Should I fight the Ticket?

[bettymae1121]

Probably not worth fighting it (it's your word against the cops, and unless you're really got some good evidence, the judge will take the cops side every time) but a well reasoned and calm sounding letter to the proper people in charge of such things about the cops behavior might be in order. If this cop acts like this all the time, odds are others will have complained too, and with multiple complaints something might actually happen to him.

Funny story. My DH, long before he was my DH, told me once about at time he left a bar NOT in a fit state to drive. He walked up to his car and was about to unlock it when he decided he better not. He lived about a 10 minute walk from the bar and started walking home instead. Apparently, a cop was hiding out near the bar parking lot, waiting for drunks to start driving home (which is fine). He must have gotten mad that DH "got away" so he follows DH a little ways and then "pulls DH over" (remember he's walking home, not driving) and gives DH a ticket for public intoxication. DH shows up on his court date and explains to the judge that he was trying to do the right thing, he was too drunk to drive and was walking a short distance home. He wasn't causing a disturbance or making a nusance of himself, he was just walking home.

DH said the judge ripped the cop a new one for harrasing a citizen and wasting the courts time!

 

[PatsGirl]

BettyMae, this same thing happened to my friends' son in Texas just a few months ago. His car was in the lot but he decided to walk the few blocks home instead of driving drunk and was arrested for public intoxication as well. Gotta love some of these cops

 

[PatsGirl]

And here's a funny ~ picked up the mail today only to have a "violation notice" After my citation by the officer, I went back to pick up my son and he was right where he was supposed to be this time, lol. Well, even though I had been to Logan at least 4 times in the past few months, I missed the 93S turn in the tunnel and ended up on the Mass Pike going West. We joked that I was taking DS to see the Red Sox v. Yankees game (yes, they were really playing that night) and took it in stride but I was secretly hoping that I'd be able to get turned around without a huge hassle.

Good new, just a few miles down I-90 an there's a U-turn so I take it. Again we laughed about seeing Fenway lights and his luck. Well, apparently this particular U-turn is for those with FastLane passes of some sort and I've been fined another $50 for failure to pay a toll All I can do at this time is laugh. It's starting to feel like a who's on first skit

 

[laughinplace199]

OP, it seems the traffic gods were not with you that day. First the ticket and then the fine for the toll. You poor thing!

I fought a speeding ticket once (but there was no $25 charge to fight a ticket back then). A lot of people here have mentioned that the judge will side with the cop. When I fought my ticket, there was no judge present. Now that I think of it, I'm not sure who the man was who was going through everyone's cases. We were just called up one by one, talked to him and explained our side of the story, and then he'd say if we had to pay fine or not.

I live very close to the courthouse that I had to go to, so it wasn't a big deal for me to give it a shot. However, if you're going to have to take time off from work and have a long drive, it might not be worth it. But, if it's a nice day, maybe it would be worth going to court and then having a fun day in town.

Good luck!

 

[IDoDis]

Funny story. My DH, long before he was my DH, told me once about at time he left a bar NOT in a fit state to drive. He walked up to his car and was about to unlock it when he decided he better not. He lived about a 10 minute walk from the bar and started walking home instead. Apparently, a cop was hiding out near the bar parking lot, waiting for drunks to start driving home (which is fine). He must have gotten mad that DH "got away" so he follows DH a little ways and then "pulls DH over" (remember he's walking home, not driving) and gives DH a ticket for public intoxication. DH shows up on his court date and explains to the judge that he was trying to do the right thing, he was too drunk to drive and was walking a short distance home. He wasn't causing a disturbance or making a nusance of himself, he was just walking home.

DH said the judge ripped the cop a new one for harrasing a citizen and wasting the courts time!

Wow! They should have just given him a ride home and should have been happy that he didn't drive.

Years ago my DH was driving downtown. A car on a one-way street was trying to parallel park and kept blocking the street because he kept pulling in and out to get angled correctly. After the 3rd attempt, my frustrated DH started laying on the horn. A cop was nearby and pulled my DH over for honking!

