I was driving down Roscoe Blvd. There was a slow car about 6 cars up, so I merged to the right and gave it some gas to pass. It turns out, there was a cop right there as I started the pass. I was already into the gas by the time I saw him.
He nailed me for 64 in a 35. I'm not going to contest it, because I can go to traffic school. I do need some advice though.
Do any of you guys have experience with getting charges reduced? I've been in court and seen people ask the judge for lesser fines, and he will usually reduce the bail amount. Are there any good ways to get the judge to reduce the actual point count of a ticket?
Owned by the LAPD
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Bryants95240sx
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Bryants95240sx wrote:if you go to traffic school they should drop the points altogether ....and you just have to pay for the class and fine.at least thats how it was for me but i live in alabama so
If it's at all possible, I'd like to keep traffic school as my ace in the hole. So what I need to figure out is if I go into court and ask the judge to reduce the punishment, and then he says no, will that screw me out of going to traffic school? Here in California if you contest a ticket and lose, you can't go to traffic school. So I don't really want to contest the ticket per se, I just want to get it reduced. I've seen it happen, but don't know anyone with any first hand experience.
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C-Kwik
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Depends on the court. I know of one court where the judge asks who is there only to see if th cop would show up and if the cop showed and they are not contesting it, to come up front and arrange to pay the fine. He will even allow for traffic school if it's available.
As far as traffic school, this is also at the court's discretion. I do know of one court that gets you to sign away your right to traffic school to fight the ticket. I have a feeling this is contestable. Realistically, I see no reasoon that they can force you to sign this paper. You can request to see the judge to discuss the ticket and perhaps set a court date with the judge directly. I've asked for traffic school when I've lost a case and have received it. But it could be up to the judge. If he finds you guilty, he may decide not to give you this option. But I'm sure if you bring up a valid argument, he would be more inclined to give it than if you just went and tried to fight it based on nothing tangible.
As far as asking the judge for a reduction, it wouldn't necessarily hurt to ask. You can usually appear in front of the judge without actually contesting the ticket. Kind of an arraignment per se. From my experience, most judges will be willing to reduce the fine to the minimum fine for that charge. In fact I've seen this occur many times without the defendant asking for it. There are never any guarantees either way.
As far as traffic school, this is also at the court's discretion. I do know of one court that gets you to sign away your right to traffic school to fight the ticket. I have a feeling this is contestable. Realistically, I see no reasoon that they can force you to sign this paper. You can request to see the judge to discuss the ticket and perhaps set a court date with the judge directly. I've asked for traffic school when I've lost a case and have received it. But it could be up to the judge. If he finds you guilty, he may decide not to give you this option. But I'm sure if you bring up a valid argument, he would be more inclined to give it than if you just went and tried to fight it based on nothing tangible.
As far as asking the judge for a reduction, it wouldn't necessarily hurt to ask. You can usually appear in front of the judge without actually contesting the ticket. Kind of an arraignment per se. From my experience, most judges will be willing to reduce the fine to the minimum fine for that charge. In fact I've seen this occur many times without the defendant asking for it. There are never any guarantees either way.
check the ticket for errors. You can have the case thrown out for wrong location, wrong time (hard to prove), wrong make of car, etc. Look for holes in the cop's case if you're going to court. When you get there, don't show the judge attitude, saw a guy do that and had the book thrown at him. If you're going to driving school, that's a safe bet and a good thing to fall back on. You don't get the point, but will have to pay for driving school. Did mine online since I'm too bloody lazy to go to a actual school. Also with the driving school, you cannot get another speeding ticket for 18 or 24 months (one of those two) since you can't get the option of driving school for that duration and will get a point, will get it up the butt. Tread carefully.
this is what I did while I was in the "getting tickets like nobody's business" stage.
1. Extend the ticket a couple of days before your due date as much as possible (most likely 2 months max) this ends up 3 months
2. couple of days before last due date schedule for trial, usually the cop doesn't remember after 3 mother later.
I've gotten out of 3 ticket at one time doing this. Good luck.
1. Extend the ticket a couple of days before your due date as much as possible (most likely 2 months max) this ends up 3 months
2. couple of days before last due date schedule for trial, usually the cop doesn't remember after 3 mother later.
I've gotten out of 3 ticket at one time doing this. Good luck.
Get a lawyer. I was going 80 in a 65 and I retained a local lawyer that specializes in tickets for $90. The ticket itself was I think around $160.
