Question about a speeding ticket.

[purbeast0]

i hadn't had a speeding ticket for probably 5+ years until last weekend. i was pulled over going 44 in a 30. i had just turned onto the road and the road turned 30mph literally right after the intersection i was in, so i just had no clue it dropped that low there.

so the cop wrote me up for 39 in a 30, which reduced the fine and only left me with 1 point instead of 2.

the cop made it clear that i can either pay it, or that i can go to court, BUT if i go to court, then he will be forced to testify that i was going 44 and not the 39 that he wrote on the ticket.

my question is, can he really do that or was he just doing that to make me want to pay the ticket instead of risking getting a higher fine/points? do cops really do that and then in court, admit they lied on the ticket to give the driver a break? i just thought it seemed kind of odd.

 

[drebo]

He just doesn't want to have to go to court, so he's trying to scare you.

That said, ignorance of the law does not absolve you of following it.

 

[JulesMaximus]

He just doesn't want to have to go to court, so he's trying to scare you.

That said, ignorance of the law does not absolve you of following it.

Yes it does. FIGHT IT OP!!!

 

[purbeast0]

He just doesn't want to have to go to court, so he's trying to scare you.

That said, ignorance of the law does not absolve you of following it.

i know it doesn't, and i'm not tryin to say i wasn't guilty of it.

i'm just curious if the cop can/will realistically, in court, tell the judge that he lied on the ticket to give me a break.

 

[rudeguy]

Yes it does. FIGHT IT OP!!!

tell the judge the cop touched you in your naughty place

Bring a doll to show him where.

 

[Eureka]

Is this small town speed trap cop or large city cop? If it's a large city cop, chances are he won't even show up for court and the judge will rule in your favor. If it's the former, the cop and judge works hand in hand and it doesn't matter what you say. I believe that since they wrote it down as 39, they cannot revise it to a 44 but they'll hold firm on the 39. IANAL.

 

[rudeguy]

Is this small town speed trap cop or large city cop? If it's a large city cop, chances are he won't even show up for court and the judge will rule in your favor. If it's the former, the cop and judge works hand in hand and it doesn't matter what you say. I believe that since they wrote it down as 39, they cannot revise it to a 44 but they'll hold firm on the 39. IANAL.

Oh heck yea they can. Its traffic court, you have no rights.

 

[BUTCH1]

Just pay it, we all get 'em from time to time, cops from every city LOVE to hang out right where the speed limit changes and make bank right there..

 

[purbeast0]

Just pay it, we all get 'em from time to time, cops from every city LOVE to hang out right where the speed limit changes and make bank right there..

yeah i plan on paying it it's only $80 and i don't have any points on my license, so i don't think this will effect my insurance or anything.

i'm just wondering if a cop would actually do what he said he would do. or if it is more of a threat/bluff just so i pay the ticket.

and this is a city copy not a small town area.

 

[Eureka]

yeah i plan on paying it it's only $80 and i don't have any points on my license, so i don't think this will effect my insurance or anything.

i'm just wondering if a cop would actually do what he said he would do. or if it is more of a threat/bluff just so i pay the ticket.

and this is a city copy not a small town area.

$80 and 1 point is almost as low as you're going to get. You might be able to get the point dropped (pointless for 1 point) for a larger fine. Also it depends on your insurance... if it's something like Geico, they're known for raising premiums if you even sneeze the wrong way in your car.

But also it depends on your city. If you live in a big city, there's a good chance your cop won't show up. You walk in, cop isn't there, your case gets thrown out and you don't have a fine or points. But that depends if your day is worth $80.

 

[exdeath]

Cops have court days where they are paid as part of their job to spend the entire day in court. This is the day they put on all of their tickets.

Don't know where this "cop won't show" BS comes from.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Seems like he'd have to stick with what was on the ticket. You never know though. Judges are well aware that cops will write tickets for less than the actual offense to make it more likely that you'll pay it instead of fighting it. The cop could testify the actual speed you were going and the judge will simply know that's what happened. He may even approve of such practices and expect it to be the case most of the time.

I live in a small town where the police all know the judge quite well. It's very likely that they are allowed such liberties in their citation writing.

 

[Eureka]

Cops have court days where they are paid as part of their job to spend the entire day in court. This is the day they put on all of their tickets.

Don't know where this "cop won't show" BS comes from.

I assume you don't live in a big city (talking about the really big ones, NYC, Detroit, etc)? There's a big chance they never show up in traffic court.

Seems like he'd have to stick with what was on the ticket. You never know though. Judges are well aware that cops will write tickets for less than the actual offense to make it more likely that you'll pay it instead of fighting it. The cop could testify the actual speed you were going and the judge will simply know that's what happened. He may even approve of such practices and expect it to be the case most of the time.

