I was heading to work this morning (on my day off no less!) And I was pulled over for speeding. The officer didn't actually pull me over (lights and siren). Instead, while I was stopped at a red light, he pulled up next to me, got out of his car, and then came over to my window and asked me to pull into a gas station that was just up ahead.

I said, uh, OK. I didn't even see any lights or anything. He said that he didn't have them on, he was just deciding to pull me over at that point. (I didn't think that was legal...)

Anyway, he says about a mile back he got me going 95 in a 65. I was dumbstruck. I know that my speedo isn't that far off, if at all. He asks how fast I was going. I said 68 or 70. He said that he got me on the radar going 95. He also said that he sees "these tuner cars" racing up and down that road all the time, and that my BRIGHT YELLOW WITH A BIG SPOILER (his own words) was easy enough to spot. (uh...ok... profile much?)

At this point I asked to see the radar. After all, he should have locked the speed in, correct? He says, well, I did lock it in, but then I cleared it. I told him that I was disappointed that he couldn't show me the reading. I gave him my info.

He then asked me to wait and went back to his car. I'm thinking, he can't possibly write me a ticket. He returns, with a ticket. 95 in a 65, clocked by radar. He tells me to have a nice day.


So, I didn't think they were allowed to do that. If it's radar they get you with, and you ask to see it, they HAVE to show you? Can this even hold up in court? Of course, if he is a "dirty" cop, I suppose it's my word against his, but I have no reason to lie. I have a clean record. Any advice? Please? (the situation sounds to me like he has a vendetta against the tuner cars. Bastard. And NO I was not speeding. My speedo is accurate, I tested it just after the incedent.)

 

Damn, what an ***... not sure of how you should deal with that other then fighting it in court.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by pvt_awol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

So, I didn't think they were allowed to do that. If it's radar they get you with, and you ask to see it, they HAVE to show you? </TD></TR></TABLE>


he/she does not have to show you the radar detector/speed....

1st get a lawyer

or do this first...

get your speedometer calibrated( this can possibly get the ticket thrown out of court for improper equipment.... if the speedo is actually off)

 

Check your local laws regarding the showing of radar.

I'm 99% positive here in FL they have to show you it.

 

Heh...get a lawyer.
Subpoena the radar records...find out if he was using POP mode.
If he was you can win.
Go read about POP mode on valentine1.com.

As much as it sucks...sometimes its costlier to fight it (even when you are in the right, or close enough).
Weigh the cost of the ticket against the cost of a lawyer, cost of filing a subpoena, court costs.
They know its easier to pay the ticket than fight.

They do not have to show you the radar, they just have to tell you if they were using radar, and check the box on the ticket. If I took it to court, I would question the officers training on the use of the radar, whether or not the equipment was calibrated, etc.

Also, it may sound stupid or paranoid, but I started carrying around a small digital voice recorder.
If (when) I get pulled over again, I will be notifying the officer that I plan to record the entire conversation. I'm tired of getting pulled over because they think my car doesn't pass emissions, or they are curious how high my insurance rates are, or because at night, in a fog, with my tinted windows up they think I'm not wearing a seatbelt.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by andyt &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

As much as it sucks...sometimes its costlier to fight it (even when you are in the right, or close enough).
Weigh the cost of the ticket against the cost of a lawyer, cost of filing a subpoena, court costs.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

the one argument i have for that statement is the cost of his insurance going up, and how long the ticket will be on his record before his rate goes down...

also, i am surprised he did not haul you off to jail....

going 30 mph over the speed limit in NC can automatically have your license taken away and jail time.....

 

^

yeah, I'm surprised that he wouldn't arrest me as well. However, since I was NOT speeding, and he was profiling me, I guess he didn't want to haul me off? I don't know. All I know is that he was pulling me over for the type of car I was driving, and when I called his "bluff" on the radar, he quickly just dismissed it. Bastard. I so wish I would have recorded it. Dammit!

 

If it's your first ticket, just pay it and go to traffic school. You will still have a clean record once you pass it. It is not worth it to go through the hassel of getting a lawyer.

