Let me tell you about my traffic court experience...

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Sonflower

Senior Member
Jan 30, 2016
850
147
43
#1
As an American, justice is drilled into our heads as a right we all have. Traffic court is not about justice. It's about getting the maximum amount of dollars as possible.

So, on Feb 11th I dropped my son off at swim practice like I normally would. It was 7am on a Saturday morning. His swim team practices at one of the local high schools. As I was leaving the parking lot, I yielded slightly before moving out into the street. There wasn't a soul to be found except the cop on the other side of the street. As soon as I pulled out, he turned around to follow me and pulled me over. He then proceeded to tell me the infraction I committed was "failure to yield the right of way leaving a private drive". I was confused. I was adement that I did yield and he disagreed and laid a guilt trip on me saying "You really should be more careful when driving at a school."

Ummm...it was 7am...on a Saturday...it was COMPLETELY dead. The only other person around was the cop and he wasn't in my right of way.

I accepted my ticket and began to cry at the $124 dollar charge. I felt frustrated because I hadn't committed the infraction he charged me with.

Feb 27th: Court date #1: See that #1 in front of court date? I expected there to only be one court appearance for traffic court. I showed up and the judge called me forward. She asked me if I wanted to plea guilty or not guilty. I told her not guilty because I yielded and didn't commit the infraction I was charged with. She says, ok if you want a trial you have to come back. My only other experience in traffic court was dealt with the day of your first appearance. This had already become more complicated. They gave me a trail date, the 28th of March to appear at 10am.

I had several issues with my ticket: A: he wrote the wrong time down. B: he got my court date messed up. C: ummm I didn't do it.

Court date #2: I show up at 9:45am for my 10am court time. I wait. At 10:06 the prosecutor called me up and says, "oh, by the way, just to let you know, we've amended the charges against you. You are no longer being charged with failure to yield. You are now being charged with failure to stop."

Say WHAT? You can change the charges against me without giving me advanced notice to prepare my defense??? Really??? And seeing as how I'm not a lawyer and no one with a somewhat normal income would get a lawyer for TRAFFIC court, I didn't know what to do.

Feeling overwhelmed, I listened as she continued to talk, "Now, you can plea to a lesser charge- a non moving violation. It will never leave this courtroom. It won't go on your driving record, it won't be reported to your insurance, HOWEVER, your fine will double to $251. WHAT. I looked at her and said, "That feels like bribery...it just feels...wrong". She informed me that this is quite common. I felt like I was talked to Satan and he was brokering a deal.

I sat down, stunned and overwhelmed. As I thought through it, I realized I didn't have much of a choice given my resources and was pretty sure the court system and government was fully aware of that. So what did I do?

I made the deal with the devil and paid the extra fee so keep it off my insurance record. In the long run that will save me much more than the extra money I paid. I could help leaving the courthouse feeling I had been extorted or used. It all just felt so wrong and completely unjust.

Please feel free to share your experiences...maybe in not alone.
 

His

Member
Jan 30, 2017
87
1
0
#2
I never knew about the failure to comp!etely stop law when leaving a parking lot until my son got a ticket when he was leaving his gym.

Shouldn't there be a stop sign at the outlet if that's the case? I feel for you we live in a small town and there are a lot of stories like yours here.

God bless
 
Feb 24, 2015
13,204
168
0
#3
Unfortunately once you get into court, the way the court works, more time more money.
And unless you have photographic evidence, the police will always win.

And for such a small thing, it is painful, but if the law says stop, if you did not stop you
are guilty.

In the uk I turned right in a street at gone midnight with no traffic around in a banned right turn
but they have installed cameras recording it, so fine. I will go 50ft down the road and turn round,
because them are the rules. If they want to look at rules like that, I can play the game, but
to me it is just petty. We do need police and traffic enforcement, so I am happy to support them
a little bit, and know they are on the job, God bless them, we seriously need more with the nutcases
I see driving about.
 

Sonflower

Senior Member
Jan 30, 2016
850
147
43
#4
Unfortunately once you get into court, the way the court works, more time more money.
And unless you have photographic evidence, the police will always win.

