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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

DAMN THE POLICE (Or: How to get out of minor offences...)

Discussion in 'Archive: Your Jedi Council Community' started by epic , Jan 11, 2002.

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  1. epic

    epic Ex Mod star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 4, 1999
    Ok, so it's 12:09am, I just finish dropping my friend home... I drive to the end of his street (where there is a stop sign, apparently), it's pitch dark... there's OBVIOUSLY no one driving anywhere near where I am (I looked... no lights, there's just obviously no cars...), so I DON'T come to a complete halt, and just turn. Well, 10 seconds later I see lights, and flashing lights, and the freaking cops pull me over. They give me the breathaliser (lucky I hadn't been drinking) and I was like, nice and polite and stuff... and then they STILL give me a freaking $135 fine for not stopping at a STOP sign. fhsjdfhjdsfhjdsfhjhdsfjkdsfkjds.

    I mean, ok... they're doing their job... but still, this is taking the law too far, IMO. It's 1 in the morning... there's obviously no one around driving... there's no chance I'm going to hit anyone... I hadn't been drinking... and yet they still throw away all human decency and rationality and give me this huge fine. Ughghgg. I mean, 90% of people don't COMPLETELY stop at STOP signs... especially when it's an isolated piece of road in the middle of the night. This is just plain stupidity. I haven't learnt my lesson... I just HATE the police now. Is that what they want?

    So, yeh... is there any way I can, like, NOT pay this fine? Is there anything I can fight them with? Are they allowed to just sit there, lights off, preying on victims?

    I don't want to pay this fine out of SPITE, damnit. Plus, I'm a freaking UNI student... I can't afford this kind of thing.

    HFKJDSHFJKDSHFJDSHFJKDS.
     
  2. Genghis12

    Genghis12 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 18, 1999
    It's annoying and it's a "game." You better pay the fine, otherwise you'll have a warrant out. If you simply ignore even minor offenses, all sorts of nasty things can happen, the least of which is having them double and/or triple the original fine as well as tack on all sorts of crazy penalties. Pay now or pay later - later will cost you much more.

    The game is you have to show up for this rinky-dink BS. But, you can most likely get the DA/justice of the peace/etc. to simply toss it out. Most municipalities have traffic court at "convenient" hours (that is, it's wasting your free time), so you can go. So, show up, be nice to the man (judge) and it'll most likely get tossed out.

    But don't ignore it out of spite. They like it when you do that because they can really screw your life over then. [face_plain]
     
  3. Darth_AYBABTU

    Darth_AYBABTU Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 8, 2001

    I'm a law-abiding person... except for traffic laws.

    Anyway, I don't like the damn dirty jack-booted thugs either. I'm just a plain-ol' white guy in the South, and I get hassled by them all the time. I nearly got arrested the night of the recent meteor shower because I was standing around looking up. He demanded that I show him my license, and I told him to have a Coke and a smile and... you know the rest. He finally backed off when I reminded him that he needed probable cause and he was violating my civil rights.

    What a dork.

    I've also been pulled over 19 times in the last eleven years by 14 different law enforcement agencies.

    But you broke the law, so you have to pay the consequences.

    AYBABTU?

     
  4. Darth_Reign

    Darth_Reign Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 7, 2001
    That's strange. I just read a book on Police incompetence.
     
  5. epic

    epic Ex Mod star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 4, 1999
    Yeh, it says my options are to pay it (within 28 days), or elect for a court hearing, where I can elect to have the matter dealt with by the court. The question is, is this court business just going to be a waste of time for me, or is it worth the shot? Also, what if I like, I dunno, wrote a letter to like the transport department or the local police commissioner (I'm much better with writing) and explained my case and give the full sob story? Anyone know if that would be of any benefit?
     
  6. Darth_AYBABTU

    Darth_AYBABTU Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 8, 2001

    Would you benefit from saying, "I broke the law, plain as day, but I don't want to pay the consequences for it"??

    In a word... no.

    AYBABTU?

     
  7. Elan-Rai

    Elan-Rai RSA Emeritus star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2001
    I bet Hama could give you a few pointers. ;)
     
  8. epic

    epic Ex Mod star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 4, 1999
    AYBABTU, not everything is in black and white.

     
  9. Darth_AYBABTU

    Darth_AYBABTU Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 8, 2001

    I would think that running a stop sign in a non-emergency situation is pretty black and white. The law states that you must come to a complete stop. People go to jail for cheating on their taxes, and that's never killed anybody.

    This is most definitely a black and white issue. You broke the law. Period. If you don't believe me, try it on the judge and see what he says.

    AYBABTU?

     
  10. Herman Snerd

    Herman Snerd Jedi Master star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 31, 1999
    It might be worth your time to go to court.

    If you have a clean record, show up looking nice and clean and show proper respect to the judge, he may let you off.


    I don't know what the rules are in Australia, but here in the states one can get court supervision for a first offense if it's a minor traffic infraction. Basically, the court hangs onto the ticket for six months or a year (depending on the infraction). If you keep your nose clean and don't get another ticket in that time, the ticket you got won't go on your record.


    If you do get another ticket in that time, you get no leniency for the second one and the first one then officially goes on your driving record.


    I had to go to traffic court this spring (reason unimportant) and I expected to just pay my fine and leave. In the pre-trial, the judge basically looked me in the eye and told me that if I fought the ticket I'd win, which I later did when I went back for trial.
     
