I was pulled over about 2 months ago for speeding (80 in a 55). It was actually more, but the officer decided to be nice to me, so he cut me a small break. anyway, I know I should not have been speeding, but my friends needed to be home (it was late...).

Anyway, he pulled me over, told me to follow him to the station, and wrote me a ticket, which I knew I deserved. I was not mad at all, and I cooperated as much as I could. He was a good guy just doing his job and did exactly what I would have in his situation.

When I appeared in court (today), my case was dismissed. I left and gave him a thank you sign. Very suprised and very happy.



It changed my perspective on police officers and traffic violations completely.

Cool. Over here, as long as you don't try to lie to pollice officers about your speed they give you a warning. That's why my dad ALWAYS gets tickets.

Post from another forum on how to act during a traffic stop. The only part I don't agree with is to admit that you were speeding. Every officer is different but if you admit you are guilty then you are going to look foolish trying to say something different in court when he has you on videotape.

I just wanted to post a quick (though I realize I tend to be verbose) note on what you should do when you are speeding down the road and pass a patrol car that appears to be checking vehicle speed.

I just read an article on the main webpage from which this message board was spawned and agree and disagree with some of the information presented. As with all advice, nothing is fool proof. Every situation is different. Much is dependent upon the officer. Many things can come into play for him or her, their mood, how you appear to them, whether or not they are looking beyond the moving violation (i.e., stopping for speed, but looking for drugs), etc.

There are many times that I have pulled-over a speeder who most likely believes that they are going to get a speeding ticket, however, simply get a verbal warning and are sent on their way. I am sure that they are perplexed because they are aware that they were speeding and expected to get a ticket. However, there are times when we cops are working an overtime detail specifically looking for DWI arrests, or to issue seatbelt tickets, or to find drugs, based on the type of federal grant program that is paying for our overtime. During those times, we are more interested in letting a speeder go so that we can keep looking for the other type of violation that we are targeting.

Special details aside, looking at your average speeder who is stopped by a cop who isn't targeting any specific type of offense, how you handle yourself from the time that you pass that patrol car sitting in the median may make a big difference.

So, for what its worth, here is my advice: (this is for speeding only)

