Furious over citation

TedLynn · Mar 21, 2003

Richard, Was the ticket written in Knox, Loudon or Blount County? Just as Bird has stated, in the past in Loudon County, your case was dismissed on presentation of a receipt for the repairs. The Officer has heard many times that you are on your way to repair it. Big Dave had a good point also. I have also written many of these citations, explaining that they should take a receipt to court, and seldom saw a fine paid. Years ago. Not sure how it is today. Ted

MossRoad · Mar 21, 2003

Richard,
Sorry about your dog.

As for the ticket... Around here, it seems that almost every arrest occurs after they discover the driver of a car with a broken head/tail light had an outstanding warrant. Seems the criminals never fix their cars(too busy being criminals, I guess). Pulling people over for minor safety violations seems to be a valuable tool in rounding up the bad guys. I doubt the cop hadn't met his quota on tickets.

I hope it turns out that if you provide proof of the repair you will get no fine. Good luck.

Again, sorry about your dog. Best remedy is to wait a while, then adopt another one. It will be loved and happy. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Taylortractornut · Mar 21, 2003

Richard I know the feeling, I worked in ALabama away from home for a few months, No inspection sticker needed, the day I came home the Hiway patrol got me when i crossed the stateline into Mississippi. The officer kept asking whay didnt you come back to MS to get one when my position required me on the job 7 days a week and i was 100 miles from home. The kicker was i was in my 94 halfton chevy with a portable tank and he called mad the DOT come check for red fuel in my gas tank. Plus i got written up for my tag light being out. Big help because i was pulling a trailer. I barely wont the court case but it did go through on my side. I had an accident this week i rear ended a kids truck and his dad owns the truck tonight it went from a bent bumper and tail pipe to oh its ruiiend my custom ehausts both of them, the bumper and bent the frame, in a 10 mph crash. THe kid made a mistake to tell me his uncle had a bodyshop and thats who gave the estimate, I wanted to keep it off the insuarance books because of my CDL s i may get. THe guy told me he had a shop picked out already to carry it to. i guess ill include the insurance company, and have it taken to there shop. good luck on the ticket

rdln · Mar 21, 2003

That would piturb me also. I have had 3 fixit tickets in 17 years of driving, 2 for exhaust and 1 for window tint. The window tint was an admitted pet peave for this cop, In Michigan you cant tint the front door windows all the way down only 3" from top, I knew this but I bought the truck that way, it wasn't something I would have done. No fines involved with these just fix it and have ticket signed as such, thats the way these things should be done.

I fix burnt headlights within a week, but I let a rear turn signal go for awhile and it helped cause an accident. It was a minor accident and the that passed me on the right side as I was turning right did most of the helping, but had the blinker worked she would have STAYED behind me like she should have regardless. Anyways the $.99 bulb turned into a $250 deductible and a 3 day inconvenience for me.

Sounds like this cop might have a headlight pet peave, something personal happened to him involving a burnt headlight and he is helping you avoid worse consequences. Who knows?

soarkrebel · Mar 21, 2003

Back in my days as a police i called this a chicken ticket!!
As a sergeant i would ream a patrolman for writing one of these! give a warning unless youve spoke to this person before.
I reamed them and handed them a nolle pros form .

My pet peave was failure to dim. i hated that! but i didnt always right a ticket.
I never wanted to be thought of by my employer as a revenue maker!!!! but sadly some communitys look at the police as revenue!

bgott · Mar 22, 2003

When I was a kid in California I got a fixit ticket or two. Or fifty. A buddy and I stuck a 283 in a '48 chevy pickup once and went for a test drive and got a fixit ticket so long it took three ticket forms for the cop to write it all down. All you had to do there was fix the problem and flag a cop down and have him sign off on it and send it in. If you didn't fix it they issued a warrant and you got to tell the judge why you didn't fix the car. It wasn't a revenue thing, they wanted the car fixed. The only way to get out of it without fixing it was to show proof that you junked the car. I moved to Louisiana and got a muffler ticket. I went and had a muffler put on my van and went to court, they didn't care if I fixed it, they just wanted the $30. The next time you see a light out swing into a parts house and pick one up and save yourself the hassle. When you get rolled on show him the bulb and tell him you're going to fix it right away. I've had them nail me for a headlight out and installed the bulb while he was writing the ticket and had him sign off on it right there. That kind of pi$$ed him off. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Bird · Mar 22, 2003

( hand out tickets even if it was needed to fake the offense. They were then taking the money to go on ski vacations )

JR, as in any profession or occupational group, yes, unfortunately there have been some crooked cops (and judges). And I have had some interesting dealings with some of them myself (and some of them went to prison as they should have). But in Richard's case, I didn't see that alleged.

I assume your comment above is related to the story on one of the national TV "news magazine" shows (I've forgotten which one) several years ago about some sheriff's departments in Louisiana confiscating money and vehicles on I-10. It so happens that I was stopped on I-10 about 2 a.m. by two deputy sheriffs in an unmarked car and not in uniforms about that time, supposedly for drifting across the center line, which I had certainly done to move away from their car sitting on the shoulder of the road with no lights on and since there was not another vehicle in sight in either direction. My cruise control was set right on the speed limit, so they didn't accuse me of speeding. After questioning me until they found that I was a retired officer, they let me go, but seemed reluctant to do so. And it did make me wonder whether or not they were part of the scam the TV news had shown.

Of course, I wouldn't have even been there that time of night if it hadn't been for the fact that we were down on the Texas coast when we got a call that my father-in-law was in the hospital in West Virginia and not expected to live, so I drove all night to get up there.

