Got my first ticket. Damn the luck.
If you plead guilty, you can request a reduced fine and traffic school.
If you fight it and win, then you are very very lucky.
If you fight it and lose then you will pay the maximum fine AND can and most likely will be denied for traffic school even though you are eligible.
If you fight it and win, then you are very very lucky.
If you fight it and lose then you will pay the maximum fine AND can and most likely will be denied for traffic school even though you are eligible.
Registered User
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 465
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From: Bay Area
Originally Posted by dyenboy
dam..he got you by going the same speed u are..nice..cops are getting tricky now..
i think when you get pulled over you can ask for proof that you were going the cited speed (usually they'll save the speed they clocked you with on the radar). pacing you might not hold up in court.-absolutg
Proof? The speedometers don't have a replay function. The fact that we had to drive the same speed is proof enough for any judge. Speedometers are calibrated every 3 months in our department by AAA. There are always deviations in the speedometer, that's why we bring the calibration to court. Pacing is golden. It's better and easier to prove than radar (trust me on this). There are many, many ways to disprove a radar ticket (none of which I will reveal). There are very few ways to disprove pacing. I had someone question my pacing ability in court once. I told the judge "based on training and experience, and the fact I have paced thousands of cars. Also, I did not observe an increase or decrease in distance between my patrol vehicle and the paced car during the course of pacing. Judge said, "I believe the officer's pace was accurate, the speedometer is accurate, guilty." I will offer one small piece of advice. If asked, never admit to how fast you were driving, and that's all I'm saying about that. I have a mortgage to pay, the wife wants an M45, just bought a Ducati ST3 and I need the job security. Keep speeding!
Originally Posted by g35 chippie
This is nothing new. If you aren't radar certified, this is how we catch speeders.
i think when you get pulled over you can ask for proof that you were going the cited speed (usually they'll save the speed they clocked you with on the radar). pacing you might not hold up in court.-absolutg
Proof? The speedometers don't have a replay function. The fact that we had to drive the same speed is proof enough for any judge. Speedometers are calibrated every 3 months in our department by AAA. There are always deviations in the speedometer, that's why we bring the calibration to court. Pacing is golden. It's better and easier to prove than radar (trust me on this). There are many, many ways to disprove a radar ticket (none of which I will reveal). There are very few ways to disprove pacing. I had someone question my pacing ability in court once. I told the judge "based on training and experience, and the fact I have paced thousands of cars. Also, I did not observe an increase or decrease in distance between my patrol vehicle and the paced car during the course of pacing. Judge said, "I believe the officer's pace was accurate, the speedometer is accurate, guilty." I will offer one small piece of advice. If asked, never admit to how fast you were driving, and that's all I'm saying about that. I have a mortgage to pay, the wife wants an M45, just bought a Ducati ST3 and I need the job security. Keep speeding!
i think when you get pulled over you can ask for proof that you were going the cited speed (usually they'll save the speed they clocked you with on the radar). pacing you might not hold up in court.-absolutg
Proof? The speedometers don't have a replay function. The fact that we had to drive the same speed is proof enough for any judge. Speedometers are calibrated every 3 months in our department by AAA. There are always deviations in the speedometer, that's why we bring the calibration to court. Pacing is golden. It's better and easier to prove than radar (trust me on this). There are many, many ways to disprove a radar ticket (none of which I will reveal). There are very few ways to disprove pacing. I had someone question my pacing ability in court once. I told the judge "based on training and experience, and the fact I have paced thousands of cars. Also, I did not observe an increase or decrease in distance between my patrol vehicle and the paced car during the course of pacing. Judge said, "I believe the officer's pace was accurate, the speedometer is accurate, guilty." I will offer one small piece of advice. If asked, never admit to how fast you were driving, and that's all I'm saying about that. I have a mortgage to pay, the wife wants an M45, just bought a Ducati ST3 and I need the job security. Keep speeding!
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Registered User
Joined: Jul 2005
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From: Northern California
Originally Posted by absolutg
well that sucks then. cops can arbitrarily lie about pacing cars faster than they're going to hit their ticket quotas. lame
Now just because I was speeding and the cop used the pacing technique does not mean I should get away with it. I mean I did the crime and so I gotta pay the fine, but it is still quite subjective measure of vehicle speed.