1. If you know that you were exceeding the speed limit when you passed a cop and you see that he is pulling-out onto the road, pull over. Don't continue at your speed and make him go 100mph to catch you. When we cops have to go that fast to catch you, you are endangering us and we don't like it. You pay for that mistake. If you pull-over and you weren't the one that we were going-after, will we stop behind you and give you a ticket? I wouldn't. Why would I? If you aren't the one I want, why would I waste my time talking to you? I see people pull-over all the time when I pull out of a median and they assume that I am coming after them, when, in reality, I am responding to another call, or stopping someone else. It cracks me up. I honk the airhorn when I rip past them trying to do what I am on my way to do. In a million years, I would never stop what I am doing because someone appears to be guilty by their own admission and has signaled that admission by pulling-over prematurely.
2. Ok, so you are on the side of the road now and the cop pulls-in behind you. If it is dark, turn on your interior light. Get your documents out. Don't waste your time trying to hide your RADAR detector. I can see RADAR detectors pasted on a windshield of vehicles that pass me going 80mph. Chances are, if I notice the absence of it when I walk-up to the vehicle, I will make you feel foolish by asking you where you hid it. If you are dumb enough to use a RADAR detector (a.k.a. "Ticket Magnet") then you will suffer the consequences, if any, of spending money ahead of time to attempt to evade future detection for violations of a speed limit.
3. Don't try to put a cop on the defensive by thinking that you are in a position to question him. You will lose this battle every time. The cop is going to tell you why you were stopped, either verbally or in writing.
4. Answer questions honestly. If I ask someone, "Do you know how fast you were going?" and get a response of, "With the flow of traffic" they are getting a ticket. Why? Because they are full of crap or totally unaware of their surroundings. My recommendation is that you give an honest answer to all questions posed to you. I know that your first instinct is to look at your speedometer when you see me sitting there checking traffic speed. Acting oblivious to that fact means that you are either attempting to be deceptive or truly a moron who shouldn't be driving a car to begin with.
Now, what if I observe that someone is going X mph and they say that they are going X+6mph, do I give them the ticket for what they admitted to? No. Why? Because I don't need to. I already know that they violated the law and also know that their speedometer isn't necessairly accurate. In addition, I believe this person to be honest, and guess what folks, most of the people that cops deal with lie to our faces. We know this and we get very very good at recognizing the unintentional body language that accompanies a deception.
5. Admit your wrongdoing before you are asked. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Well, you be me for a minute. You have risked your own personal safety to pull-out into traffic to stop someone for a violation and when you begin to talk to them, they tell you that they weren't guilty of the offense for which you have stopped them. If you weren't 100 percent sure that they committed a violation, why the hell would you risk your own safety and waste both your and their time to stop them. When people say to me, "I know that I was speeding" before I tell them, they are at least 75% more likely to get a warning. No joke.
6. Don't ever make the horrible mistake of going on the offensive and accusing a cop of stopping you because you are [insert demographic or nationality here]. You will get crushed in tickets. I have had people say this to me and I turn into a freaking vehicle code artist with the tickets that I can think of to write them. Why? Because it is a simple fact that if I was targeting any specific demographic or nationality, you could simply request discovery of the last 100 motor vehicle stops that I made and would be able to prove your allogation. Why then would I crush someone with tickets for this? Because I know who the 99 people were that I stopped before I stopped them and I have absolutely nothing to fear. When I stop someone for speeding, there is only one common trend, they were going too damn fast.
7. Speak respectfully. "Sir" "Ma'am" or "Officer" will always suffice as the proper way to address a cop. Don't call us "bud" or "dude." We don't like it and feel that we have earned our title. Even if it kills you to talk to us in a respectful manner because what you really want to say is, "You better not give me a ticket you overgrown egotistical moron!" I would highly recommend not losing your mind and saying something stupid.
8. If all else fails and you get the ticket, I would recommend saying something which acknowledges your understanding of the fact that you deserved it. I have had people say, "Officer, I completely deserved this and understand that you are doing your job." Would you ever think to say that? Every time I hear something like that I recommend that they go to court and seek a plea bargain. I will absolutely remember them and will have no objection to their guilty plea to a lesser charge. Why? Because I don't honestly belive that they will do whatever earned the ticket again and that is truly the outcome that I am trying to affect.

So, in summary (see, I said I was verbose), it is important to understand that cops are humans too, though generally with clean driving records :) We not only understand the human tendency to err, we expect it. Without that nature, we would all be mailmen and that would suck. (not knocking mailmen here, but they don't get to carry guns and stuff)

If you are reading this post after you have already received a ticket, I would look to notice the differences between your encounter and the guidelines that I suggest. Tell me if I am full of crap, I can take it. However, be aware that there are times that based on the severity of a violation, the decision to give a ticket was made before the officer ever got out of his car. I stopped a guy today for 84mph / 55mph zone and the guy wanted to plea bargain with me on the side of the road. I simply said, "Sir, your ticket was written before I got out of my car. All you can do at this point is increase the liklihood that others will follow" He got the point. Sometimes you will get the ticket.

I see a lot of posts on this forum from people who are ticketed for going 40-50mph over the speed limit. I hate to tell you, but you are toast. You screwed up. Accept the consequences and don't ever do it again. If you paid to have a banner-toting airplane fly past your traffic stop while the cop was in his car which reads, "I love Officer X and understand he is only doing his job" I can guarantee that it wouldn't matter. (did I let-on that I am dying to see my name on a banner plane?) To err is human, to ticket, devine.

Wow, thanks. That was great. I think I'm going to get rid of my radar detector. I got it for my b-day and I know it doesn't work very good.

Quite an informative post...

I do have a radar detector (valentine one), and it works very well, but many times, my eyes work alot better.