Richard · Mar 22, 2003

but you were driving at night with only one light.

This happened at 6:47 A.M. as per the officers ticket. Time of day where it is daylight enought that lots of cars did NOT even have their lights on.

As I had mine on, I leave them on until I get to work...for me, this is that "twilight" part of the day where you "can" get away without lights, but personally, I prefer mine on during this "gray zone" from dark to light, so that just in case, something happens (wreck) I can honestly say to judge.. Your honor, they shudda seen me, I DID have my light(s) on.

This was NOT in the darkenss of "night".

/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Richard · Mar 22, 2003

forgot to add:

I do not mind being stopped at all. I do not mind being handed a piece of paper that shows they documented it.

What I mind is on a first discussion, the evident fine is $221. What happens if I fix it, go to court, they walk out to my car to check it (as the officer said they might...besides, how ELSE can I "PROVE" it's fixed? for me, a piece of paper in hand as receipt only "proves" I have a receipt in my hand, it doesn't "prove" the light is fixed...)

anyway, so they look at my car, both lights work. Fine.. I forget to turn them off as I drive away, the other bulb burns out and 2 blocks later, whammo. another $221.

I realize the scenario isn't likely, but my point is to try to illustrate that as servers of the community, as reasonable people, as stewards of goodwill.... for a silly thing like this, a verbal, or documented "hey, we see that...get it fixed or else" is sufficient, reasonable and in my view, much better communitity relations.

I recall WAY above here, someone asked wehre this happened... it happened in Knox county, Kingston pike and Smith road so it's county court, not city. Bummer too, seems my attorney friend is good buddies with the city judge but doestn' know the county one very well or at all. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

MikePA · Mar 22, 2003

This happened at 6:47 A.M. as per the officers ticket. Time of day where it is daylight enought that lots of cars did NOT even have their lights on. As I had mine on, I leave them on until I get to work...
So, you didn't have to have your lights on and if they had been off, then no ticket. Bummer. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Chuck52 · Mar 22, 2003

I recall WAY above here, someone asked wehre this happened... it happened in Knox county, Kingston pike and Smith road so it's county court, not city. Bummer too, seems my attorney friend is good buddies with the city judge but doestn' know the county one very well or at all. 

OK. Now I know what probably happened. The poor cop had probably just had a run-in with my dear sainted mother. She gets stopped in that general area every once in a while. You're lucky to not be in jail.

Chuck

Egon · Mar 22, 2003

Bird has made some excellent comments.

If the system is not to your liking take the legally available appropiate steps to produce change within the system.

And remember; Stuff happens, don't get hung up on it and get on with life perhaps taking the step mentioned above if one feals severly mistreated. Be glad that is an option available to you.

Egon

BHaebe · Mar 22, 2003

I would LOVE to be in court to hear the Officer's version of this traffic stop. I know from personal experience that when a violator is stopped, the odds of him/her getting a ticket increase astronomically if the operator takes little or no accountabilty for his actions ie: a warning does not work with some drivers.

Bruce

Inspector507 · Mar 22, 2003

If you want to see what goes on in a little village I travel through a lot click here . In the first part of the story you'll see a cute website. I would post the URL here, but it may get censored.
The village's MAIN source of revenue is traffic tickets $300,000 worth of tickets a year.
If you go the other site it refers to......read all the stories. SHOCKING /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

BigDave · Mar 22, 2003

( but you were driving at night with only one light. )

Maybe, I also was driving at twilight. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Sorry, I couldn't resist. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

My point is that by taking immediate action, I minimize risk of driving with only one light and being involved in an accident. I also minimize the risk of getting caught. If I do get caught, I can honestly say that it just happened and I'm one the way to get it fixed. It is up to the police officer to decide if he believes me or not. Whether I get fined or not, my receipt will still be dated the night the light went out.

O.K. that's my excuse/plan, but your point is why don't I pull over? True that is the absolutely correct thing to do, and if I get fined, then I guess I deserve it. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

It certainly won't be the officer's fault. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Bird · Mar 22, 2003

( The village's MAIN source of revenue is traffic tickets $300,000 worth of tickets a year )

That has happened, unfortunately, in a lot of states in small towns. And of course it hurts the reputation of all law enforcement officers when it does. Maybe Ohio needs to get a law like Texas has now in which, if fines exceed a certain percentage of the town's budget, the surplus has to go to the state. That removes the incentive for the town to use their officers in that manner.

Phred · Mar 22, 2003

Richard,

I agree with bird and doc on this one. You knew it was wrong and the guy just did his job. It would make since to give you a break if you get it fixed, but keep in mind that cops risk their lives and get d*& little pay for it.
Also TN is pretty relaxed. Move to Virginia if you want to see agressive law enforcement. And you would get to have an annual inspection too!

You sure he wasn't mad about those heavy duty tow hooks you welded to the back and front of that offroad best? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Fred

soarkrebel · Mar 23, 2003

Trescrow down south of alexandria on I49 they have some serious speed traps . i used to drive that alot and they are out there all the time.
and have you ever been to sheridan ark?? speed trap city ! the ark democrat gazette did a story on the speed trap town!

They made a mistake once they wrote my chief. made him post a cash bond. he explained he would return the favor.
well he was chief of the town that is home to the states law enforcement academy. needless to say any sheridan pd person got a ticket for any offense. now they were legit offenses.
i so believe a sheridan police car got towed once.
now i didnt do it but it happened.