Falsely cited for not wearing seatbelt...

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guyver01

Lifer
Sep 25, 2000
22,135
5
61
Since nobody else pointed this out... if the cop doesn't show up to court, charges get dropped. And the cop isn't going to show up for something silly like this.

Except most towns now make court appearances as part of the officer's duty... so they get paid to show up.

In the past, when an officer had to take a sick/vacation day for court... this might have been the case... but i doubt that the cop won't show up.
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
You're my hero POW. I pussed out and I learned a long time ago pick battles. Helps in my house.
 

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,517
223
106
Since nobody else pointed this out... if the cop doesn't show up to court, charges get dropped. And the cop isn't going to show up for something silly like this.

Not showing up for court is bad for the career.
 

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,326
68
91
Good job fighting it.
They have a great racket with traffic citations.
Unfortunately, you probably need to show up for 2 hearings (plea hearing and sentencing, etc.).
I fought a speeding ticket and won, but I had to take 2 days off of work, pay parking and sit in the city court house with trash for hours.
It's not fun. Good luck though.
 
Mar 11, 2004
23,261
5,709
146
It's not a joke. Sometimes I wish it was. I faced courts martial/captains mast sooooo many times while I was in the navy. Was thrown out of school multiple times over trivial crap (blasphemy of all things...twice). I've quit jobs, and been fired from jobs, over things most people wouldn't notice. Have been threatened with contempt, have been taking to court numerous times, have sold off all my possessions and quit my job twice to leave nothing for false accusers to get when they tried to sue me, etc, etc, etc.

It's not a stand I'd recommend anyone take, but if it's who you are, you just have to embrace it and accept what comes.

That seems more than being an idealist, that's more of a mental disorder. Its like you not only hold an ideal, you go out of your way to force it. That or you put yourself in a lot of crappy situations for no good reason and then cling to your idealism instead of accepting fault.
 

DominionSeraph

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2009
8,386
31
91
That seems more than being an idealist, that's more of a mental disorder.

Agreed.

An idealist is naive. They use the pure form of an idea because they haven't yet learned to integrate all the facts.

OP, on the other hand, seems to know he's retarded; but has deep-seated emotional issues that don't allow him to bend to authority. He wraps his avoidance behavior as "idealism" to put a pretty face on it to protect his ego.
 
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sonicdrummer20

Senior member
Jul 2, 2008
474
0
0
I used to see the world as black and white. What was right is right and what is wrong shall not be tolerated. Yep, that lasted til the seventh grade when I discovered the world was united...................against me. Good luck with your fight against city hall, just don't delude yourself it's for a noble cause.

Quoted for posterity sake.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,534
911
126
Are you BWD?

BWD? :confused:

20 tickets is an exaggeration. Probably more like 10-12...I've been driving for a long time and had my fair share of stupid tickets when I was younger, mostly speeding. As of late, I've been pulled over once in the last 10 years.
 

dud

Diamond Member
Feb 18, 2001
7,635
73
91
just got falsely cited for not wearing a seatbelt (I had it on the entire drive of course, as I ALWAYS do). Boy, did he pick the WRONG guy to try and revenue. Now I get to go through the whole martyr thing, refusing to pay the fine, court costs, etc...and I'm pretty sure I'm going to file a small suit as well, requesting my time and emotional damages. I won't win that, but it seems like the right thing to do.

On top of everything else, the driver of the vehicle is a retired LAPD officer. ROFL.

Courts charge you for their time, seems only fitting to pay them in kind. And without question this kind of thing exacerbates my distrust and dislike of governments, and causes me stress, which is a direct physical harm (especially to someo...ne with a heart condition who's already in a very stressful situation). I'm planning on charging for my time (researching, preparing, and attending court, @ $15/hr, and then $125 distress, which is $1 more than the ticket is for). Like I said, I know I won't win that one, but it's the right thing to do.




That's the American way ... SUE!

If OJ can win ... so can you!
 

brandonb

Diamond Member
Oct 17, 2006
3,731
2
0
My friend just went through this entire situation. He went to court, plead not guilty. The cop said he had no seatbelt on.

My friend said
1) It was night,
2) The cop was not only behind me, but behind another car before putting on his lights, so he was obstructed by another vehicle.
3) My friend had pictures that his vehicle obscures the view of the seatbelt from the position the cop was in and had those pictures brought to court saying "This is what it looks like with a seatbelt on and off in this vehicle from the cops position"

He still lost, because this is what the judge said, *drum roll*

"You can't prove that the pictures you took of you in this car was your car... Guilty!"