I tend not to be a fast driver, even on the highway, it is very rare than i'm doing 10 over the posted speed.

This one ticket that I recieved for 25 over (First speeding ticket... I had one for rolling a stop sign at maybe 2mph, and another for illlegal u-turn in downtown chicago of all places... where taxicab drivers do it all the time! - I had no idea it was illegal), and the fact that my case was dismissed because of the officer's good-heartedness, slowed my ass down more than any fine, probation, or traffic-school would have.

Speaking of which I got a warning today for speeding. But it was only the school cop and it was only in the parking lot so its not like he was going to give me a ticket.

Probably wont work if you're more than doubling the speedlimit I bet... I thnk that pisses the cops off.

Listen, all this stuff about being nice to cops is cool. First of I`m a police officer. I have gotten numerous tickets growing up, and beaten all except one. #1 Even if your wrong, you still have a right to challenge that ticket in court. Dont forget, cops are humans too, they(including me) can make mistakes. When a mistake has been made, the ticket is thrown out. You win, even if you were speeding, fair is fair, the government can't make a case then they have no case. #2 reasonable doubt- evidence that can produce enough reasonable doubt in a judges, or hearing examiners mind will get a ticket thrown out. Ask the officer questions, somtimes we trip our selves up on our own testimony, or the testimony itself is so weak that someone could easily punch holes in it.

Contest that ticket. When in court, even if the officer statess that the radar unit he had was calibrated ask to see the calibration certificate. Guess what, if the officer is not on the ball whe wont have it with him, which means he cannot prove the radar unit was accurate at the time he measured your speed. Did he fill out the ticket with all your information, if not in some states the ticket is considered invalid on its face, and will be dismised. Did he testify to the location and direction of travel as it was written out on the ticket? If he didnt then the ticket could be dismissed. I could go on and on. I learned alot in traffic court before, and after I became the police. Cops make mistakes, they have to do everything on the level, if they dont and you call em on it in court, then you win. Look up the vehicle/traffic code if you get a ticket on what the ticket was for, see if the violation matches what you were doing. Enlighten your selves, dont get chumped.

Open your eyes, and realize. Peace. :sunglasse

Who would have thought there would be so many cool cops in one place! And that coming from me is a very BIG compliment, I really don't like cops (at least the one's where I'm from). Not for them who they are, but how they go through their business trying to fill their quotas for the month. I just don't see what the deal is on giving someone a ticket and then saying they can contest it later or pay a fine. Why can't we just protest it right then and there? It saves the cop and the person pulled over the need to set aside a the date for the court. Driver skills are more important than the amount of laws they can remember.

Listen, all this stuff about being nice to cops is cool. First of I`m a police officer. I have gotten numerous tickets growing up, and beaten all except one. #1 Even if your wrong, you still have a right to challenge that ticket in court. Dont forget, cops are humans too, they(including me) can make mistakes. When a mistake has been made, the ticket is thrown out. You win, even if you were speeding, fair is fair, the government can't make a case then they have no case. #2 reasonable doubt- evidence that can produce enough reasonable doubt in a judges, or hearing examiners mind will get a ticket thrown out. Ask the officer questions, somtimes we trip our selves up on our own testimony, or the testimony itself is so weak that someone could easily punch holes in it.

Contest that ticket. When in court, even if the officer statess that the radar unit he had was calibrated ask to see the calibration certificate. Guess what, if the officer is not on the ball whe wont have it with him, which means he cannot prove the radar unit was accurate at the time he measured your speed. Did he fill out the ticket with all your information, if not in some states the ticket is considered invalid on its face, and will be dismised. Did he testify to the location and direction of travel as it was written out on the ticket? If he didnt then the ticket could be dismissed. I could go on and on. I learned alot in traffic court before, and after I became the police. Cops make mistakes, they have to do everything on the level, if they dont and you call em on it in court, then you win. Look up the vehicle/traffic code if you get a ticket on what the ticket was for, see if the violation matches what you were doing. Enlighten your selves, dont get chumped.