 

nah, I have a record of speeding, street racing, illegal mods, etc.

but those all dropped off years ago. Maybe 8 years ago? My record has been clean for a LONG time. (not perfect since I was 16, but clean for a while)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by itr1137 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If it's your first ticket, just pay it and go to traffic school. You will still have a clean record once you pass it. It is not worth it to go through the hassel of getting a lawyer. </TD></TR></TABLE>

No.

Just plead not guilty.

Postpone the ticket as long as you can. I did it for 3 years once. Study up on your local V&T laws. See how they apply to your situation. DO NOT REQUEST A SUPPORTING DEPOSITION! If you will likely lose your license where you are then get some $$$ together for a V&T lawyer. If your potential fines, etc. aren't that harsh then just go to court and talk to the cop beforehand. You can usually get it lowered to a lesser moving violation that will be less $$$ and points.

But make sure you check all your current local V&T laws since things have gotten harsher and stricter in the last few years for "excessive speed in zone" tickets.

It pays to have friends that are LEO's

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by pvt_awol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">nah, I have a record of speeding, street racing, illegal mods, etc.

but those all dropped off years ago. Maybe 8 years ago? My record has been clean for a LONG time. (not perfect since I was 16, but clean for a while)</TD></TR></TABLE>

That's Not good. Your driving history is still there. It doesn't just get erased or drop off the face of the earth. If they want to find out more about you they will. It might be a good idea to get a lawyer in your case. $1,000. for a good V&T lawyer might save you alot more hassle and $$$

PS and this really doesn't belong here, maybe GDD might be a better place.

 

Unfortunately, you will most likely have to pay for the ticket. But dress nice when you go to court and keep your cool. Judges can be your best friend sometimes. I've gotten a few tickets before (1 speeding and the rest was pretty much BS) and the judge bailed me out almost everytime. The cops usually looked pissed afterwards.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by cmdr430 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
going 30 mph over the speed limit in NC can automatically have your license taken away and jail time.....</TD></TR></TABLE>

Going 12mph over got my license suspended. NC license and the ticket was in OR. Had to get a lawyer to write a letter to the judge, which he reinstated my license, but was on probation for 6 months.

 

Dude that sucks, sorry to hear that, I would just get it fixed and changed to a non moving violation should cost you the price of the ticket and like 300-400 bucks, at least that's what we do in MO.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by itr1137 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If it's your first ticket, just pay it and go to traffic school. You will still have a clean record once you pass it. It is not worth it to go through the hassel of getting a lawyer. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Terrible advice for a 30-over ticket.

Here that's reckless at a minimum. Usually any ticket over 80mph will cost you your license for a year or more.

IMO, with the severity of the charge (reckless can carry a misdemeanor criminal charge as well), I'd lawyer up.

 

Sorry to hear this, definitely some BS. A voice recorder as suggested above might be a good idea....for the next time.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1GreyTeg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
But make sure you check all your current local V&T laws </TD></TR></TABLE>
This is all that matters right now. Asking folks on HT from across the country you're gonna get all kind of answers as to what your "rights" are and what you should do.

Some RADAR guns are fixed mounted in the patrol car (transceiver in the front grill and the readout bolted to the dash) and cannot be removed to show you the speed anyway. I found this out with my last speeding ticket.

For 30 over the limit, you'd probably be best to lawyer up and fight it. Just be careful of what you sign with your lawyer. Some attorneys will simply try to reduce the charge the best they can and not actually "fight" it. Good luck

 

Ive been an officer for over a year and he does not have to show you the radar. In fact it is illegal for him to lock on a speed and keep it. If he did that he could keep a clocked speed of 95 mph and just use that all day showing it to everyone he pulled over.

If <U></U>you werent speeding odds are his radar picked up something or another car around you. Was it a LASER or a RADAR? If it was a LASER there is no mistake you were speeding, if it was a radar then take it to court. Odds are if you show up and explain the traffic stop style he took the judge will throw it out.

 

^

yeah, it was radar. It's even circled on the ticket as the device used. (laser and pacing, and stopwatch are some of the others) but radar is in fact circled.


to the officer that responded, my wife seems to think that since he at no time turned on his lights, or anything, and simply "asked" me to pull into the gas station, that his stop was illegal anyway. Is this true? If so, I can get video to prove that lights were never on. He simply "strolled" up to my window and asked if I'd be so kind as to pull into the gas station up ahead.

