vette4lyfe

oh one more thing i got hit on.. whatever you say be sure on it... If your talking to the judge.. dont say "oh i was driving around 80".. say "i was driving 80" ... be sure on it..
thats all i got..

al

Legoland951

Deni, I agree with you when it comes to L. A. and unfortunately, cyrus got his ticket in S. Ca. so most of the opinions from out of state probably won't apply here. The city is about as broke as the rest of the state so they have to ticket the hell out of everyone (got a parking ticket for NO GAS CAP after someone stole it and a 72 hour violation after someone hit my trailer bending the axle and ran). The worse one was when they towed my 951 for having 2002 registration when I have the red extension sticker showing I had paid the fees up to december 2004 with the operating permit for 7/31 (expired for 15 days from the tow date). I was talking with the police while they called the tow truck and they would not let me remove the parked car from the street. I told them all I had to do is show the impound that the fees are already paid and go wait in line at the DMV for 3 hours for the august extension because the fees are paid to DECEMBER. They didn't care so I had to go to the DMV, get a august permit (no fee), go to the police station to pay the $150 release fee (I suspect why they towed the car), go to the impound, show them the fee receipt I showed the police (before they towed the car), and pay the $250 towing and storage fee. All this happened because I did not get the august extension for 15 days by waiting in the 3 hour DMV lines. Where does all the money go? They have no mercy over here and for the most part want your money. When you go to traffic school, they require you to PAY THE FINE and the traffic school.

KenC

Been a cop for 8 years... 4 of them as a Chief Of Police. There are several things that you could do to dispute it (ie.. have your speedo checked and verified), but your age will hinder the judgement. I have never seen a 17 year old defend themselves very well. Even though they think they are! I don't know you - I'm only speaking from my experience. GET A LAWYER

PorscheMonkey

You got promoted to chief of police in only four years? Holy smokes, that's gotta be a record. Most of the chiefs around here have been around for about 30 years. Good for you.

Porsche-O-Phile

Get an attorney, I'll say it again. You do not want this on your record. As far as the evading thing - don't sweat it. Most likely the guy was just trying to rattle you; if he seriously thought you were evading he would have charged you with it. Hell, I'd have even been tempted to say "if I had been trying to evade you, you'd have known it!" (but I certainly wouldn't say that in open court).

Anyway, check into getting the infraction for the expired registration dismissed with presentation of a current one (I think you can do that) and talk to a lawyer about the other two. Traffic school only keeps the points / record off of ONE infraction within a 24-month period IIRC, so watch your *** for the next two years and get a lawyer's advice on how to best proceed. You'd be suprised how a seemingly "little" thing like a speeding ticket on your record can screw up your life in the future - guess why I'm not flying for Continental Express right now (not that I care, I'd have been furloughed anyway), but you get my point.

Matt H

Caution: Ahole response to follow....

How about you take responsibility for your actions. Admittedly you were:
1) Speeding
2) Cut off a U-haul while
3) Making an illegal lange in a
4) Defective and unsafe vehicle (one without turn signals and tint so dark you couldnt see the lights) while
5) Driving a car with expired registration

He is right, he should have arrested you for being a dumbass.

Really, you should go ahead and get an attorney. Dont be shocked if they cant get all the charges dropped. I dont know about California but in Texas the registration just has to be shown to be valid (i.e. the sticker could be expired by years as long as you have been paying).

Then, when it is done try the following:
1) Drive the speed limit
2) Be more courteous and dont cut people off
3) Fix the GD car so you have turn signals, then figure out how to use them (push down for left, push up for right)
4) Either remove the ghetto window tint or learn to drive and check the rear view every so often

Sorry guys, just not feeling lots of sympathy.

ahole response off/
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MichelleJD

Look into an attorney, but understand that you may pay attorney fees and STILL have to pay fines, costs, etc. Infractions are non-jailable offenses, but at your age the convictions can hit you right in the pocketbook. I agree that disputing this has a lot to do with the judge. That's where a lawyer will earn her fees. Get someone local to the area that may know the judge and give you a feel for whether or not it's worth a fight. In my experience (albeit Illinois) traffic judges are not going to worry about the officer missing the boxes when filling out a ticket. You dispute your height (old license) but the court will see it as YOUR responsibility to update old info (and it IS legally yours). Also, pacing is a legit way for a cop to determine speed. Finally the burden of proof, at least in IL, is preponderance of guilt, not beyond reasonable doubt. Again, you need a CA lawyer to advise you on this. Preponderance means it's easy for the State to prove their case; just show the judge that more likely than not that you committed the offense.
As for the "fleeing" claim: if it's not charged, don't worry about it. Fleeing can be a jailable offense. Be glad the cop wasn't a total Ahole - it could've been a LOT worse.

KenC

PorscheMonkey wrote:
"You got promoted to chief of police in only four years? Holy smokes, that's gotta be a record. Most of the chiefs around here have been around for about 30 years. Good for you."

As a matter of fact it was: Youngest Police Chief In IL, and I'm surprised that your Chief has been around for 30 years. Statistics show 6 is average. There may be a difference there in Canada, but here in US it's very political.

deni durrell

Legoland951:

No wonder why we are all paranoid. Here in SF, it was publicly written in the Chronicle last year that the Dept. of Parking & Traffic had to get at least 500,000 tickets written during the summer period - there was a quota and it went public. Also, they raised the fines from 35.00 to 75.00 for parking on the sidewalk (common) and 250.00 for stopping in bus zones and handicapped zones, among other things. The city is still broke and losing money because people are (or were) moving out at a high rate - a lot of people saying that the City is too expensive and weren't able to find work (I can attest to this firsthand). Frustrations from the city and state with ownership of a car can sometimes outweigh the pleasures of driving one. Fact of life in the Bay Area. Now you see why I haven't been so active on this board.

PorscheMonkey

I meant on the job 30 years not Chief for 30. It took the chief in Niagara something like 28 years to get to Chief. Anyway you slice it, four years to chief is quite an achievment.

MelissaInNJ

Always use the hand signals when you have a situation like this (that's why they are standard for this kinda scenario). Will cover your butt and will signal other drivers as to your intentions.

Melissa

hacker-pschorr

I'm with Matt H on this one. I held my tounge since he put it much better than I would have.

PorscheMonkey

"he said he saw me cut off 3 trucks, while he was chasing me (I cut off 1 truck, a Uhaul truck). He thought I was trying to run away"

Try not to let this quote from your post slip out in court.

Matt H

That is a joke, right? I bet there arent 5% of people in the US who know what a hand signal is!

Might help with the cops, does nothing for traffic.
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MelissaInNJ

Doesn't matter. It is in the manuals...and everyone SHOULD know it. I know them and have done this in a scenario much like this one. At least the cop behind you will know it and shows that even though your lights aren't working you are being safety aware.

Melissa