA cuz he knows my car.

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 4:39 pm

I saw a cop pull a Vibe over on a narrow, somewhat blind entrance ramp last night. I'm sure the guy was transporting sex slaves or not-for-export material to the docks to an awaiting Iranian ship in international waters or something to justify the unsafe place to harrass someone. Good for you, suburban cop, I'm sure it will be the bust of the century! Losers. I would have loved to have seen a Dodge Ram come flying around that corner and take him out. I would've just driven over the grass median and kept going, a rare big smile on my face.

beatersubi · Post by **beatersubi** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 7:43 am

Bitter?

555BCTurbo · Post by **555BCTurbo** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 8:58 am

Man, everybody hates us cop types

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 3:22 pm

Authority corrupts and those who seek it are usually the most corruptable. I don't have as much problem with real cops other than a general distrust of authority (happens with an alcoholic father and a Catholic school education, although I think I was born this way regardless), just harrassment officers (mainly suburban and rural) and (city) parking Nazis who's sole purpose is revenue gathering with an occasional bust for show. That said, Far worse are the court systems that let criminals go or that fail to protect people in danger (while simultaneously limiting the victims' ability to defend themselves) on the occasions where the cops actually do a useful job and arrest some prick. But those cops are usually not the traffic wardens.

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So I'm cruisin along @75, minding my own business...

So I'm cruisin along @75, minding my own business...