Posted: 7/30/2006 4:44:55 PM EDT
| first off thank you for all you do for our communities. second i have a question. my sister got a speeding ticket and when the officer gave it to her he didnt have her sign it. does that void it or anything? |
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Just mail in the payment, if they let you, and be done with it. Taking it to court is usually a waste of time unless you have a lawyer in the family who can fix it for you for free. The city still wants there money, though. The judge might make her pay a $75 parking ticket. Most people around here take it to court on the chance that we won't show up. What they don't know is that we lose days for not showing up to court. |
Not saying that there are unethical LEO's (or other .gov officials  ) but I would contact the court, and see if they're on the docket for the offense.I could hypothetically see an unsigned cite being annotated "refused to sign" by the officer, especially if others have gone unnoticed and the officer caught hell for it. Not a slam, just a quirk of human nature. |
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My standard advice is to call and speak with the officer. Ask if there is any reduced charge with 0 points she can plea to and if so how she could go about doing it. He/she will say yes or no. Unless she was a PIA, long driving history or otherwise deserving of the moving violation I often will adjust the offense for someone with the stones to come and ask. That said I couldn't give to piles about traffic tickets so I may be in the minority. (and I am on the traffic detail too, glad I work nights so I can still find some real criminals) Joe |
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I am not the biggest traffic nut but I still get out there and mix it up from time to time. I would guess that i write about 10-20 a month, on average. Some shit is so stupid i just can't pass it up. I give absolutely, positively, no slack, ever, for child restraint violations. I don't care if the violator is a direct descendant of Christ himself. If that was the case he/she should miracle some restraints on their children. |
And "No Insurance" for me. Every single time I take an accident report and the good guy who has insurance finds out the other driver doesn't.... I hate that look on people's faces. You know, the "I just got screwed" look. Recently I did a search warrant on a house who was making fake temporary plates (the kind when you buy a new car. In MO, it is a simple piece of paper that you tape in the rear window.) Come to find out she was also printing of fake insurance ID cards as well. Seems to be becoming more and more common around here. Folks work so hard to get around to law rather than just obeying. |
Hard if not impossible to verify, to boot. I can't tell you how many fake insurance cards I get (that is, when I do a VS.) |
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Couple of years ago, I got T-boned going thru an intersection. Totaled my car. Nobody really hurt. I got the ticket because a "witness" said I took the red. (not, but that's another story) A friend recommended I contact a traffic attorney. 1 meeting with her, 1 visit to pickup a form, and $74 ... case dimissed. BEST $ I ever spent. My 2c. Stay safe |
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I'm not an LEO, but I prefer deferred Adjudication over the defensive driving course. The difference is, while defensive driving or traffic school may remove your points, the offense still goes on your driving record. With deferred adjudication, it never goes on your driving record if you meet the terms. Basically you make a deal that if you go proabation for 90 days and get no violations during that period, it is dismissed and never goes on your state record. The down side is, if you do, they can yank your license, although I have never heard of that happening. In most Texas jurisdictions, you can do it once every 3 years per jurisdiction. I don't get a lot of tickets, but when I do, deferred Adjudication keeps it off my driving record. You still pay the ticket, and an additional fee, but worth it IMO. Ask about it when you go to pay the ticket. |