 

I dont think the lights have anything to do with it.
The cops around here regularly stand behind trees with radar guns and then step out into the street and pull cars over.

 

Such a shitty situation.

Good advice in this thread though, I'd listen to it.

I've been lucky, most of the police around here are pretty cool, and I've only be harassed once by a police officer. Hell, I was let out of a 29mph OVER speeding ticket... Here's the thread.

The only time I've been harassed, was the week Wilmington got a **** ton of brand new Magnum/Charger/Mustangs for the new police fleet, a BUNCH of these were unmarked vehicles, that were rather hard to tell they were police vehicles, unless you looked. I was driving along, speed limit, blaring some music, just cruising. A brand new Magnum comes flying up next to me, and starts revving up, and speeding up and slowing down, and just hovering next to me. Right when I say in my mind, "Dude, f*ck this guy" put my clutch in, and start to rev match to drop into second, I look over... And see a police badge patch on the shoulder of his uniform. I go back into fifth, put down my window, calmly look over, flick him off, and lip out "F*CK YOU!" he did a double take, as if in disbelief that some silly ricer just flicked him off and lipped out an obscenity, and he pulled off at the next street. Talk about entrapment.

But for the most part, I've been fortunate to have been left alone this long, especially with my driving style, and fact that I drive a bright yellow Honduh with a wing.

 

When I was in CT i fought every ticket no matter what it was. They have a scale where if the ticket is a certain amount it will automatically be reduced to the amount listed. If you wanted to plead your case you would just stay till the end and the judge would listen to your side of the story. Dont know how it is in Oregon.

 

^

Yeah, I'm gonna fight it no matter what. I'm not worried about paying the fine, or paying increased insurance. It's scares me that the judge could suspend my license. I think anyway. 30 over the posted limit is jail time, isn't it? I mean, you'd think he would have wrote the ticket for reckless driving, as well as speeding. But no, it's just an infraction for speeding. I dunno.


Also, I'm in Kansas now. So it's a Kansas cop, and Kansas ticket. (I am still licensed in Oregon though)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by pvt_awol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">^

Yeah, I'm gonna fight it no matter what. I'm not worried about paying the fine, or paying increased insurance. It's scares me that the judge could suspend my license. I think anyway. 30 over the posted limit is jail time, isn't it? I mean, you'd think he would have wrote the ticket for reckless driving, as well as speeding. But no, it's just an infraction for speeding. I dunno.


Also, I'm in Kansas now. So it's a Kansas cop, and Kansas ticket. (I am still licensed in Oregon though)</TD></TR></TABLE>

Do you reside in Kansas?

If so it's possible that they can suspend your driving privelages in Kansas but cannot take your license. I've had this happen when I lived in Connecticut but got a major ticket in NY. I did get a lawyer, I did get a hardship driving privelage to drive in NY but they couldn't suspend or revoke my CT license. Some weird loophole. This was in 2000.

So be sure to check your local and current V&T laws. Something similar may apply.

 

Its funny. I have had 10+ tickets while in the Southeast while having a CT license. I paid them all, and not one of them shows up on my record. Luck or what? I refuse to give up my CT license haha.

 

yeah, I legally live in Kansas, but keep my Oregon license. (due to the military)


I just really hope this all works out.

 

either A, he was being nice to you by letting you go and not to jail

B even if he did not have radar but they can still convict you on reference points but..

C, if he says he used radar and can not provide the record (thats if its in compliance with local laws, thats if he even has to provide such information), then you have a good shot

D if he does have everything recorded and yo'ure wrong, then you might get harsher punishment.

 

KROOKED COPS!!...some cops around here do that kind of ****.It seriously pissed me off.I had to talk back to them one time.Here is the story when i was pissed off!!..

I was on my way to work around 8pm.Stop at a stop sign few blocks from my house.When i did a right turn, i didnt signal.He pulled me over and start ask me to stepped out, did what he said and was calm at the moment.His partner got out of the car also and started looking in my car, going through my front and back seats searching for "??"..w/e. Anyways, the other cop took my phone and started going through it.I was like "WTF?""...getting a little pissed.I had the ear bud on at the moment...he let me go with a ticket for not signaling. ...I feel like some of the cops abused their power.