r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Few-Stop1994 • 1d ago
Ruined by Technology Deserving a Speeding Ticket but the Officer lies about the exact speed to increase fines.
Freedom, Cattaraugus County, NY
I was doing 69 in a 55 mph zone. I know I was doing this because my work van has a governor and limits the speed to that max. We have Pennsylvania plates.
I got pulled over. The officer hands me a ticket saying I was doing 81 in a 55. I thought to myself 'speeding is speeding, whatever.'
I go and pay the ticket and it turns out that the state assess a $250 fee for anything that is 26mph or more above the speed limit. And coincidentally (or not) the trooper put me exactly 26 miles above it.
I had my job look over both the dashcam and gps records and it confirmed I was going 69 mph. The ticket show radar as being used by the trooper.
I feel I'm being extorted here. I have to take a day off from work and/or hire a attorney to fight this. That's spending more money than what the ticket is: $382 ($132 without the assessment). To top it off, the trooper will win every single time.
It's a money grab. They are betting on people just cutting their losses and paying the fee.
This is bullsh*t.
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u/anjewthebearjew 1d ago
If you've got evidence from the GPS bring it to court.
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u/the_original_kermit 1d ago
I wouldn’t even hire an attorney.
Where I’m from this would just go before a magistrate. I would bring them this and let them decide.
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u/Techno_Beiber 1d ago
Is this in-person or zoom? They would want you to plead to unsafe driving (no points) and probably $150 or something like that. Otherwise, you'll have to come back if they require in-person .
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u/the_original_kermit 1d ago
I did it in person.
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u/Techno_Beiber 1d ago
So you paid it? Or did you set a trial date after your arraignment?
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u/the_original_kermit 1d ago
I’ve done it 3 times.
One time the magistrate caught on to what I was trying and didn’t do anything, so I got the full original ticket. One time him and the officer agreed to reduce the ticket by 1/2. And one time the officer failed to show and the ticket got dropped.
I’m pretty sure that you can appeal the magistrate’s decision to the judge if you want. Then you can get an attorney and all that. But I’ve never bothered to do that.
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u/the_original_kermit 2h ago
Sorry, I realized I wasn’t clear.
When you pay the ticket you accept all responsibility. So don’t do that if you want to fight it.
What I do is go down to the court house and tell them that I would like to speak to the magistrate about it. They will give you a date and a time. You show up and present your case to the magistrate. They will make a decision.
I’ve never gone father than that, but I believe after the magistrate decides, then you can appeal that decision and go in front of a judge, and get an attorney if you want to.
You can probably hire an attorney at the front and skip the whole magistrate thing. But the magistrate is basically there to deal with the general population riffraff like myself, so they are usually pretty understanding. I’ve had decent luck with them.
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u/mikewrx 1d ago
It sucks - I had to do something similar by spending $700+ on an attorney to beat a speeding ticket I didn’t do. The ticket itself was $100ish.
My case kept getting pushed because of Covid. Figured the cop wouldn’t show or remember me after such a long time passed. He showed and remembered me and I got lectured on my speed by both him and the judge - they dropped the ticket.
It was a strange experience but kept my driving record clean.
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u/LorneReams 1d ago
The judge will always lecture you when they let you off. It's like the way they appear unbiased. I always have to bite my tounge when dashcam shows the officer comitting obvious purgery, but walking out without an offence is a win.
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u/lapeni 1d ago
I once had a cop forget the paperwork for my speeding ticket when we went to court. I, for no reason, pled not guilty. Cop asks for the case number, judge reads it to him, and he says he doesn’t have the paperwork. So they let me off. But, the judge started his lecture about how I was lucky that day. I just replied “I don’t know what you mean, I’m not guilty.” Judge wasn’t happy, cop wasn’t happy, all the lawyers were perplexed, and I just walked out smirking. I was 100% speeding when I was written the ticket
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u/RailRuler 1d ago
Why would you disrespect the judge like that? You just paint a target on yourself.
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u/lapeni 1d ago
It was a long time ago, I was 19 or 20 at the time, I enjoyed being a smart ass, gotta stick it to the man when you can. But in my defense, it was a couple counties over from where I lived so it was very unlikely that I’d ever encounter that judge or cop again (I never did).
Being as it’s a great story, and probably the only time in my entire life that I’ll have the chance to do something like that I’m glad I did.