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,141
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From: Bay Area
well g35chippie stated it best
"I have a mortgage to pay, the wife wants an M45, just bought a Ducati ST3 and I need the job security. Keep speeding!"
They have needs too. It's a job for them, not so much to protect and serve. They need a certain number of tickets to make it to the next payday. Plain and simple. I've had friends in local PD say CHP is the only agency with a quota...none of the agencies REQUIRE it (they do imply it). If bumping you from 80 to 85 means an extra X amount of dollars in revenue then...guess what, you lose.
Very rarely will a judge rule against a cop in open court. It's bad practice to undermine a police officer. If you go, you will lose.
I was there once and the cop hadn't calibrated his gun for 10 months, it was a car mounted unit that had been used the shift before him, he didn't calibrate before using it for his shift. In medium traffic he said he got me at 88 from 1103 ft away. With a beam difraction of over 6 feet he was able to square up on me???? Ok...whatever you say.
I lost the case btw.
If you get pulled over...don't admit anything. If the cop asks you how fast you were going tell him
"honestly officer, I was paying attention to the road and didn't get a chance to look at my speedometer"
Answer with yes sir and no sir. Sign and get out of there. Don't chat it up with him, don't tell him your life story (unless it's good), just be brief. Don't let him remember you. If you act like an *** or start bitching, then guess what, he'll make sure he shows up to your court case.
Also...when it comes to court case, find out the shifts the officer works. Schedule your court time that will most inconvience the officer. He works from 7pm-2am, then 8am should be the court time. he works from 3am-12pm? then go for afternoon session. Not enough time for him to go home and rest and not enough for him to come straight from work.
I have a 3 out of 5 record in court. My 2 losses were the calibration one above and the other was 90+ in a 45 (plead guilty so I could get traffic school). My wins were 63 in a 35, 95 in 65, and 70 in a 65. I can help you out if you want. PM me.
"I have a mortgage to pay, the wife wants an M45, just bought a Ducati ST3 and I need the job security. Keep speeding!"
They have needs too. It's a job for them, not so much to protect and serve. They need a certain number of tickets to make it to the next payday. Plain and simple. I've had friends in local PD say CHP is the only agency with a quota...none of the agencies REQUIRE it (they do imply it). If bumping you from 80 to 85 means an extra X amount of dollars in revenue then...guess what, you lose.
Very rarely will a judge rule against a cop in open court. It's bad practice to undermine a police officer. If you go, you will lose.
I was there once and the cop hadn't calibrated his gun for 10 months, it was a car mounted unit that had been used the shift before him, he didn't calibrate before using it for his shift. In medium traffic he said he got me at 88 from 1103 ft away. With a beam difraction of over 6 feet he was able to square up on me???? Ok...whatever you say.
I lost the case btw.
If you get pulled over...don't admit anything. If the cop asks you how fast you were going tell him
"honestly officer, I was paying attention to the road and didn't get a chance to look at my speedometer"
Answer with yes sir and no sir. Sign and get out of there. Don't chat it up with him, don't tell him your life story (unless it's good), just be brief. Don't let him remember you. If you act like an *** or start bitching, then guess what, he'll make sure he shows up to your court case.
Also...when it comes to court case, find out the shifts the officer works. Schedule your court time that will most inconvience the officer. He works from 7pm-2am, then 8am should be the court time. he works from 3am-12pm? then go for afternoon session. Not enough time for him to go home and rest and not enough for him to come straight from work.
I have a 3 out of 5 record in court. My 2 losses were the calibration one above and the other was 90+ in a 45 (plead guilty so I could get traffic school). My wins were 63 in a 35, 95 in 65, and 70 in a 65. I can help you out if you want. PM me.
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 17,096
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From: East Bay, Cali
Sedan
I can't understand why everybody is so hung up on radar. You guys act like if the officer didn't use radar than the ticket is no good. Radar is a relatively new tool for law enforcement. Before there was radar how do you think they gave out speeding tickets??? And let's not forget that the CHP are trained in judging speed and are considered expert witnesses.