Open your eyes, and realize. Peace. :sunglasse
But guess what, I was on my way hurrying to get my friend to the doctor, because she was really sick but she don't have a ride. And I was going 50 on 45, then the cop pulled me over and spent me more than 20 minutes and still made a ticket to me. Even though he knows that I was having a perfect record and really in a hurry to help my friend.

But guess what, I was on my way hurrying to get my friend to the doctor, because she was really sick but she don't have a ride. And I was going 50 on 45, then the cop pulled me over and spent me more than 20 minutes and still made a ticket to me. Even though he knows that I was having a perfect record and really in a hurry to help my friend.

Sorry, but that does not give you a reason to speed. The only exception would be if it was a life threating emergency then you should put on your flashers and proceed in a safe manner. Having an accident will not help either of you.

Take a copy of your MVR to court with you and explain the situation to the judge and try for a reduction to a nonmoving violation. Also take a copy of the doctor visit. In some states you can take traffic school online and the ticket will not show so your insurance cannot be increased. To check your state go to:Traffic School Online (http://www.trafficschoolonline.com/?lcode=4013)

To all the officers here,

I want you all to look at this link:

http://www.ehowa.com/mythoughts/nospeeding.shtml

I ran into this a couple years ago and showed it to my brother who is CHP and he nearly pissed himself.

Comments?

I never understand why people are idiots to cops, it's like shooting yourself in the foot. Anyone and everyone wants to be treated with respect, especially if they are at work. I deal with sales and customer service, and bartend on the weekends, and I figure anyone who deals with people at their job knows that people who don't act nice don't get what they want. When I get pulled over (10+ times in the last 3 years, 1 $20 seat belt ticket) I pull over to a safe spot (don't put the cop in danger), have my papers ready (and radar detector hidden) turn the music off, and don't let your passangers speak or talk on a phone(very important)! I address them as officer and am very polite and give them 100% of your attention. It is all about how you present yourself.
I usually try and read the cop and figure out how to proceed. There have been times where I knew that he didn't know how fast I was going and I called his bluff and didn't admit to going 108ish in a 55(end result 20 dollar seatbelt ticket). There are other times when I knew he had me easily and I admitted to it right away(57 in a 35, the officer asked the judge to dismiss it for me, as I was the only person that day to admit to speeding). I don't always agree that admitting to it is the way to go, but what I think is always obvious and definantly helps your chances is treating them with respect. I LMAO when I watch "COPS" and see these idiots run their mouths and act stupid. *Personally I think that show is an attempt at indoctrination. Aimed to teach you 3 things: 1. Cops are people too 2. Don't do drugs or you will end up homeless and in jail 3. Don't run from the cops...they will catch you.

That aside, if you guys have speeding tickets, check out www.beatmyspeedingticket.com there is a really good book available called Case Dismissed. I havn't used it as I have only gone to trial once, results above...but I have heard good things..Also, to any officers that are reading this, have you come across this book? Any comments? PS, if you pull over a red 3000gt, be gentle...

The U.S. is a police state.

Sorry, but that does not give you a reason to speed. The only exception would be if it was a life threating emergency then you should put on your flashers and proceed in a safe manner. Having an accident will not help either of you.

Take a copy of your MVR to court with you and explain the situation to the judge and try for a reduction to a nonmoving violation. Also take a copy of the doctor visit. In some states you can take traffic school online and the ticket will not show so your insurance cannot be increased. To check your state go to:Traffic School Online (http://www.trafficschoolonline.com/?lcode=4013)
But It was just 5mph...(On a downhill road)
And when he was following me, the car next to me is passing me. So how do you explain this then? I know, my car has a wing but that one doesn't. So is this the reason?

And I would need to know that what if I've already paid the fine? Is there still anything that I can do to get rid of that record? If I can't, how long is it going to stay on my record?(I'm now 20 and it happened when I was 19)

And I would need to know that what if I've already paid the fine? Is there still anything that I can do to get rid of that record? If I can't, how long is it going to stay on my record?(I'm now 20 and it happened when I was 19)

Just paying the fine is one of the worst things you can do. Just one ticket can increase your insurance premiums anywhere from 25 to 50% each year for three years. That is how long a ticket normally stays on your record.