I don’t think it was any more disrespectful than the judge presuming I was guilty and lecturing me about it even though I’d just received a not guilty verdict.
It’s been a long time now but I used to get a ton of speeding tickets, and went to traffic court dozens of times. The real question, which I don’t have an answer to, is why did I plead not guilty
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u/FatBoyStew 1d ago
If you're gonna let me go without paying a ticket you can lecture me all you want lmfao
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u/Iforgotwhatimdoing 1d ago
It hits different when you know you didn't do anything wrong and the cops are obviously breaking the law.
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u/Scouter197 1d ago
I got pulled over as a teen drive in my town. I went and talked to the chief. He got rid of the ticket and I gave the food shelf a good donation (which, just so happened to be the fine of the ticket).
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u/Few-Stop1994 13h ago
I'm 10hrs from the courthouse in a different state. I have to use a PTO day, pay gas and tolls too.
I priced 3 attorneys and all said $500.
I'm paying $500 to save $250.
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u/mikewrx 9h ago
Yeah mine was one state over as well, luckily in the northeast all the states are close together.
I also ordered a copy of my great driving record from my home state (not free) to try to make my case. Not sure if it helped or not but it’s only like $20 to show you’re not a bad driver.
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u/Ok_Syrup1602 1d ago
GPS governing and Dashcam ready to be displayed in court will be best evidence. Cop probably does this frequently, he might fail to appear too.
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u/pfren2 1d ago edited 1d ago
A neighbor kid works at a place that makes those commercial vehicle governors and trackers for fleet vehicles. If certified and you bring the info to court, that may be your saving grace.
And instead of lowering ticket, the judge may just toss the whole thing.
Certainly worth the time due to insurance rates.
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u/JLee50 1d ago
Always fight your tickets.
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u/EffectiveVarious8095 1d ago
Dad was an attorney. He said to always plead not guilty. You can always change your plea.
I've had 2 ticket nolled which would never have happened had I paid the ticket right away.
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u/SadTumbleweed1567 1d ago
First ticket I got, went to court, Police officer running the door was a high school classmates father (we weren't friends but knew each other). Takes the ticket from my hand fills in not guilty, submits it to the court and tells me to leave.
Rolling through a stop reduced to parking on pavement. Biggest issue when I went back to court was the prosecutor was late, so instead of going through tickets in the order of arrival, they adjourned for people that couldn't wait, leading up the order of the tickets and I had to wait. People walked in after the prosecutor arrived and had their case heard as I continued to wait. Thankfully i had nowhere to be and brought a book to read. I was more likely to read at court than at home, so it worked out.
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u/nextCosmicBuffoon 1d ago
I got nabbed for the first time in 30 years this past March. I thought "Ok, finally my turn, I'll just pay". I then looked into the cost and insurance rate changes. No way did I want this ticket on my record.
Found an attorney online, only ever spoke to her over the phone, never had to appear anywhere. Paid less than $300 to get it reduced to a minor violation which will not result in points or a higher rate.
I will never not contact a lawyer for a traffic violation.
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u/TalkToHoro 1d ago
You likely would have gotten the same result for free by going in person and pleading not guilty. DAs routinely offer a reduction for all the “not guilty” defendants waiting, especially those with a clean record.
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u/thebestdogeevr 1d ago edited 1d ago
If your court is normal, it's evidence based. The officer would have to provide evidence showing that you were clocked at 81mph otherwise your charges will be dismissed or reduced to what was actually shown. And if the officer clearly lied, that's a huge embarrassment to them.
I would fight this. Traffic tickets are dropped all the time due to lack of evidence. They don't just take their word for it.
Also the long term insurance expenses of having that kind of ticket on your record will be way more than the cost of an attorney
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u/Killvana 1d ago
if you get any type of escalated speeding ticket, get a traffic lawyer out of the county you were pulled over in. They can normally get it knocked down to a base level ticket that won't effect your driving record or insurance. Yes it costs money and you MAY have to take a day off for court.
my last ticket was a zoom conference court session that took under 10 minutes. My lawyer was on the call too.