DH decided to fight the ticket in court. When the judge saw the ticket, he looked at the police officer and said, "You've got to be kidding me! You gave this man a ticket for honking?" Then he dismissed the case.

Another little funny part to the story was that as DH was entering the courthouse, he had to go through a metal detector. They make everyone take everything out of their pockets and put it in a tub that gets x-rayed before walking through the metal detector. The guy in line in front of DH was pulling things out of his pocket, when out of his pocket drops a bag of pot. The security guard picked it up and told the man to step aside and then handcuffed him.

Of course the first thing the guy said was, "It wasn't mine. I was holding it for a friend!"

 

[EllenFrasier]

I believe that you are supposed to check your mirror and turn and look to make sure there are no cars next to you in the lane you are turning into.

Anyway, I would just pay the ticket but maybe include a letter explaining what happened and how you were treated by the officer. He might need some anger management courses or something!

 

[Dismagic1]

This thread is inspired by the one about the boy stopped for not wearing his sesatbelt and the question "Should a formal complaint against the officer be filed?"

Background: Four weeks ago I was stopped in East Boston on the grounds of Logan Airport for Failure to Look when Changing Lanes or something to that effect (I don't have the ticket in front of me) and given a $50 ticket. When I called my insurance company to find out how it would affect my insurance I was told that it would not increase it but something about losing a point. But...the insurance clerk did say that if I was stopped and ticketed again then it would mean a substantial increase of $50+ for a few years.

So my story: at Logan to pick up DS for military leave and being "shooed" by officers "keep moving, keep moving"...at the same time that I'm moving, I'm looking for my son who assured me he had his luggage and would be waiting outside for me. I move slowly and still can't find him and when I get to the split that is either to exit the airport or circle around I make a quick decision to exit and go back to the cell phone lot to call him again. When I did this, I looked in my rear view and put on my directional, no cars coming...good to go.

I exit the airport and am in the middle lane when I realize I need to take a left for the cell phone lot. Again I look in my rearview and spot an officer, put on my directional, look in my rearview again and it appears the cruiser is LETTING me go into the left lane so I do. I will admit that both turn decisions were made "on the spot" so to speak but methodically and cautiously.

Next thing I know the officer has pulled up right beside me and is motioning quite AGGRESSIVELY to roll down my window. Red faced and yelling at me once I did "that is the second time you changed lanes without looking, now pull over, we're going to have a talk". Helllooo, are we in kindergarten here Seriously he was way too upset for the "proposed crime".

My response was "I did look, I saw you in my rearview and put on my directional, and I thought you were letting me go". Well, not the right thing to say apparently because now he was raging. Mind you, I had my mother and daughter with me and have not been stopped in 19 years and then only got a warning for incomplete stop at a stop sign.

"Get your license and registration out and pull over to the curb, I'm done talking with you, you're getting a citation". So, I pull over, hand over my documentation and he hands me my $50 ticket, no conversation at all.

My thought is that he wasn't paying attention when I went into the left lane and came right up on me. He had not advanced on me between the two looks into the rearview...I can think of no other rational reason for his rage. I believe his aggression and rage were way out of line.

So, should I go to "ticket court" and fight this, save myself the possible future insurance increases? It now costs $25 CASH to appear in court to fight a ticket, it'll cost me a day off from work, and it'll be a three-hour drive RT. On the other hand, what if this officer has a history of raging against other drivers?

Tell me what you think, and don't hold back (like that might happen)

Sounds like that cop was having his time of the month. Unfortunately, without proof, it will be impossible for you to prove that he made a mistake. That is why I suggest that all people have a video camera in their car to be able to prove when a cop is lying or simply making a mistake.

 

[MarilIncredible]

I probably would have pulled a "distressed female" routine and burst into tears when the cop pulled me over. I'd babble about how I was supposed to pick up my son & I couldn't find him and i was just trying to get to the cell phone lot to call him, all the while praying the cop would let me off with a warning. But since, you did get the ticket, I'd just pay it. Unless the cop fails to show up for court, it is just your word against his, and if you only used your rearview and didn't check the blind spot, you will most likely be found liable for the ticket.