Got a letter in the mail a few days ago telling me it was dismissed. No hassle of going down to court, no class, saved me $70. Look for one where your at.
http://www.theticketclinic.com
Got a letter in the mail a few days ago telling me it was dismissed. No hassle of going down to court, no class, saved me $70. Look for one where your at.
http://www.theticketclinic.com
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Bryants95240sx
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Guys,
Thanks for all of the insights. C-Kwik, I appreciate the confirmation with regards to what I have also seen. Kim has some good ideas with the extension of the ticket. I'm not a big fan of lawyers, because I have seen them rub the man the wrong way. In the case of traffic tickets, it's generally to have a clean appearence and deal with it yourself. Bringing a lawyer into court makes you look bad.
I'm really tempted to extend it a bunch of times, and then hope that the cop doesn't show. To do that, I need to know more about the LAPD. Do they give their officers get paid to go to court? The guy who pulled me over was a sergeant. I bet that if he gets paid time, he'll probably go to court. On the other hand, if they are way under staffed, he won't be able to get out of going onto the streets. Hmmmmm.....
Thanks for all of the insights. C-Kwik, I appreciate the confirmation with regards to what I have also seen. Kim has some good ideas with the extension of the ticket. I'm not a big fan of lawyers, because I have seen them rub the man the wrong way. In the case of traffic tickets, it's generally to have a clean appearence and deal with it yourself. Bringing a lawyer into court makes you look bad.
I'm really tempted to extend it a bunch of times, and then hope that the cop doesn't show. To do that, I need to know more about the LAPD. Do they give their officers get paid to go to court? The guy who pulled me over was a sergeant. I bet that if he gets paid time, he'll probably go to court. On the other hand, if they are way under staffed, he won't be able to get out of going onto the streets. Hmmmmm.....
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Dattebayo
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You are only guaranteed one continuance. You'd have to find a pus$y judge to get another one from him, or a really, really good excuse.
Also, the cop doesnt have to show up to court for your hearing. If his boss signs his appearance waiver, all he has to do is deputize someone to go in his place. Anyone who handled the charge's paperwork or was nearby in the same beat can read the officer's statement and you have to get a lawyer then to fight and have the actual officer appear and give testimony.
It sucks and so does the system, but thats what happens in these situations. Too many cases lost to appearance problems have pushed this type of delegation into the courts lately.
Also, the cop doesnt have to show up to court for your hearing. If his boss signs his appearance waiver, all he has to do is deputize someone to go in his place. Anyone who handled the charge's paperwork or was nearby in the same beat can read the officer's statement and you have to get a lawyer then to fight and have the actual officer appear and give testimony.
It sucks and so does the system, but thats what happens in these situations. Too many cases lost to appearance problems have pushed this type of delegation into the courts lately.
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Dattebayo
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You only get one chance at driving school for your "crimes".You should stop being so obstinate and take the f***ing freebie dude. You are not going to have anything good happen to you going into court without a lawyer, by yourself asking to have it thrown in your face. That kinda stunt is viewed by many judges as a disrespect to the justice process.
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C-Kwik
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180fan wrote:check the ticket for errors. You can have the case thrown out for wrong location, wrong time (hard to prove), wrong make of car, etc. Look for holes in the cop's case if you're going to court. When you get there, don't show the judge attitude, saw a guy do that and had the book thrown at him. If you're going to driving school, that's a safe bet and a good thing to fall back on. You don't get the point, but will have to pay for driving school. Did mine online since I'm too bloody lazy to go to a actual school. Also with the driving school, you cannot get another speeding ticket for 18 or 24 months (one of those two) since you can't get the option of driving school for that duration and will get a point, will get it up the butt. Tread carefully.
Errors will only go so far. It's not automatically thrown out for errors. It would depend on the type of error. But you will also probably be questioned by the judge about the error and the officer will probably be given the opportunity to answer to them. My friend tried to fight a ticket this way and lost. From the type of error on the ticket, he probably could have won, but it would involve lying. Something he isn't comfortable doing.
And traffic school can only be used every 18 months in Cali.
Extending the ticket is a well documented way to try and get the cop to not show up. It can depend on a lot of circumstances and isn't any guarantee.
Extensions vary from one court to another. But the timeframe is usually similar. Some courts will extend for three months the first time where others might extend one month up to three times. I've seen both. And this is different then a continuance that is issued by a judge. The Judge has more free reign to to what is appropriate depending on the circumstances.