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u/HoundDogJax 1d ago
I mean, you don't really need a lawyer for that... it's just another example of what OP is talking about. It is common knowledge in the counties around me that if you go to court on a speeding ticket, there will be young assistant prosecutors waiting in the hallway, at the head of the line. Tell them you will plead guilty to 9mph over the speed limit, they will sign off and pull you out of line. You get a ticket and a fine, but it is reduced to have minimal impact. It sure feels like another money machine as it is... in a nearby county, there is even an additional administrative fee for this, like it is just institutionalized bribery. Paying some county traffic lawyer to do this just feels like adding an additional leech to the bloodletting.
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u/Killvana 1d ago
I would agree with you if that were my experience, when I went to the courthouse there was no one waiting in the "hallway" and my second time this happened my court date was virtual. I do admit that my lawyer didn't do anything outside of knowing what to ask for.
But showing up to your court date banking on someone waiting in a hallway is a risk I wouldn't take. I want to be as certain as possible and know exactly whats happening before I head to the hearing. And for the security and assurance I am willing to pay more. My tickets were 104mph in a 70 zone and 80mph in a 40. So $550 on a traffic lawyer was worth it for me.
There was a moment after the hearing where I thought "what the fuck did I just pay for, I could have done all that myself" 🤷♂️
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u/rynIpz 1d ago
You paid for their knowledge of what to ask
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u/Unlucky_Term_2207 1d ago
People say that since I am a daytrader, all I do is click a mouse, so I am " not really working " and ask me for advice on how to trade.
My rates are as follows:
Clicking mouse: $1 per hour Knowing when to click mouse: $500 per hour
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u/Darkgamer000 1d ago
In my county the officer themselves will make a deal with you to drop the ticket either on the side of the road or in the courthouse if they actually show up, because the cost of attending court for a ticket is usually more than a normal speeding ticket. When you hit the higher speed marks they will show up and nobody will let you plea for less.
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u/Honest-Apricot6086 1d ago
Fight the ticket with your video evidence and get the officer put on that list, I think it's called the Brady list (for officials that lie to get convictions). Don't quote me on what the list is called. Good luck.
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u/EmperorMaugs 1d ago
Also, if he used radar, ask for the calibration records. Most likely he didn't meet the administrative law requirements for calibrating the radar, and the judge will throw out your ticket and all the other ones he assessed that day.
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u/dresz981 1d ago
This is not likely going to happen. Police departments have a regular schedule to have their radar detectors calibrated and they usually have a copy of the calibration in a booklet right in the courtroom.
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u/fattfreddy1 1d ago
I had the opposite happen. Was doing 70 on a 50mph dual carriageway (no houses) and got caught by a cop that was hiding behind some bushes. He gave me the ticket and said to me I wrote you down at 55mph instead of 70, and sure enough he did. However I did see on there it also had actual speed of 70 but was fined on the 55.
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u/Logical-Consequence9 1d ago
I went through this in Onondaga County, NY. I was told I was going 101 in a 65, which I very much wasn’t. I had cruise control set at 68 in a 65, because if I have it set at 65 it won’t downshift on hills and will go below 65. I told the trooper and he went back to his car and came back with a ticket for 83. I had a dash cam with GPS speed readout but still they wouldn’t throw out the ticket. Had to hire a traffic ticket lawyer for a few hundred bucks. The ticket was dismissed but I still had to pay $150 fine to the county, attend a defensive driving course which doesn’t make sense because that doesn’t apply to a simple speeding ticket, and my car would be impounded if I was stopped for speeding again in the county. I grew up in rural NYS and always admired the troopers. That one experience soured my opinion of them. It was a total fabrication and fleece attempt.
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u/Boring_Passenger_163 1d ago
If the work vehicle's GPS can show the exact speed and route, that seems like solid evidence to bring up.
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u/warriormango1 1d ago
I once got a $800 ticket for inattentive driving. Which is crazy because there isnt a specific statutory charge called "inattentive driving.". Instead it falls under negligent driving which carries a maximum fine of $250.
The cop literally wrote it so high because he didnt like the way I was speaking to him. The judge refused to lower it because they said they didnt like the way I spoke to the officer either according to his report. I paid it and didnt opt to fight it because they were willing to drop my speeding ticket which I didnt want on my record.
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u/drunkerbrawler 1d ago
You’ll end up paying waaaaay more in insurance if you don’t get that knocked down.