And for such a small thing, it is painful, but if the law says stop, if you did not stop you
are guilty.

In the uk I turned right in a street at gone midnight with no traffic around in a banned right turn
but they have installed cameras recording it, so fine. I will go 50ft down the road and turn round,
because them are the rules. If they want to look at rules like that, I can play the game, but
to me it is just petty. We do need police and traffic enforcement, so I am happy to support them
a little bit, and know they are on the job, God bless them, we seriously need more with the nutcases
I see driving about.

I don't have a problem paying if I committed the crime. My problem was the change of charge with no notice to me until I was already in court and with how they seemed to take advantage of the fact that people won't get a lawyer for traffic court. It all felt wrong. I never had an issue paying if I did the infraction.
 
H

Hellooo

Guest
#5
I got a ticket for unpaid fare from nypd once, even though I showed the cop my valid metrocard and receipt. I went through the hassle of fighting it at first, but it wasn't worth it, especially trying to fight from TO.

Just ate the fine in the end, wasn't worth my time and postage to keep going.
 
Feb 24, 2015
13,204
168
0
#6
I don't have a problem paying if I committed the crime. My problem was the change of charge with no notice to me until I was already in court and with how they seemed to take advantage of the fact that people won't get a lawyer for traffic court. It all felt wrong. I never had an issue paying if I did the infraction.
I agree with you. But it is a learning experience. To even get such a thing investigated
costs more than its worth, so they can do this, and it will go under the radar.

And it is unjust. I would complain to the police force in question, because it is the management
of the police individuals who can bring pressure to bear, no one else would notice.

And did you take the number of the policeman concerned a picture of the place the offence
took place etc. Strength in depth always helps. And these guys are not doing this as a one
off, but as a strategy, so building up evidence of this helps. Then you ask is it worth the hassel.
Sometimes it is.

But it is always worthwhile sharing, to be salt and light, amen.
 

BruceWayne

Senior Member
Aug 7, 2013
3,694
357
83
Gotham City
#7
That sucks(both the ticket & the change). Knowing myself, I would have never accepted it lol. I don't have any court/ticket experiences, but I have been pulled over for something stupid before. I was behind a cop one night on a quiet neighborhood street... he pulled to the side, waited for me to pass, and then pulled me over complaining that my lights were too bright(they weren't). I asked my police friends about it and they said that it was nonsense lol; he was always in a bad mood and was moving to another city soon. :rolleyes:
 
H

Hellooo

Guest
#8
I got a ticket for unpaid fare from nypd once, even though I showed the cop my valid metrocard and receipt. I went through the hassle of fighting it at first, but it wasn't worth it, especially trying to fight from TO.

Just ate the fine in the end, wasn't worth my time and postage to keep going.
Fight from FL** not TO
 

Fenner

Senior Member
Jan 26, 2013
7,507
111
0
#9
I had one experience not really in traffic court but going to a district justice to fight a fine for being a day over my car registration expiration. I forgot about it and went into the office to show that after I was pulled over, I got the car registered that day, I was going to pay the fine but the worker behind the desk said, you could fight this and win, so I said, ok. On my court date I went in, his assistant looked over everything and said, this is dismissed and I didn't have to pay.

Unfortunately I've gotten a lot of speeding tickets, especially when I was younger. I flirted my way out of one when I was 23 years old or around that age, I couldn't believe it worked. I am a much more cautious driver now.
 

Fenner

Senior Member
Jan 26, 2013
7,507
111
0
#10
Oh and Sonflower what that cop did was lame and what the court did sounds crooked to me too.
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
24,799
8,103
113
#11
No experience at all with this kind of thing, nor do I have any friends who have reported such. We must have good cops here. Or maybe they're too busy responding to endless calls from certain parts of town that always seem to have a lot of drama. It is because of such parts of town that I respect and pity our cops. :-/
 

Sonflower

Senior Member
Jan 30, 2016
850
147
43
#12
No experience at all with this kind of thing, nor do I have any friends who have reported such. We must have good cops here. Or maybe they're too busy responding to endless calls from certain parts of town that always seem to have a lot of drama. It is because of such parts of town that I respect and pity our cops. :-/
I agree Lynx. I respect our cops as a whole. They have one of the toughest, most dangerous jobs out there. I'm thankful for them for sure. I've always been raised with great respect for them. Now, I've had my fair share of interactions with cops and this is the first time I've ever felt unfairly treated.