You are guilty until proven innocent in this country.

He is now appealing this and going to court again... Because of principle.
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
81
ON traffic tickets the word of the COP is final. nearly every time the cop says he seen something the judge will believe it. no matter that the cop is lying his ass off. only good part is the majority of cops are honest.

you will lose. and trying all the stuff you claim you are going to do (wich you won't. no way will you be able to do any of it) is just going to piss off the judge.
 

Wreckem

Diamond Member
Sep 23, 2006
9,461
996
126
Unpaid traffic ticket = warrant = jail time
Failure to pay court order to pay traffic ticket = contempt = warrant = jail time

Failure to pay this will result in you going to jail for a short period of time where you get out if you pay the fine + penalties, or pay it off by sitting in jail for a few days.

Warrant and subsequent arrest goes on permanent criminal record, where as the seat belt violation does not(will only stay on driving record 3 years). Warrants look extremely bad.

The likelihood of you getting off is next to none. You are stupid if you decide not to pay the fine, more so after a court order.
 

IceBergSLiM

Lifer
Jul 11, 2000
29,932
3
81
You can't go to jail for a traffic infraction, nor can you go for a debt. However, I'd go for the rest of my life before I'd pay $.01.

Well they will suspend your license and driving under suspension is a misdemeanor and continually refusing to pay fines or attend court dates and you will get warrants. Face it the man owns you.
 

Bibble

Golden Member
Feb 20, 2006
1,293
1
0
I wish you luck in fighting this.

I was once pulled over for not wearing my seatbelt even though I had it on. Like you, he said that I put it on after he pulled me over. I told the officer that A) I had never in my entire life left my driveway without wearing a seatbelt (true statement) and B) I'm not that smart and would not think to quickly put it on. I guess I must have sounded distressed so he told me to calm down and said something to the effect of "You look like a nice kid so I'm gonna let you off with a warning. But make sure to keep it on." Boy am I glad I looked like a "nice kid" that day.
 

Old Hippie

Diamond Member
Oct 8, 2005
6,361
1
0
I faced courts martial/captains mast sooooo many times while I was in the navy. Was thrown out of school multiple times over trivial crap (blasphemy of all things...twice). I've quit jobs, and been fired from jobs, over things most people wouldn't notice. Have been threatened with contempt, have been taking to court numerous times, have sold off all my possessions and quit my job twice to leave nothing for false accusers to get when they tried to sue me, etc, etc, etc.
Sounds like trouble follows you around but I'm sure it's never your fault. :rolleyes:

Good luck and don't forget....the louder you scream in court the more respect you will gain!

Go get 'um!
 

slayer202

Lifer
Nov 27, 2005
13,679
119
106
I'm with the OP, good luck with it. so much bullshit involved, glad you're fighting it.
 

brandonb

Diamond Member
Oct 17, 2006
3,731
2
0
I guess I must have sounded distressed so he told me to calm down and said something to the effect of "You look like a nice kid so I'm gonna let you off with a warning. But make sure to keep it on." Boy am I glad I looked like a "nice kid" that day.

Actually, the thoughts that went through the cops head was this:

1) I might have been wrong, he may have been right.
2) Chances are he will fight this if I give him a ticket.
3) So I will save the county from fighting this and with all the lawyers and court costs, and I don't like going to court, so...
4) I am better off just giving him this "warning."

If you honestly think the cop would be nice to you because you looked like a nice kid, you are naive.
 

sourceninja

Diamond Member
Mar 8, 2005
8,805
65
91
If you want rough imagine being me. I have a essential tremor (or something similar, never spent much time trying to find out). Basically my arms and legs sometimes shake especially if I'm stressed, rushing, trying to do something that requires fine motor control, etc.

I've gotten used to it to the point that I can don't even notice. However all police officers notice this when they pull me over and I'm finding my registration or getting out my license. This usually leads to be asked to get out of the car and then to searches, sobriety tests, etc.

This has taken me to being very standoffish about traffic stops. I force them to bring in drug dogs to get probable cause, I don't answer anything I'm not required to answer, etc. Once I realized they were never going to trust me, I decided I was never going to make their job easy.