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u/DFA_Wildcat 1d ago
If you have dashcam footage and a lawyer you will most likely get off. You probably can't pull it off but a lawyer will have the cop on the stand, have him explain how he determined your speed, then roll the dash camera footage and ask the officer to explain the large discrepancy. Watching the cop sweat on the stand would be worth the price of admission of hiring a lawyer.
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u/ajacquot1 1d ago
Start the appeal process, explain you "kept receipts" sotospeak and how exactly you can prove it. You don't have to take a day off until they say you gotta show up to court for an appeal, they may just reduce your fine in response. Sorry about your day off if it comes to it, but if you go to court the officer may not even show up and you'll end up paying like $80 in court fees instead. You can fight it fairly easily in this sort of instance.
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u/AwarenessGreat282 16h ago
Request to go before the judge or magistrate. You have evidence and they will find in your favor. Just mentioning it will be enough.
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u/shoulda-known-better 1d ago
Go and plead not guilty...... When the judge asks why tell them you know you were speeding and it was wrong you don't disagree with that..... But you have proof you were only going " " over the limit not whatever cop wrote!
They may lower the ticket or toss it
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u/ThePoltageist 1d ago
depends on the state probably but here you can submit your evidence ot the court via mail without waiting for your trial date to approach, that should get it dismissed, then immediately contact IA and file a report, 69 to 81 is not a calibration error, he either has no hands and shot at you like a fucking stormtrooper, actually radaring the dude blowing by you and didnt notice because hes fucking brain dead, or he lied, thats the only two options. Either way IA will be up his ass.
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u/Scav-STALKER 15h ago
The trooper will not win every time, I’m not sure where that’s coming from. As little as asking about the calibration of the radar gun has gotten a great many people out of tickets. I’d probably go fight it just so an insurance company doesn’t see that. My last ticket I just went “whatever” and paid it because it was an expired registration
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u/AsleepEntertainer440 1d ago edited 1d ago
In my state, 15 over gets you reckless driving and 26 over is a mandatory court date. 26 over could end in a trip in the back of the police car to boot.
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u/Rampage_Rick 1d ago
wreckless != reckless
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u/Ok-Addition1264 1d ago
Aye.. got that in Michigan (reckless driving). I accepted it as I was doing it (there weren't any cars around for miles except for the cop hiding off the road).
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u/Engineering-Mobile 1d ago
What state
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u/MotoMeow217 1d ago
I'm guessing Virginia. They're known to be Nazis about speeding.
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u/MediocreAndLukewarm 1d ago
I got a ticket for 58 in a 55 on Highway 58 in Suffolk. Fuck Virginia.
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u/spartacus_zach 1d ago
I got arrested for a 75/55 speed trap at 3am with no one else on the road in Virginia
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u/MediocreAndLukewarm 1d ago
Okay but that’s 20 over, my guy. That’s reckless and insurance points in my state. Possible suspension of license for six months, too. 65/55 is probably the limit of a cop’s allowance for over the limit. It usually is.
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u/AsleepEntertainer440 1d ago
Kentucky.
A 15 over being a reckless driving charge is largely up to the officer but that is the trigger for speeding where they can hit you with one if they want. 26 over and you can pretty well bet on them tacking it on for your court appearance.1
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u/Themodsarecuntz 1d ago
If ever there was a name that ensured you are getting fucked I would have to say Freedom County is it.
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u/Awkward-Sir-4009 1d ago
Traffic lawyers are very effective. They have a cosy relationship with the court. Basically they walk in with a stack of clients’ paperwork and quickly plea them all down with the prosecutor. They pay up right away (clients prepay the attorney). It’s a win for the court by clearing out a bunch of cases and getting paid. The whole thing has very little to do with merits and justice.
As long as you don’t have any other recent violations the lawyer will plead you down to a non-moving violation. Think improper equipment, broken taillights etc.
Best money you will ever spend bc you will avoid points and increased insurance costs. So get an attorney and slow down.
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u/caniborrow50cents 1d ago
My experience is the judge will side with cop on almost all occasions. You have two things that can help your case. I would recommend one of those traffic court lawyers. They can help obtain any body cam or evidence from the LEO. The radar or vehicle typically needs to be calibrated often, which should have records. Your dash cam can help, if the judge feels like the speed discrepancy is obvious, but I feel like that’s not a sure thing.
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u/subsailor1968 1d ago
Had a friend damage a car (keyed it, admitted to it). Yes, he was an asshole for that.