I don't necessarily agree with taking traffic school as a freebie. If I am wrongly cited for a violation I will fight it on principle. Of course I do weight how strong my case looks. But I'd rather save my traffic school for a more legitimate ticket. Especially considering I tend to get tickets a little more regularly than the average driver.
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DriftFactory
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DriftFactory wrote:Never!!!!! Speed on Rosco!!! My radar detector goes ape on that road. Way to many cops IMO.
That seems to be the common knowledge that I was lacking. I got the ticket on my way to one of my clients in Sun Valley. When I got there and told them where I got it, just about everyone in the office said, "What, you were speeding on Roscoe? Are you stupid?!"
FYI for those of you who do drive that road a lot, the cop told me that if I had been going less than 50, it wouldn't have been a big deal. So the police are already pretty lenient through there, if they are going to ignore anything under 50 in 35.
Sometimes having a turbo sucks. I barely gave it any gas, and I still managed to grab 20 mph in a few seconds.
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Dattebayo
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HAHA you misunderstand the officer, too. =P you are a riot man.Of course it wouldn't have been as big a deal, because 50 in 35 IS 15mph over... thats the normal cutoff point for the higher fines. Its the same everywhere. Also a point to consider, what makes you think that particular cop is like all others watching that road? And you think you can get one over on the courts too.Well you were warned, but you seem pretty content to bash your way on into destruction w/ fines and points. So go ahead and play the game YOUR way. You will deal later i suppose.
i was going 105 in a 65 speed zone but the cop put me down for 75 because i said i was going 75.
whenever the cop ask you how fast you're going always ask back, " how fast was i going officer?" because if you answer their question they use that as evidence against you in court.
I got the ticket in 2/23/04 and im suppost to go to court 6-23-04 but i have class so im requesting traffic school instead.
The reason the time period is extended so much is because i did a written declaration ( like going to court but to contest in writting) any way they rejected that so i get another chance but this time in person. too bad i have class.
Any way ask for traffic school because the judge would most likely give it to you cause the $30 dollars they charge goes to the county.
I used this website as my guide very useful
use it wisely.http://www.ticketassassin.com/visorguide.html
whenever the cop ask you how fast you're going always ask back, " how fast was i going officer?" because if you answer their question they use that as evidence against you in court.
I got the ticket in 2/23/04 and im suppost to go to court 6-23-04 but i have class so im requesting traffic school instead.
The reason the time period is extended so much is because i did a written declaration ( like going to court but to contest in writting) any way they rejected that so i get another chance but this time in person. too bad i have class.
Any way ask for traffic school because the judge would most likely give it to you cause the $30 dollars they charge goes to the county.
I used this website as my guide very useful
use it wisely.http://www.ticketassassin.com/visorguide.html
Originally posted by 2BN_S13HAHA you misunderstand the officer, too. =P you are a riot man.
For someone who wasn't sitting in my passenger and has no idea what the cop said, you sure seem pretty convinced that it was my misunderstanding. Though granted, I could have worded things more clearly, to reduce the chance that you misunderstood what was taking place. I'll be sure to start carrying around a DV cam in my car, so that I don't accidently omit anything important in my stories.
course it wouldn't have been as big a deal, because 50 in 35 IS 15mph over... thats the normal cutoff point for the higher fines. Its the same everywhere. Also a point to consider, what makes you think that particular cop is like all others watching that road?
If you read my post, you'd notice that I said the guy was a Sergeant. Those guys are the ones who set the standards for the rest of the officers. So when the Sgt tells me that I could have been going 47 and I never would gotten pulled over, and since the rest of the traffic around me was going about that, there's no reason to doubt what he said.
And you think you can get one over on the courts too.
Asking for advice on getting a fine reduced = me thinking I can get one over on the court?
Well you were warned, but you seem pretty content to bash your way on into destruction w/ fines and points. So go ahead and play the game YOUR way. You will deal later i suppose.
I've already dealt. I nearly lost my license a couple of years ago. I will not go down that road again. As soon as I get my new job, the 240 is staying in the driveway, and I'm going to get a Caddy or some other equally :pimp , low profile automobile to push around day to day.
I got nailed because I was the fastest car on the road. Cops look for those who are stepping out the pack. Their minds are trained to sort by difference. I was the difference, my bad.
For someone who wasn't sitting in my passenger and has no idea what the cop said, you sure seem pretty convinced that it was my misunderstanding. Though granted, I could have worded things more clearly, to reduce the chance that you misunderstood what was taking place. I'll be sure to start carrying around a DV cam in my car, so that I don't accidently omit anything important in my stories.
course it wouldn't have been as big a deal, because 50 in 35 IS 15mph over... thats the normal cutoff point for the higher fines. Its the same everywhere. Also a point to consider, what makes you think that particular cop is like all others watching that road?