For minor speeding tickets most states allow traffic school or have a deferment program to keep the speeding ticket off your record. It is well worth your time to take advantage of these programs, especially if you are a teenager and insurance companies consider that 23 and under.

Usually if you just show up on your court date they will reduce the fine/points unless it is a serious violation and then you may need legal assistance. Just paying the ticket means that you have plead guilty to speeding and there is nothing you can do to get it off your driving record.

Just paying the fine is one of the worst things you can do. Just one ticket can increase your insurance premiums anywhere from 25 to 50% each year for three years. That is how long a ticket normally stays on your record.

For minor speeding tickets most states allow traffic school or have a deferment program to keep the speeding ticket off your record. It is well worth your time to take advantage of these programs, especially if you are a teenager and insurance companies consider that 23 and under.

Usually if you just show up on your court date they will reduce the fine/points unless it is a serious violation and then you may need legal assistance. Just paying the ticket means that you have plead guilty to speeding and there is nothing you can do to get it off your driving record.
So that means I've just did another stupid thing in my life...again...

Who would have thought there would be so many cool cops in one place! And that coming from me is a very BIG compliment, I really don't like cops (at least the one's where I'm from). Not for them who they are, but how they go through their business trying to fill their quotas for the month. I just don't see what the deal is on giving someone a ticket and then saying they can contest it later or pay a fine. Why can't we just protest it right then and there? It saves the cop and the person pulled over the need to set aside a the date for the court. Driver skills are more important than the amount of laws they can remember.



Most of us knows the feeling of getting a ticket from a cop. But writing tickets is just part of their job (the quota system is really a myth).
Cops don't have the right to say on whether a person is guilty or not. So all he can do is to write a ticket for the person who he "thinks" that has violated the law, and ask that person to sign the ticket, promising to show up in court.
And cops pull people over because they already think the person is guilty, so what is there to contest if he can be the judge and make the final decision? (although cops do give warnings, rather than tickets)
Once people violate the law, the government takes away whats important to us, money and/or freedom. So these penalties are ways to keep people away from violating the law.

The quotas thing is more of a figure of speech than a statement.
The government does not have to wait for people to break a law before they take our money and freedom.

ill admit that i speed. i dont drive like a bat out of hell all the time, i ride people asses. so im not gonna say im a totally safe driver. but im not stupid and i do drive safely. i have a lead foot, thats my only problem. ive been licky enuf not to get a ticket or pulled over, but have been close. when i saw a coip come out thinkin it was for me, before the cop even turned his lights on and i knew i was wrong, i pulled over shut off my truck and waited. thats one thing i believe everyone should do. if u kno ur in the wrong and u see a cop behind you, pull over and turn ur vehicle off. cops arent stupid people. ive talked to quite a few of them regularly and alot of the cops are jus like the average joe and he himself may be into the aftermarket accessories on vehicles.

You could be nice to cops but why Thats just kissing ass take your ticket like a man and tell the cop to fu*k himself P.S I hate PIGS

ill admit that i speed. i dont drive like a bat out of hell all the time, i ride people asses. so im not gonna say im a totally safe driver. but im not stupid and i do drive safely.


Why do you say you're not a safe driver one sentence, and then the next one says you are a safe driver. Which one is it?

I'm not sure where i read this, it might even have been here on AF (sorry if youve heard this before).....I doubt its true, but Ive heard that if you mail the court a check for your fine slightly more than what you owe, they cannot proceess your points or anything until the balance is settled. So if you pay $81 for a $78 ticket or whatever, they will mail you a check back for the remaining $3. and supposedly, if you throw it away and never cash it, they can't finish processing the points and ticket or something like that





maybe? :dunno: i dunno

That would be nice, but I doubt it!

I'd say they'll take your money, profiteering scam that it all is