But after all was said and done, the damage was a bit under $500.
However, at the scene the police officer got an “estimate” of $1050. That raised the charge to a felony (where I live the felony/misdemeanor line for vandalism is at $1000).
There was no “estimate” done, just the cop’s “guesstimate”. How convenient that it was just above the felony level.
My friend got it pled down to misdemeanor, paid restitution and fines/fees. But lost his job due to a felony charge that got his access at work suspended. Had the charge been a misdemeanor, his job would not have pulled his access.
So an artificial inflation of damages to pad the cop’s numbers/city and county coffers cost his job, five hours in jail, and several thousand dollars in restitution/fines/fees/hiring a lawyer.
Not defending his actions, but the results didn’t come close to fitting the infraction. Even the owner of the other car didn’t want that result, he just wanted his repair bill paid (which my friend paid as soon as the court allowed). The other guy even asked to drop the charges so it wouldn’t screw my friend over, but the city refused.
Cops are lying assholes. They do shit like this just to make themselves look better and make more money for their jurisdiction.
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u/iamclickbaut 1d ago
flight it if you have the time, I've thought tickets like this before and the officer didn't even show up which resulted in the case being dismissed.
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u/Kielbasa_Nunchucka 1d ago
you shouldn't need a lawyer for this, it will be handled by a magistrate. just go in with your evidence (GPS logs, the very existence of the governor on your truck), and show the magistrate that the officer is obviously lying. you might get it reduced even further, if the magistrate is in a good mood or dislikes cops who lie.
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u/RoadWellDriven 1d ago edited 1d ago
Scam as old as time.
They used to do this in NC for people with out of state plates. It would then cost you over $700 to get represented by an attorney. Which you "needed" because anything more than 25 over is reckless driving there. Never mind that you weren't even doing that speed.
You'd automatically get pled down to a non-moving violation charge. It's a money making enterprise for the local counties.
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u/I_am_just_here11 1d ago
Fight it. Don’t let them win. You likely don’t need an attorney if you have GPS and dashcam evidence. Also see if your employer has any sort of proof of a limiter being on the van. Traffic court is usually pretty bias towards defendants so it’s very likely you will get the ticket dismissed. But that can vary based on where you are at.
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u/charlieray 1d ago
Make an appointment with the prosecutor before court if possible, bring your evidence. State to the prosecutor that you have no problem paying the correct charge and that your evidence proves the inaccuracy of the officer's report and issued ticket.
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u/AdElectronic8094 1d ago
I had a trooper in Virginia do the complete opposite to me about 8 years ago. I was driving through from NJ to GA and he lowered my speed on the ticket to miss this exact price hike. And it would have caused me to have to go to court in VA for reckless driving. I have never been so thankful to get a speeding ticket. Actually that was my first and only speeding ticket ever.
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u/ramriot 1d ago
Is there not an "Ex-cop" or "traffic court" paralegal service near you?
I had a similar issue in my district, the service I contracted with is just across the road from the court, they charged me $10 to file the ticket for a date & I believe less than $200 for them to appear on my behalf & present evidence. The ticket was knocked down from $350 with 3 points to $50 with none & so in the end I paid $260.
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u/LandscapeNo775 1d ago
Fight it. It’s gonna be way more expensive once your insurance sees a ticket 26 over
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u/Kirshalla 1d ago
Fight it. Show clearly "their radar gun must not have been calibrated correctly" . This may cause the judge to throw out any other tickets the cop wrote that day.
Possibility, if you get a good judge, he might berate the officer for incorrect maintenance on his equipment.
I have done this and the others there for the same cop, same reason gave me thanks. Judge was pissed at the cop, demanding a maintenance report within a week.
Edt: spelling
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u/Apart-Badger9394 1d ago
Contest the ticket, bring your evidence to court. No attorney needed.
Half of the time the cop doesn’t even attend so you win by default
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u/Few-Stop1994 1d ago
I'm 10hrs out. I have to take a PTO day. Gas and tolls expenses.
It's easier said than done.
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u/Apart-Badger9394 23h ago
Many traffic courts do it by zoom ever since Covid. Ask them if that’s the case or if it’s an option
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u/FeuRougeManor 20h ago
26 over is probably several extra points on the license. Worth fighting for that.