Except that one time I got pulled over by a fake cop...another story for another thread?
 
Aug 2, 2009
24,574
4,262
113
#13
As an American, justice is drilled into our heads as a right we all have. Traffic court is not about justice. It's about getting the maximum amount of dollars as possible.

So, on Feb 11th I dropped my son off at swim practice like I normally would. It was 7am on a Saturday morning. His swim team practices at one of the local high schools. As I was leaving the parking lot, I yielded slightly before moving out into the street. There wasn't a soul to be found except the cop on the other side of the street. As soon as I pulled out, he turned around to follow me and pulled me over. He then proceeded to tell me the infraction I committed was "failure to yield the right of way leaving a private drive". I was confused. I was adement that I did yield and he disagreed and laid a guilt trip on me saying "You really should be more careful when driving at a school."

Ummm...it was 7am...on a Saturday...it was COMPLETELY dead. The only other person around was the cop and he wasn't in my right of way.

I accepted my ticket and began to cry at the $124 dollar charge. I felt frustrated because I hadn't committed the infraction he charged me with.

Feb 27th: Court date #1: See that #1 in front of court date? I expected there to only be one court appearance for traffic court. I showed up and the judge called me forward. She asked me if I wanted to plea guilty or not guilty. I told her not guilty because I yielded and didn't commit the infraction I was charged with. She says, ok if you want a trial you have to come back. My only other experience in traffic court was dealt with the day of your first appearance. This had already become more complicated. They gave me a trail date, the 28th of March to appear at 10am.

I had several issues with my ticket: A: he wrote the wrong time down. B: he got my court date messed up. C: ummm I didn't do it.

Court date #2: I show up at 9:45am for my 10am court time. I wait. At 10:06 the prosecutor called me up and says, "oh, by the way, just to let you know, we've amended the charges against you. You are no longer being charged with failure to yield. You are now being charged with failure to stop."

Say WHAT? You can change the charges against me without giving me advanced notice to prepare my defense??? Really??? And seeing as how I'm not a lawyer and no one with a somewhat normal income would get a lawyer for TRAFFIC court, I didn't know what to do.

Feeling overwhelmed, I listened as she continued to talk, "Now, you can plea to a lesser charge- a non moving violation. It will never leave this courtroom. It won't go on your driving record, it won't be reported to your insurance, HOWEVER, your fine will double to $251. WHAT. I looked at her and said, "That feels like bribery...it just feels...wrong". She informed me that this is quite common. I felt like I was talked to Satan and he was brokering a deal.

I sat down, stunned and overwhelmed. As I thought through it, I realized I didn't have much of a choice given my resources and was pretty sure the court system and government was fully aware of that. So what did I do?

I made the deal with the devil and paid the extra fee so keep it off my insurance record. In the long run that will save me much more than the extra money I paid. I could help leaving the courthouse feeling I had been extorted or used. It all just felt so wrong and completely unjust.

Please feel free to share your experiences...maybe in not alone.
Holy moly! I hate to say it but that is a corrupt court. I'm looking right now to see where you might be able to report that kind of thing. You might want to check your local news website and see if there is a place to contact a consumer advocate. So sorry this happened to you. The law here is that if the cop doesn't show up at the trial, then the ticket is automatically dismissed. And there's no way they can just legally increase the charges against you without a video or some kind of physical evidence. Also, out here the date on your ticket is your actual court hearing date.
 
Aug 2, 2009
24,574
4,262
113
#14
Ok, I found this info. If you want to report possible corruption in a court you need to find your local Judicial Review Board. It says every state has one...

Copied and pasted from the website below:

"Record any evidence relating to the incident. Write down the alleged corruption and preserve any relevant documents that may prove corruption has taken or is taking place.

Look up the judicial review board in your state. Every state and Washington D.C. has such a board to take complaints and conduct investigations of judicial misconduct.