I live in a small town where the police all know the judge quite well. It's very likely that they are allowed such liberties in their citation writing.

I've only had to deal with this once. I don't know if they can raise it, but it seems like it's more of a scare tactic since they stuck to it the one time I tried to fight a small town speeding ticket.

 

[BUTCH1]

Cops have court days where they are paid as part of their job to spend the entire day in court. This is the day they put on all of their tickets.

Don't know where this "cop won't show" BS comes from.

Yup, plus the OP might get a bigger fine and will defiantly get a $50 "court fee" tacked on as well, $80?, just pay it and be done with it, that's chump chance as far as speeding tickets are concerned..

 

[purbeast0]

Yup, plus the OP might get a bigger fine and will defiantly get a $50 "court fee" tacked on as well, $80?, just pay it and be done with it, that's chump chance as far as speeding tickets are concerned..

if you read what i said, i'm not concerned about the $80 fine. i'm wondering/asking about the behavior of the cop.

 

[Elixer]

the cop made it clear that i can either pay it, or that i can go to court, BUT if i go to court, then he will be forced to testify that i was going 44 and not the 39 that he wrote on the ticket.

So, s/he basically is blackmailing you into paying the ticket... or else.

 

[TridenT]

Cops have court days where they are paid as part of their job to spend the entire day in court. This is the day they put on all of their tickets.

Don't know where this "cop won't show" BS comes from.

It happened once to some guy and so now it must be truth for all cops.

Very very very few cops don't show up for that court date. Like you said, they have a date where they go through all those tickets. Cops don't miss it unless they're sick, in the hospital, 9/11, or something else quite severe.

Either way, OP is fucked.

 

[LucJoe]

if you read what i said, i'm not concerned about the $80 fine. i'm wondering/asking about the behavior of the cop.

The cop was telling the truth. He did you a big favor by writing the ticket for less, which is entirely legal. In fact, he could have let you off with no ticket and just a warning if he wants.

However, when he's in a court of law and the judge asks him how fast you were going, he must tell the truth.

It also may or may not have been to avoid needing to show up in court, but that is pretty much irrelevant.

 

[EMPshockwave82]

court supervision / driving school


0 points and no insurance hits and no tickets on record 1 year after supervision period

 

[DrPizza]

One and only one speeding ticket in my life. I was very polite to the trooper and asked he would be nice enough to write it for only 9 over, so I didn't get as many points. When I got up in front of the judge, he went over the ticket with me, what I was charged with, etc. Then he said, "hmm, 54 in a 45." (or whatever it was; 9 over - I was just speeding up as I approached a 55 sign, and the trooper came around the corner & clocked me just before I reached the 55.) "Hmmm, must be a road reduction, right?" "What do you mean, a road reduction." "That means you were probably polite so the trooper gave you a break and wrote it for only 9 over, instead of however fast you were going. Otherwise, I never see tickets for 9 over in this court. How do you plead?"

 

[exdeath]

I assume you don't live in a big city (talking about the really big ones, NYC, Detroit, etc)? There's a big chance they never show up in traffic court.

Nope I live in the US. Not one of those cesspools.

 

[Pantoot]

Cops have court days where they are paid as part of their job to spend the entire day in court. This is the day they put on all of their tickets.

Don't know where this "cop won't show" BS comes from.

Not only that, depending on their collective bargaining they usually have minimum pay, meaning if they spend 15 mins in court they still get paid 4 hours. If they usually work nights and court is in the day? Guess what, time and a half.

If court is scheduled for when they normally would be on shift anyway, it may be boring, but its climate controlled...

 

[Kaido]

i hadn't had a speeding ticket for probably 5+ years until last weekend. i was pulled over going 44 in a 30. i had just turned onto the road and the road turned 30mph literally right after the intersection i was in, so i just had no clue it dropped that low there.

so the cop wrote me up for 39 in a 30, which reduced the fine and only left me with 1 point instead of 2.

the cop made it clear that i can either pay it, or that i can go to court, BUT if i go to court, then he will be forced to testify that i was going 44 and not the 39 that he wrote on the ticket.

my question is, can he really do that or was he just doing that to make me want to pay the ticket instead of risking getting a higher fine/points? do cops really do that and then in court, admit they lied on the ticket to give the driver a break? i just thought it seemed kind of odd.

Yes, my buddy showed up to court and the cop was there waiting for him. My buddy paid and left

 

[shortylickens]

I'm going in tomorrow.


My cops HAVE to show up at court. But its a whole day event for them and they dont go back on duty when its over. Theres no deals with the cops. However the DA is overworked and she's always open for a deal.

I suggest you try kissing some ass in court. Judge or DA. Plus the cop is held to whatever he wrote on the paper. He will never admit to a lie or a mistake on legal paperwork.