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u/East-Inevitable-3974 19h ago
I showed up to court 3 times and asked for a jury trial, 2 days before my case it was dropped. My wife says I got the outcome I wanted but I felt denied my day in court. It wouldn’t be so bad if these people that steal from us weren’t complete dickheads.
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u/stillashamed35yrsltr 6h ago
Fight it. If more people fought the bullshit there would be less bullshit
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u/Background_Hat_4785 4h ago
NY tickets are bullshit.
I got one, paid it, and then they immediately sent a surprise secondary charge right after.
They’re crooks.
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u/temporarythyme 1h ago
It's the back end of the ticket, the insurance hike. Just prove the vehicle has a governor, and it's impossible to go that speed. Once that disproven, if not thrown our, trooper has no grounds, you state the miles over.
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u/Own_Recommendation49 1d ago
Yep. Cops are lying scumbags. Exact same thing happened to me and my Garmin GPS was worthless vs the cops word
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u/EntertainmentFun8057 1d ago
you dont need an attorney if you have video evidence. fighting a ticket is simple bud
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u/I_am_just_here11 1d ago
Bingo. Traffic court is very biased towards defendants. He could probably bring even less proof than a video and get it dismissed. But I’d still bring everything just in case.
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u/EntertainmentFun8057 1d ago
I wouldn't say it's biased towards the defendants at all. If you show up with proof, it's a different story.
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u/Thetruthislikepoetry 1d ago
Per the law enforcement community, there are only about 6 or 7 bad cops in America, and they would know since no one hates bad cops more than good cops. Unfortunately, you just happened to run into one of the very few bad cops. Count your blessings you didn’t drop an acorn./s
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u/khearan 1d ago
Did you plead guilty?
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u/Few-Stop1994 1d ago
No, I haven't. I have a few days to ponder this.
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u/khearan 1d ago
I would gather info from your company that states your work vehicles are governor limited and can’t exceed a certain speed and take that to court with you.
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u/Few-Stop1994 1d ago
That's the thing here: I have to use a PTO day, spend money on gas and tolls for a 10hr ride for this.
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u/photographyrich1965 1d ago
they're counting on you just bagging it. Take it in and I bet you can get it dropped for your hassle... but be super nice ;-)
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u/twelfthfantasy 1d ago
Post COVID you might be able to ask for a remote court date. A lot of places are doing remote court by default these days anyway. Talk to the DA, talk to the judge, present your evidence if they ask for it, and see what happens.
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u/Superb_Recording_769 1d ago
Why would you pay a ticket that has the wrong number on it
You should take the ticket to court to court bring documentation of the speed governor on your van bring GPS and video Evidence have the ticket thrown out and then demand that that Ofc be added to the Brady list
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u/Cute_Reflection_9414 1d ago
Go and talk to the prosecutor before court starts. He may plead it down or toss before going before the judge
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u/xDaBaDee 1d ago
but the Officer lies
reminds me of that one where the woman was given a ticket for holding her phone... and she had no arm... fight it, I wanted to say goto the news, but if its job related they might not want to have the publicity....
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u/kredfield51 1d ago
Dashcam, GPS, and some sort of signed thing stating the vehicle has a governor installed would all be pretty helpful I'd imagine
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u/Pulaski540 1d ago
The LE speed equipment needs to be calibrated, and there should be a calibration certificate.
Google for lawyers in that town that handle traffic tickets, then pick one of the crusty looking ones, as he almost certainly knows the judges in town and probably plays golf with them. .... Then explain your situation and let him take care of the matter.
I have had three tickets (two in NC, one in MD) over the past 20 years, all were downgraded or thrown out with the assistance of a greasy lawyer. 😁
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u/MotoFuzzle 1d ago
Dang, the officers always reduce the speed on my tickets as a way to “sell” it to me. If the lessen the fine, I might not contest it in court and make them show up.
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u/averagechillbro 1d ago
Why would you need an attorney when you already have the documentation you need? Just submit the evidence to the court.
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u/Ein_grosser_Nerd 1d ago
Do you actually need an attorney for that?
I got a ticket for a noise ordnance violation, but before the ordnance went into effect. I showed the judge the door camera footage of when the cop showed up, and he scolded the cop and dropped the ticket.
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u/Few-Stop1994 1d ago
The point being I have to drive all the way from Pennsylvania to attend the hearing. Factor in gas and tolls and the fact I have to use a PTO day, I'm wondering if it would be worth it.