As far as the "quota" nonsense you guys like to throw around. It'a all BS. Ask yourself, what is the CHP's main job? It's enforcing traffic laws, right? So if you're a CHP officer what do you do most of the day? You catch traffic violators. What do you think a CHP officer's supervisor would say if he went a whole shift without writing a ticket and nothing else happened?
As far as the "quota" nonsense you guys like to throw around. It'a all BS. Ask yourself, what is the CHP's main job? It's enforcing traffic laws, right? So if you're a CHP officer what do you do most of the day? You catch traffic violators. What do you think a CHP officer's supervisor would say if he went a whole shift without writing a ticket and nothing else happened?
Registered User
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 465
Likes: 1
From: Bay Area
Originally Posted by Hooman6MT
well g35chippie stated it best
"I have a mortgage to pay, the wife wants an M45, just bought a Ducati ST3 and I need the job security. Keep speeding!"
They have needs too. It's a job for them, not so much to protect and serve. They need a certain number of tickets to make it to the next payday. Plain and simple. I've had friends in local PD say CHP is the only agency with a quota...none of the agencies REQUIRE it (they do imply it). If bumping you from 80 to 85 means an extra X amount of dollars in revenue then...guess what, you lose.
Very rarely will a judge rule against a cop in open court. It's bad practice to undermine a police officer. If you go, you will lose.
I was there once and the cop hadn't calibrated his gun for 10 months, it was a car mounted unit that had been used the shift before him, he didn't calibrate before using it for his shift. In medium traffic he said he got me at 88 from 1103 ft away. With a beam difraction of over 6 feet he was able to square up on me???? Ok...whatever you say.
I lost the case btw.
If you get pulled over...don't admit anything. If the cop asks you how fast you were going tell him
"honestly officer, I was paying attention to the road and didn't get a chance to look at my speedometer"
Answer with yes sir and no sir. Sign and get out of there. Don't chat it up with him, don't tell him your life story (unless it's good), just be brief. Don't let him remember you. If you act like an *** or start bitching, then guess what, he'll make sure he shows up to your court case.
Also...when it comes to court case, find out the shifts the officer works. Schedule your court time that will most inconvience the officer. He works from 7pm-2am, then 8am should be the court time. he works from 3am-12pm? then go for afternoon session. Not enough time for him to go home and rest and not enough for him to come straight from work.
I have a 3 out of 5 record in court. My 2 losses were the calibration one above and the other was 90+ in a 45 (plead guilty so I could get traffic school). My wins were 63 in a 35, 95 in 65, and 70 in a 65. I can help you out if you want. PM me.
"I have a mortgage to pay, the wife wants an M45, just bought a Ducati ST3 and I need the job security. Keep speeding!"
They have needs too. It's a job for them, not so much to protect and serve. They need a certain number of tickets to make it to the next payday. Plain and simple. I've had friends in local PD say CHP is the only agency with a quota...none of the agencies REQUIRE it (they do imply it). If bumping you from 80 to 85 means an extra X amount of dollars in revenue then...guess what, you lose.
Very rarely will a judge rule against a cop in open court. It's bad practice to undermine a police officer. If you go, you will lose.
I was there once and the cop hadn't calibrated his gun for 10 months, it was a car mounted unit that had been used the shift before him, he didn't calibrate before using it for his shift. In medium traffic he said he got me at 88 from 1103 ft away. With a beam difraction of over 6 feet he was able to square up on me???? Ok...whatever you say.
I lost the case btw.
If you get pulled over...don't admit anything. If the cop asks you how fast you were going tell him
"honestly officer, I was paying attention to the road and didn't get a chance to look at my speedometer"
Answer with yes sir and no sir. Sign and get out of there. Don't chat it up with him, don't tell him your life story (unless it's good), just be brief. Don't let him remember you. If you act like an *** or start bitching, then guess what, he'll make sure he shows up to your court case.
Also...when it comes to court case, find out the shifts the officer works. Schedule your court time that will most inconvience the officer. He works from 7pm-2am, then 8am should be the court time. he works from 3am-12pm? then go for afternoon session. Not enough time for him to go home and rest and not enough for him to come straight from work.
I have a 3 out of 5 record in court. My 2 losses were the calibration one above and the other was 90+ in a 45 (plead guilty so I could get traffic school). My wins were 63 in a 35, 95 in 65, and 70 in a 65. I can help you out if you want. PM me.