If you read my post, you'd notice that I said the guy was a Sergeant. Those guys are the ones who set the standards for the rest of the officers. So when the Sgt tells me that I could have been going 47 and I never would gotten pulled over, and since the rest of the traffic around me was going about that, there's no reason to doubt what he said.
And you think you can get one over on the courts too.
Asking for advice on getting a fine reduced = me thinking I can get one over on the court?
Well you were warned, but you seem pretty content to bash your way on into destruction w/ fines and points. So go ahead and play the game YOUR way. You will deal later i suppose.
I've already dealt. I nearly lost my license a couple of years ago. I will not go down that road again. As soon as I get my new job, the 240 is staying in the driveway, and I'm going to get a Caddy or some other equally :pimp , low profile automobile to push around day to day.
I got nailed because I was the fastest car on the road. Cops look for those who are stepping out the pack. Their minds are trained to sort by difference. I was the difference, my bad.
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Dattebayo
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dont take it so personally. geez its not like i told you that you had to follow the path or anything.
There are different ticket fines for different speeding levels.Here is the setup:
1-9 mph over the limit-------------$25-$50 (yes, it actually exists), 1 pt.10-15 mph over the limit----------usually $70, 1-2 pts.16-25 mph over the limit----------$100 and up, 2-3 pts.25 mph over and above usually constitutes wreckless driving or some other more serious charge that supercedes the speeding charge in court. Fines are $500 and up. 3-7 pts.
Most cops will not give you a ticket for the first step violation, but i've been through towns where they abide by it to the letter.
Granted this is mostly east coast and mid-west where i've gotten tickets, but i agree with you on the whole fastest car thing.
You got a 64 in a 35 probably because the guy was giving you a little leeway. You may have actually been going faster.
But a seargent telling you you are not going to get pulled over for something is just talk. Its all well and good for him to say he wont pull you over, but what happens may be entirely different.
Also, its not a good idea to speed during the end of the month, when the police quota has to be met on moving violations.
Sorry, but Ive been through the whole speeding bit WAAAY too much and although i may have been harsh, i only meant to educate and to get you to see some of the realities about police and how they handle this whole speeding thing. Its never the same thing twice.
There are different ticket fines for different speeding levels.Here is the setup:
1-9 mph over the limit-------------$25-$50 (yes, it actually exists), 1 pt.10-15 mph over the limit----------usually $70, 1-2 pts.16-25 mph over the limit----------$100 and up, 2-3 pts.25 mph over and above usually constitutes wreckless driving or some other more serious charge that supercedes the speeding charge in court. Fines are $500 and up. 3-7 pts.
Most cops will not give you a ticket for the first step violation, but i've been through towns where they abide by it to the letter.
Granted this is mostly east coast and mid-west where i've gotten tickets, but i agree with you on the whole fastest car thing.
You got a 64 in a 35 probably because the guy was giving you a little leeway. You may have actually been going faster.
But a seargent telling you you are not going to get pulled over for something is just talk. Its all well and good for him to say he wont pull you over, but what happens may be entirely different.
Also, its not a good idea to speed during the end of the month, when the police quota has to be met on moving violations.
Sorry, but Ive been through the whole speeding bit WAAAY too much and although i may have been harsh, i only meant to educate and to get you to see some of the realities about police and how they handle this whole speeding thing. Its never the same thing twice.
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sil80S13
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that sucks dude, i've had bad experiences with tickets too. it depends on the county, every county has different fines, etc. it comes down to the city too. goto court if u want to, ask the judge, it doesnt hurt. get a extension first. but if u have a chance for traffic school .. take it.. just lay off the high speed street driving for awhile. oh..just dont speed.. its not worth the headaches.
I hadn't realized how screwed I really am. I'm way more than 20mph over the limit. Man, I need a break from Los Angeles. I'm just living life too fast. It's not like I was going considerably faster than anyone else. But when everyone else is already going 10-15 over... @!#$
I knew life was going too well. There had to be some sort of karmatic backlash for banging a stripper. I knew it seemed much too easy at the time. Ahh, maybe God was just trying to soften the blow that he sawing.
I knew life was going too well. There had to be some sort of karmatic backlash for banging a stripper. I knew it seemed much too easy at the time. Ahh, maybe God was just trying to soften the blow that he sawing.