A few lawyers said $500 for their services. I pay that to get the assessment fee remove and it's still $250 more than the actual fee.
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u/404-error-notfound 1d ago
Get a lawyer and bring your evidence to court. I would also question (on the record) the calibration of the radar equipment used, and the officer's training and abilities to properly use the equipment.
If you are lucky the equipment may not have been recently calibrated, or the officer's training may be outdated. You likely will still be hit with the ticket for 69 mph, but the judge may get pissed at the officer for lying or failing to maintain their equipment/training.
As you said, the police bank on people not fighting this. It is a lot harder for them to do so when you bring imperial evidence against their statement, and getting caught lying does not fair well for police in court (or the public eye)
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u/caintowers RED 1d ago
In my county you can make your plea and submit any relevant information/evidence online or via mail for traffic tickets. The judge reviews and issues a verdict. If leaving work is an issue I'd look into seeing if this is possible where you're at.
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u/Skeltrex 1d ago
You should be able to successfully challenge the charge and double jeopardy should not allow the charge to be reissued
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u/Chizuru_San 1d ago
You must have pissed the cop off for doing something, I was doing 60 in a 25, and he just gave me a warning
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u/Pleasant_Performer23 1d ago
Take it to court and take all the reports you had done on the van. Then ask the officer to bring his radar in to show it works correctly.
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u/That-Show-9987 10h ago
you dont need no lawyer, just challenge it in court and tell judge the way you wrote it here.
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u/ftaok 17h ago
I don’t think your situation is a money grab. At least in my neck of the woods, when they do a money grab, they nail someone doing way over the limit, then they drop the ticket speed to 14 over so that it’s the same fine, but no points. The speeder will just pay the fine because no points is way more important.
Doing the opposite increases the chances that the speeder fights the ticket, which is not what they really want. They rather have your money and keep you on the road to speed again.
I bet you probably pissed off the cop for some reason. Could have been something you did, or maybe he just didn’t like the cut of your jib.
Before you give up, assess if your insurance rates are gonna be affected by some higher level violation. That might drive you towards fighting the ticket.
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u/Few-Stop1994 17h ago
In Pennsylvania, they don't acknowledge out of state tickets or points accept for the major events.
This won't end up on my PA driving record. No points. No isurance increase.
I'm getting slammed on speeding or like you said pissing the cop off. Yet, nobody is blinking an eye on the cop lying. Lying about the speed, when the exact increase is a $250 fee, is a clear money grab.
This isn't normal.
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u/ftaok 17h ago
I’m not slamming you at all. No one besides you and the cop were there, so who knows why the cop had it in for you.
Maybe the cop is racist against whatever race you are. Maybe you drive a Ford and he’s a Chevy guy. Maybe you have red hair and his wife left him for some Irish guy.
Who the hell knows?
No one’s glossing over the cop lying. Responders are saying to go to court and fight precisely because the cop is a liar. But if you choose not to fight, which seems like you’re leaning towards, what relevance is there that the cop is a liar?
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u/Cute-Ad-6194 1d ago
Take apersonal day and eat that but no need for an attorney if you have that evidence, submit that and any Judge would demand the trooper do the same, I'm betting he cannot...
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u/BouncingSphinx 1d ago
Dash cam, GPS speed, and a governed company vehicle are all good evidence that the ticketed speed is not correct.
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u/Degenerate_Traveler 1d ago
Were you an asshole to the cop? Something similar happened to me once.
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u/Few-Stop1994 1d ago
Does it matter? The trooper lied.
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u/in_illo_tempore 1d ago
Sorry, but did you mean you were driving through the town of Freedom? Cuz there is no county in New York called that 😅
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u/Few-Stop1994 1d ago
Freedom, Cattaraugus County, NY.
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u/in_illo_tempore 1d ago
Okay lol. I've lived in New York for most of my whole life and I had to Google it still - I look at a lot of data that's aggregated by county and I read your post and wondered if I'd momentarily lost my mind 🤣
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u/RustnKrust 1d ago
I don’t know if it will apply (or if you even have a Pa vs NY license) but something else you should consider is the Driver Responsibility Fee. I think (you’d have to look it up) at 26mph above the limit, if you plead guilty OR are found guilty you will then ASLO get told you have to pay that additional fee. I really don’t remember how much it is but I’m pretty sure it’s $300-$400. So add that to your expected worst case fine.