Wow, where do I begin. First of all, I don't "protect and serve." That's LAPD. I provide safety, service and security to the public. Read the side of the patrol car. Second of all, quotas are ILLEGAL in the state of California. Third of all, I don't get a commission on the fine amounts for the violations I write. The CHP doesn't get a dime of the fine amount. I goes to the city where the violation occurred, or if it was in an unicorporated part of the city, it goes to the county. The CHP budget comes out of the DMV fund. Your registration fees are what pay my paycheck. So guess what ticket i'm primarily interested in writing? What I meant by "keep speeding" is, if everybody obeys every traffic law in the vehicle code, there would be no tickets to write, no accidents, etc, then there's no reason to have law enforcement. I'm out of a job. Fat chance of that though, I had seven crashes on my beat the other day. Fourth, don't think that judges always favor us. Remember, it's a system of checks and balances. I watched a judge embarrass a deputy a couple of weeks ago because he used the wrong vehicle code section in his ticket. Not only did the judge dismiss the ticket, he made it a point to humble the deputy in front of the entire court room. Fifth, rethink scheduling court outside of our shift. We get paid overtime for that, and even if we are at court for all of ten minutes, we get paid for four hours. Hmmm....that's easy money. Oh and by the way, the state will have to raise registration fees so they can pay out all the overtime they have to pay us because you thought it would be a bright idea to schedule court outside of my shift. We can get continuances for court, too. By the way, I get about 9 weeks of vacation every year so I have plenty of time to rest then.
Just curious, what was the reason for the judge dismissing the other tickets? Was it something wrong with the radar? Or was it because of something in the officer's testimony like he/she forgot to mention what county they were in? The fact that you have been to court 5 times for speeding concerns me. It's not you fault i'm sure. I'm looking at the differences in speed (with the exception of 70 in a 65, don't understand why you got stopped there) and it's alarming. There's an easier solution than arguing some small detail in court. Slow down. Now that's what I call job security. Sounds like you've bought into a lot of urban legends. If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask and I'll answer as much as I can.
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Joined: Apr 2005
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From: Bay Area
Originally Posted by g35 chippie
Wow, where do I begin. First of all, I don't "protect and serve." That's LAPD. I provide safety, service and security to the public. Read the side of the patrol car. Second of all, quotas are ILLEGAL in the state of California. Third of all, I don't get a commission on the fine amounts for the violations I write. The CHP doesn't get a dime of the fine amount. I goes to the city where the violation occurred, or if it was in an unicorporated part of the city, it goes to the county. The CHP budget comes out of the DMV fund. Your registration fees are what pay my paycheck. So guess what ticket i'm primarily interested in writing? What I meant by "keep speeding" is, if everybody obeys every traffic law in the vehicle code, there would be no tickets to write, no accidents, etc, then there's no reason to have law enforcement. I'm out of a job. Fat chance of that though, I had seven crashes on my beat the other day. Fourth, don't think that judges always favor us. Remember, it's a system of checks and balances. I watched a judge embarrass a deputy a couple of weeks ago because he used the wrong vehicle code section in his ticket. Not only did the judge dismiss the ticket, he made it a point to humble the deputy in front of the entire court room. Fifth, rethink scheduling court outside of our shift. We get paid overtime for that, and even if we are at court for all of ten minutes, we get paid for four hours. Hmmm....that's easy money. Oh and by the way, the state will have to raise registration fees so they can pay out all the overtime they have to pay us because you thought it would be a bright idea to schedule court outside of my shift. We can get continuances for court, too. By the way, I get about 9 weeks of vacation every year so I have plenty of time to rest then.
Just curious, what was the reason for the judge dismissing the other tickets? Was it something wrong with the radar? Or was it because of something in the officer's testimony like he/she forgot to mention what county they were in? The fact that you have been to court 5 times for speeding concerns me. It's not you fault i'm sure. I'm looking at the differences in speed (with the exception of 70 in a 65, don't understand why you got stopped there) and it's alarming. There's an easier solution than arguing some small detail in court. Slow down. Now that's what I call job security. Sounds like you've bought into a lot of urban legends. If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask and I'll answer as much as I can.