  11. epic

    epic Ex Mod star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 4, 1999
    What's that? You got out of something that was against the law? But... but... you broke the law!! (Period!)... you shouldn't have got out of it! ABABYTU, are you reading this?!?!?!1

    Anyway, thanks for the in-fo. I think I will go to court and see what happens... it can't hurt the situation, anyway.
     
  12. Jedi_Tabee

    Jedi_Tabee Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 6, 2001
    poor baby

    how bout if you tell the police or judge, whatever, that you were practicing my Uncle Rip's way of stopping: Not. My uncle stops like that at every sign, busy intersection or no.
     
  13. WindexedStormtrooper

    WindexedStormtrooper Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 11, 2001
    I've been to court WAYYYYY too many times. Listen to Herman, he speaks the truth.

    However, it IS possible that your intersection you got caught at has been targeted. Many times neighborhoods will complain to police about cetain intersections or stretches of roads where infractions commonly take place, and then the police to a sort of crackdown on that particular place, even citing the teeniest of infractions. Anyways, go to court talk to the judge, be humble and polite. And if you REALLY want to get out of it, tell the judge that your passenger HAD been drinking, called you to pick him up, so you went to get him and take him home. It may be a tiny fib but damn the police and their nitpicking! Good luck guy
     
  14. Darth_AYBABTU

    Darth_AYBABTU Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 8, 2001

    Ohh... lying in court. That's another great technique!

    AYBABTU?

     
  15. WindexedStormtrooper

    WindexedStormtrooper Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 11, 2001
    It's not lying...if you belieeeve it to be true...

    <looks at ceiling>
     
  16. epic

    epic Ex Mod star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 4, 1999
    Oh, that's right... only 100% complete ethical and moral events take place in the courtroom. In fact, lawyers should really be treated with much more, uh, respect for their continuing honesty and integrity.

     
  17. legacyAccount

    legacyAccount Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 22, 2012
    i'm always so anal about driving at night. there were times in high school when i was working on a group project until 1 or 2 in the morning, and when i left and there were no cars around i still wouldn't run stop signs, ect. not because i'm a goody-twoshoes, but because i'm a fraidy cat.

    i think that one of the reasons to take things to court in the US is that if the cop does't show up, thne you get off. dunno how it works in australia though.
     
  18. Obi-Zahn Kenobi

    Obi-Zahn Kenobi Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 23, 1999
    I swear to tel the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Er, maybe not.

    :D

    No, no perjury.

    No.... Perjuy.

    Okay?

    Just pay the fine and be a law abiding citizen.

    If you were black you could get the American Communist Lawyer's Union(ACLU) to help you with the case.

    Racial profiling is nasty...

    But, Alan Keyes is for racial profiling, and he's black... :D

    If we had affirmitive action in politics, Alan Keyes would be president.

    After all, most leading Democrats are rich white males from rich families that went through rich colleges....
     
  19. WindexedStormtrooper

    WindexedStormtrooper Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 11, 2001
    Cops not showing up in court is a myth

    but I agree, I'm the same way...not trying to be Mr Perfect driver, just a scaredy cat...no more courtrooms, no more courtrooms....ugh the memories
     
  20. Twink_Kee

    Twink_Kee Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 2001
    Screw that.

    I just do what the guy does in "Grand Theft Auto 3". I pack a shotgun, uzi, or bazooka in my back seat for the fuzz.
     
  21. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    One of the main highways where I live is split with a bunch of tiny roads connecting the north and southbound lanes. For 20 years, since before I was born, my mom has always turned around at the same one. However, last year they, for no reason, switched the direction of that one way street. Now, bear in mind that it's like a little thirty foot long street, not a big road or anything. So two days after they change the direction, my mom by instinct turns there. I let her know as soon as she does it, so she starts to get over to pull into a parking lot...where there's a cop waiting, just waiting for people to go the wrong way down this thing. He gets out, comes over. We explain that we've used this road to turn for years, that it was an accident, and that once we realized what was wrong we pulled into the parking lot. He doesn't care. He says "I didn't see you try to do anything about it" -- what did he want us to do, back back out onto the highway? We pulled into the parking lot! So he goes and enters my mom's license info into his computer, and even though it's a minor offense, comitted innocently, and that we tried to remedy as soon as it happened, and even though my mom had a perfectly clean record, he gave us an expensive ticket. What an ********. It's one thing to do your job. It's another to be a complete prick.
     
  22. WindexedStormtrooper

    WindexedStormtrooper Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 11, 2001
    that's messed up...I don't understand sometimes what goes through these guys' heads
     
  23. epic

    epic Ex Mod star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 4, 1999
    EXACTLY.
     
  24. B'omarr

    B'omarr Jedi Master star 6

    Registered:
    Apr 7, 2000
    Man that sucks. I once got a ticket for going 28 MPH in a 25 speed limit zone. The ticket was only $25 bucks though.

    I don't recommend trying to argue in court. Most judges are pretty strict with the law. However, you may be able to get a probabionary period and a reduced fine. But I don't recommend arguing, then you'll just tick him off.
     
  25. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    going 28 MPH in a 25 speed limit zone.

    Don't they at least need to give you a 5 mph margin of error? What if your speedometer is 4 MPH off calibration?
     
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