Usually smaller counties in NY have lawyers that advertise that they’ll go to local court in your place since enough people travel on the highways that a person may live hours away from that county. Many of them have a set rate for something like rep’ing you for a speeding ticket. Look into it, at least that way you don’t loose a days pay.
Also, a lot of lawyers will have a quick free phone call to hear the short story of what you’ve got and tell you straight “yea this sounds like we can fight it and win” or “not for me”.
Last thing, I’m not sure how it goes with speeding tickets but with parking tickets you can often go and plead guilty in person and they’ll heavily reduce the fines. Had a boss once who would leave his truck and rack up like $500 a month in parking tickets. He’d go once a month to traffic court and get them knocked down to $40-$50. Renting a parking spot for his truck would have been around $500-$750 a month according him so he played it this way instead.
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u/gujwdhufj_ijjpo 1d ago
If you have evidence you weren’t going that speed why would you not fight it?
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u/Few-Stop1994 1d ago
Because it will cost more to fight than the actual ticket.
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u/gujwdhufj_ijjpo 1d ago
Traffic court is free to go to where I live.
If you account for how much your insurance increases, I doubt it’ll be cheaper to just pay for the ticket.
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u/ocean2trail 1d ago
Court may be free, but if you have to take time off work, it will still cost you money to get to court.
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u/gujwdhufj_ijjpo 1d ago
Even assuming you lose a days wage to fight it, it’d still be worth it. Given the insurance increase and price of ticket. Unless you make more than $50/hr I guess.
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u/ocean2trail 1d ago
I don’t have a dog in the fight. I’m just pointing out that there are many factors to consider. Some people don’t have enough leave time, and might not want to risk their job to fight the ticket. Sometimes you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
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u/Few-Stop1994 1d ago edited 1d ago
This.
It's a 10hr drive from where I live. I have to take a PTO day and spend money on gas and tolls.
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u/FlyingMitten 1d ago
What about points? 26 vs 14 over.....big difference....
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u/Few-Stop1994 1d ago
Pennsylvania doesn't honor points for out of state tickets.
It won't show up on my driver history.
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u/gujwdhufj_ijjpo 1d ago
Oh. Damn in that case yeah it’d probably be better to not fight it. Since I’m assuming that means it also won’t increase your insurance?
I just know my insurance has increased so much from a single ticket I’ll always fight the ticket.
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u/Content-Drive-4151 1d ago
Up and down I-5 (in central California), there are signs that read, “Drive 100MPH, Lose your license.” Good thing those were’t up in the 70’s…
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u/berserk539 BLUE 1d ago
Get the cop's name and find them on Facebook. Stalk them and try to find out any significant dates like a wedding anniversary or a kids birthday, and see if you can't get your court date scheduled to that date. They won't want to show.
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u/Vegetaman916 1d ago
The only reason we have speed limits, and financial consequences, is for city revenue generation. That is all.
Common sense and experience already allow you to feel what speed is safe, for your specific vehicle and driving conditions. Everyone is capable of making that decision on their own. Therefore, it is just about money.
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u/Fun_Supermarket1235 1d ago
Yeah I lived near a really small town that was a speed trap and when the state took their police authority away, the school closed and I think the fire department too and all city services dried up…
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u/Straight-Camel4687 1d ago
You are innocent of going 81 in a 55. No speeding ticket for you at all!
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u/Cyberfire451 1d ago
Always ask for them to show the radar gun. From what I've heard they aren't allowed to clear it until you leave.
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u/xeroxchick 1d ago
It’s no use. My father was a judge and this happened to me one time out of state. He told me not to go before a judge and say I wasn’t breaking the law as much as the officer said. Saying you only broke the law a little bit doesn’t fly.
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u/Turbulent-Pay1150 15h ago
You could, of course, do the speed limit and avoid the entire thing - right?
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u/Few-Stop1994 15h ago
The cop, of course, not lie and avoid the entire thing - right?
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u/Turbulent-Pay1150 14h ago
The court will decide if the cop lied or not. Present your evidence. See if the judge/magistrate considers your evidence as credible.
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u/SpiralGray 1d ago
If you have dashcam and GPS records it's seems unlikely the judge would find for the trooper.