Just curious, what was the reason for the judge dismissing the other tickets? Was it something wrong with the radar? Or was it because of something in the officer's testimony like he/she forgot to mention what county they were in? The fact that you have been to court 5 times for speeding concerns me. It's not you fault i'm sure. I'm looking at the differences in speed (with the exception of 70 in a 65, don't understand why you got stopped there) and it's alarming. There's an easier solution than arguing some small detail in court. Slow down. Now that's what I call job security. Sounds like you've bought into a lot of urban legends. If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask and I'll answer as much as I can.
Although they may be illegal on the books, I'm sure if no one in your dept wrote any tickets for a period of a week or two, your supervisor would get suspicious. Are out patroling the streets or hanging out with your family? The quota is implied by you needing to show your boss you are doing your work. If you are working all the time, then you never have a problem. But if you slack off at times, then you need to catch up, thereby writing more tickets for stuff you normally wouldn't. It's like at my job. If my employees don't file bugs on SW or HW problems, how do I know they are doing their job. We find bugs, send them to developers, who fix them and make the system better. You write tickets, courts penalize and try to train the drivers, in order to make the driving system a better one. Bugs, tickets, problems are all signs you are doing your job, as the system starts right there.
If no quotas or whatever you want to call them, then why are there more police officers on the road during the end of the month?
As for my tickets...I've changed my driving habits. Those speeds were back in my earlier driving days when I was too young to realize the dangers of speed. Every one I deserved, except the 70 in a 65.
For the 70 in a 65 cop was following me for 2 or 3 miles waiting for something to go wrong. It was at 3 am leaving downtown, so I suspect he thought I was drinking and wanted to find something wrong. Finally he pulled me over and said
Cop: "do you know how fast you were going?"
ME: "speed limit."
Cop: "have you been drinking... mind doing a Breathalyzer"
Me: "sure why not, I got nothing planned for the next 20 minutes"
(do the test 4 times and each time it's .00 or .01)
Cop: "Mind if I search the car
Me: "No problem, just let me know what your probable cause is first
Cop: "I don't need probable cause your a suspect for a DUI"
Me: "I said if I'm a suspect for a DUI then you better arrest me right now and call my lawyer. You do not have a right to search my car without a court order"
Cop: "No problem...I'll be right back(he went to his car and comes back after 10 minutes)
Cop: I'm giving you a speeding ticket for 70 mph
Me: No problem, Can I see the radar gun please
Cop: I didn't use one, I paced you.
Me: "Great, anything else I can help you with tonight?"
Cop: "Sign right here"
Me: "Sure. See you in court"
He didn't show up. But if he did I was going to demolish him in open court. He's lucky. The others I've won by doing written declarations, or motions for discovery. Radar guns are highly innaccurate in certain conditions and can be fought if you know them. But out of respect for the CHP I wont mention them in open public.
Be safe out there!
Hooman
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BASE ACURA TLX NOW WANT A G35 AGAIN THOUGH
So I got my first speeding tix couple weeks ago 96 in 65 on SMB Eastbound Alameda County.
My last tix was more than 10+ years ago. First time I've actually got written up...SFPD I've talked my way out of 5+ stops.
I saw CHP pull up behind me after the toll plaza and I started pulling over before he turned on his sirens....Now I'm thinking should I have waitied for him to turn his lights on first? I just admitted guilt there huh?
Anyways, he clocked me at 96. I left my reg card and proof of insurance on my desk at home for some reason. He didn't write me up for that...didn't get me for no front plate, didn't get me for the tint or DVD...had just turned it off. He was actually pleasant...I've told you guys this story...
Here's my dilema: I'm going to be in NYC the date I"m supposed to appear on July 27. What steps do I need to take? Somoene suggested that go to the county clerk with me "E-TICKET" and schedule a later date....If I miss my court date what kind of trouble will I be in?
Any advice?
BoBs - aka 3 FITTY -
My last tix was more than 10+ years ago. First time I've actually got written up...SFPD I've talked my way out of 5+ stops.
I saw CHP pull up behind me after the toll plaza and I started pulling over before he turned on his sirens....Now I'm thinking should I have waitied for him to turn his lights on first? I just admitted guilt there huh?