File your complaint based on your state review board's specific procedure. Each state's board has its own process for filing and reviewing complaints."

There is more at the website:
How to Report Corruption in the Court System | Legalbeagle.com
 
Y

Yahweh_is_gracious

Guest
#15
I wish I could give helpful advice or share a funny story, but I can't. Each and every time I have had to go to court, I have had to go to jail for an extended period of time for contempt of court because I will NOT keep my mouth shut if something is amiss. I just MUST speak up, and I get put away for it. My felony conviction on my record and it's accompanying incarceration was the result of my running my mouth at trial and having a plea bargain from the DA rescinded because of what I had said.

So, look at it this way...you aren't eating jailbird surprise for supper or trying to size up who's going to jump you in the cafeteria. Things could be worse.
 

17Bees

Senior Member
Oct 14, 2016
1,362
800
113
#16
I was behind about 10 vehicles at a red light and needed gas so while I was waiting I decided to turn left into a gas place and pulled up to the pump and got pulled over by our finest. It wasn't a long chase. It was a policewoman and so I asked her how fast I was going and she didn't laugh. Instead she gave me a ticket for crossing a yellow line when I turned left into the gas station and took my license. I didn't argue but called the following day to see what the fine was and was told it was $90.00. So I was going to pay but they said my license hadn't shown up yet and to call back in a few days.I called back after a few days and they said several licenses had been misplaced, but that they expect to have things back on line in 3 days. I called back after 3 days mainly because I couldn't read my court date on the ticket copy and was beginning to worry. They had my license and then told me the total would be $140.00. I said I was told it was $90 but they said yes, it's $90 for the charge and $50 for contempt of court because I missed my court date.

So this was in Davidson County Tennessee and I was there for work and so advising anyone reading this to not go there. Ever. Oh, and I had to send them a self addressed stamped envelope too to get my license back.
 

Tinkerbell725

Senior Member
Jul 19, 2014
4,216
1,179
113
Philippines Age 40
#17
I had one experience not really in traffic court but going to a district justice to fight a fine for being a day over my car registration expiration. I forgot about it and went into the office to show that after I was pulled over, I got the car registered that day, I was going to pay the fine but the worker behind the desk said, you could fight this and win, so I said, ok. On my court date I went in, his assistant looked over everything and said, this is dismissed and I didn't have to pay.

Unfortunately I've gotten a lot of speeding tickets, especially when I was younger. I flirted my way out of one when I was 23 years old or around that age, I couldn't believe it worked. I am a much more cautious driver now.
Yeah it works! Lol! I almost got a ticket for beating the red light (yellow light means go faster here sometimes lol!) but the officer got hypnotized by my charms, he forgave me and also because he thought one of his fellow officer was my relative because we have the same last name. My sister also got caught turning at no u turn sign but the officer did not issue a ticket because she asked nicely and besides it was her birthday.
 
Mar 22, 2013
4,718
124
63
Indiana
#18
dash cam with audio recording. that way everything is on tape. and if you are in the right, you surprise the court with the tape.
 

Tommy379

Notorious Member
Jan 12, 2016
7,589
1,151
113
#19
Virginia doesn't do this crap. Unfortunately, traffic enforcement has come to do less with safety, and more to do with fund raising.

My suggestion for everyone not guilty, plead not guilty. Even if it cost you more time and money, plead not guilty. If everyone did that, the courts would grind to a halt.

The government wants the money, and police leadership can't quantify good police work with out counting how many summons were issued by an officer.

Sonflower, good thing you don't live in California. They would have made you pay the fine upfront if you wanted to plead guilty.
 

Sonflower

Senior Member
Jan 30, 2016
850
147
43
#20
Virginia doesn't do this crap. Unfortunately, traffic enforcement has come to do less with safety, and more to do with fund raising.

My suggestion for everyone not guilty, plead not guilty. Even if it cost you more time and money, plead not guilty. If everyone did that, the courts would grind to a halt.

The government wants the money, and police leadership can't quantify good police work with out counting how many summons were issued by an officer.

Sonflower, good thing you don't live in California. They would have made you pay the fine upfront if you wanted to plead guilty.
I did have to pay it up front...