 

[kaytieeldr]

You could show up for the court date and hope the police officer doesn't come. If he's a no-show, your ticket automatically gets dropped. However, if he's there, the best thing to do would be to ask the judge to allow you to go to traffic school and dismiss the ticket.

We don't HAVE traffic school in Massachusetts Don't ask me why - it seems to work in other states... we also aren't allowed to take advantage of those free prescription drug offers that the rest of the country can - for our 'own protection', but that's an issue for a different thread. This state... sigh...

 

[npmommie]

Well, that's 4-0 and unfortunately I should have posted this question earlier. For me it's a matter of principle but I'm second guessing myself now that I've already filed the "appeal" and got my date. I keep thinking what a pain to go back into Boston on a nice summer day I'll have to look at the fine print and see if I still have an option to pay it before that date. I'm a little incensed that they are now charging $25 to fight the ticket as well. And, with my luck I'll get stopped again the week after the assigned date and really get screwed

You could show up for the court date and hope the police officer doesn't come. If he's a no-show, your ticket automatically gets dropped. However, if he's there, the best thing to do would be to ask the judge to allow you to go to traffic school and dismiss the ticket.

Saying you didn't do anything wrong will get you nowhere. They hear this a thousand times a day, so it goes in one ear and out of the other.

I am sure you could teach driving school as well. Living out of state and having the ability to navigate Logan without having to leave and pay the toll an extra time should be a class in itself. And don't forget, Bunker Hill Day is one of the coveted "hack holidays" in Massachusetts.

Dawn don't forget Evacuation Day is another holiday here in MA, aka St. patricks day! LOL

OP,
I would fight the ticket. and both times I fought a ticket they had a specific officer assigned to court for this, one was a state police one was a town police...........both times I won, I could provide details the assigned cop could not because they were not there, and could only read what was in front of them.
basically they said what the violation was, but had no specific details.
I would fight both of the tickets actually.
you will most likely win in my opinion.

 

[Arielle22]

I would pay the ticket. It isn't a judge you go before but more of a majistrate.
It truly sounds like another he said/she said situation.

I will disagree with luvsJack that you should fight it if you feel you were treated unfairly. You need to look at the situation objectively and see even if the ticket is dismissed will you come out ahead? That is something only you can decide. For me, it sounds like more hassle than it is worth.

I once fought a speeding ticket I received right after the 3rd Harbor Tunnel opened. It sucked having to find a parking space in East Boston and sit in a crowded room (no AC on a summer day) with everyone else who was appealing (along with losing time form work). The police had one officer who responded to every complaint.

My ticket was lowered but not dismissed. If it had been for $50 then I would have paid it and not appealed.

As for your ticket on the Pike, there is really no way to get out of it since they take a picture of your car. I used to work in a car dealership and we were always getting tickets on our loaner cars for fastpass offences. The dealership was responsible since the cars were in our name.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

seems the Police are just in a generally grumpy mood this week.. here is one from Canada..

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/cri...icer-accused-retards-of-lawn-mower-theft?bn=1

Wow, that's awful!

And here's a funny ~ picked up the mail today only to have a "violation notice" After my citation by the officer, I went back to pick up my son and he was right where he was supposed to be this time, lol. Well, even though I had been to Logan at least 4 times in the past few months, I missed the 93S turn in the tunnel and ended up on the Mass Pike going West. We joked that I was taking DS to see the Red Sox v. Yankees game (yes, they were really playing that night) and took it in stride but I was secretly hoping that I'd be able to get turned around without a huge hassle.

Good new, just a few miles down I-90 an there's a U-turn so I take it. Again we laughed about seeing Fenway lights and his luck. Well, apparently this particular U-turn is for those with FastLane passes of some sort and I've been fined another $50 for failure to pay a toll All I can do at this time is laugh. It's starting to feel like a who's on first skit

In RI, we have this law:

If you have a good driving record you may request that your summons be dismissed upon payment of costs by pleading guilty with a good driving record. You must appear in court to request this procedure. “Good driving record” means no moving violations within the three (3) years prior to the current violation.

Is there anything like that in MA? Won't help you on the 2nd violation on the same day tho. And that 2nd violation may make the first one not look so good.