Anyways, he clocked me at 96. I left my reg card and proof of insurance on my desk at home for some reason. He didn't write me up for that...didn't get me for no front plate, didn't get me for the tint or DVD...had just turned it off. He was actually pleasant...I've told you guys this story...
Here's my dilema: I'm going to be in NYC the date I"m supposed to appear on July 27. What steps do I need to take? Somoene suggested that go to the county clerk with me "E-TICKET" and schedule a later date....If I miss my court date what kind of trouble will I be in?
Any advice?
BoBs - aka 3 FITTY -
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,141
Likes: 1
From: Bay Area
Originally Posted by GYAL8R
So I got my first speeding tix couple weeks ago 96 in 65 on SMB Eastbound Alameda County.
My last tix was more than 10+ years ago. First time I've actually got written up...SFPD I've talked my way out of 5+ stops.
I saw CHP pull up behind me after the toll plaza and I started pulling over before he turned on his sirens....Now I'm thinking should I have waitied for him to turn his lights on first? I just admitted guilt there huh?
Anyways, he clocked me at 96. I left my reg card and proof of insurance on my desk at home for some reason. He didn't write me up for that...didn't get me for no front plate, didn't get me for the tint or DVD...had just turned it off. He was actually pleasant...I've told you guys this story...
Here's my dilema: I'm going to be in NYC the date I"m supposed to appear on July 27. What steps do I need to take? Somoene suggested that go to the county clerk with me "E-TICKET" and schedule a later date....If I miss my court date what kind of trouble will I be in?
Any advice?
BoBs - aka 3 FITTY -
My last tix was more than 10+ years ago. First time I've actually got written up...SFPD I've talked my way out of 5+ stops.
I saw CHP pull up behind me after the toll plaza and I started pulling over before he turned on his sirens....Now I'm thinking should I have waitied for him to turn his lights on first? I just admitted guilt there huh?
Anyways, he clocked me at 96. I left my reg card and proof of insurance on my desk at home for some reason. He didn't write me up for that...didn't get me for no front plate, didn't get me for the tint or DVD...had just turned it off. He was actually pleasant...I've told you guys this story...
Here's my dilema: I'm going to be in NYC the date I"m supposed to appear on July 27. What steps do I need to take? Somoene suggested that go to the county clerk with me "E-TICKET" and schedule a later date....If I miss my court date what kind of trouble will I be in?
Any advice?
BoBs - aka 3 FITTY -
LOL . . . Imagine the roads around here without the CHP cruising them. The roads would be filled with an abundance of idiot drivers, whom would drive without any regard for the rest of us. Unfortunately, like everyone else, the officers are human as you and I . . . And as such, are prone to make judgemental mistakes and have bad days, as well.
Great posts...I just wanted to share with everyone that I got my first speeding ticket yesterday on 880 around the 237 area in Milpitas. Got written up for 98 mph because of my clean record. I guess I'm lucky he didn't write me up for over 100+. The officer asked me if I knew how fast I was going and told me that honesty can only help me so I told him over 80 mph. I figured, there's no way he'd just let me go with a warning anyways since I was going so fast and with that answer, I wasn't lying either. Anways, tells me that he tried to pace me and I was still pulling away. After the ticket, I started thinking about that pacing thing...I was only speeding for about a mile and when you're going that fast, you can only go 100+ for only a few seconds (I had to exit so I needed to slow down anyways). So how does a CHP patrol car get out of the traffic in the slow lane quick enough to come after me (didn't turn on his lights he said until he caught up to me) when I"m doing maybe 110 mph (and I say maybe because I was paying attention to the road and not my speedometer) and pace me long enough to say I was going that fast? well, anyways, just asking...i deserved that one. what sucks is that I thought I was late for a wedding banquet and when I got there, turns out I wasn't late at all. So I sped and got a ticket for nothing. Well, Officer Sleeper (I think that was his name), if you're out there, can you let me off with a warning next time? =)
I don't understand...Why would anyone reply to an officer asking how fast do you think you were going...You say I DONT KNOW...or absolutely nothing at all...you have just encriminated yourself have fun in court...Now the officer has liable proof that you were speeding...wow i thought having the right to remain silent was a privelage haha