The police officer would not even shake my hand!!!

[gliderguy]

Hello fellow Pelicans.

I have been reading thru some of the old threads about speeding tickets. Seems most cases the person in question was at fault. There was no denial of the fact they were speeding. Well I come to you today, having been given a ticket that was trully a mistake. I will explain the handshake later, but I need some advice in the meantime. As brief as I can make it.......

25mph zone....wife, myself and a employee of mine riding in a chevy suburban with over a thousand pounds of product in the back. Stopped at gas station to find out where the Wendys was located that we had been trying to find. Wendys was mile down road.Pulled back onto road toward Wendys. Almost in the burger parking lot and lights come out of nowhere as we turn into Burger place. Officer said I was doing 47 in a 25 mile zone. I told him must have been different vehicle because we were driving cautiously looking for Wendys that had been elluding us.

Here is the kicker less than 2/10 of mile from gas station the speed goes up to 35. So he is saying that in less than 2/10 of mile my suburban with 3 adults and over 1000 pound in the back with snowy conditions accelerated to 47mph.

I went back and forth with the officer stood firm on the fact it was not me, but gave me ticket anyhow. After he gave me ticket told him I have family that was in law enforcement and I understand he is just trying to do his job...went to shake his hand and he pulled it away!!! I said "your not going to shake my hand?" he just laughed and headed for the cruiser. Loud enough for him to hear I said "what a fuc%in dick" and that was the end of it.

Went back to the gas station and talked to cashier....he remembered me asking for directions and gave me his phone number incase I need his help.
This is when I determined, using trip distance that the 25 zone ended less than 2/10 of a mile from the gas station. He made a mistake, but how to prove in court? I took picture from the gas station and picture of the 35mph sign. Am going to have car calibrated{my tires are larger than stock} and get data on acceleration of my vehicle with a load. Any other suggestions would be helpful
I have clean driving record for 12 years and drive 20-30k miles a year. I do not mess around in 25-35mph zones. Do I speed? yes , but try to limit to interstate and light traffic. This occured in Cleveland Ohio. Again any advice would help.

[pwd72s]

Do you have a gas receipt with a time stamp? Cops write the time and date on the ticket...

[gtc]

If the ticket is going to raise your insurance, do yourself a favor and hire a speeding ticket lawyer. Here in Seattle, you can have a speeding ticket fought for as little as $250 or so. The time and effort you'll save will more than make up for the additional cost. Don't think the court will be any less crooked than the officer. I've tried fighting tickets twice, and each court was a farce as far as I'm concerned.

[svandamme]

did he have an onboard camera?

[legion]

Why would anyone in a position of authority want to touch the dirty masses?

[svandamme]

so realistically, if he doesn't have a camera
he has no proof for court

then it becomes his word against yours, dunno about the US
but in Europe, his word would not weigh heavier then yours, so essentially he has no proof at all

if he does have camera footage
you have proof he called you a effing ***** ( you probably are though, but hey, to protect and serve, not insult)
and you can countersue

[legion]

In the U.S., at least in traffic cases, you are guilty until proven innocent. No weight is given to your word unless you have overwhelming, indisuputable proof of your innocense.

[k9handler]

cops....sheesh

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by legion

In the U.S., at least in traffic cases, you are guilty until proven innocent. No weight is given to your word unless you have overwhelming, indisuputable proof of your innocense.

So, i guess it's a matter of nobody willing to really make a case out of it, and fight it for all it's worth , or what?

Because i've seen Matlock you know, it's not supposed to work like that, right?

[Mule]

Your witnesses should be enough proof that you pulled into the gas station. They should also be enough to corroborate your story. Statistics showing the vehicle incapable of doing what he charges you with couldn't hurt either.

[RickM]

Originally Posted by svandamme

if he does have camera footage
you have proof he called you a effing *****

I think the name calling was the other way around.


I wouldn't shake someones hand...it's the perfect starting point for puttin the Ka-pow on someone.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by k9handler

cops....sheesh

And their mangey mutts... sheesh...

[k9handler]

my mutt would shake your hand.

[bell]

Originally Posted by RickM

I think the name calling was the other way around.

that's the way i read it too.......
first problem is imo is that you argued with him, he's probably heard it a thousand times from most everyone he's pulled over and wanted nothing to do with it.
you could probably go to court and cut a deal on the points issue providing your liscense is clean, hiring an speeding ticket lawyer is probably your best bet.
i have had many many visits to court over speeding tickets.........funny i have never been pulled over in the 911

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by legion

In the U.S., at least in traffic cases, you are guilty until proven innocent. No weight is given to your word unless you have overwhelming, indisuputable proof of your innocense.

I would agree with this. Get all your info, photos of spot, statement from gas station guy and your fellow passengers(technically should be notarized to be accepted), conditions should be written on ticket. Take it with you to court, you don't need an attorney necessarily.

I would also file a formal complaint against the officer for his unprofessionalism prior to the court date, including his use of profanity. Being a peace officer is a difficult job, but must be done with some sort of professional standards. This sounds like the sort of guy who would take you behind his cruiser and beat your ass if you did not have two witnesses with you.

Originally Posted by RickM

I think the name calling was the other way around.


I wouldn't shake someones hand...it's the perfect starting point for puttin the Ka-pow on someone.

Now that is just stupid, someone is going to assault a cop over a speeding ticket after the guy has your name and driver's license number? WTF does that mean, the name calling was the other way around?

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by k9handler

my mutt would shake your hand.

Mine does high fives, too.

[Rick Lee]

I understand that the side of the road is no place to argue your case with a cop. But it's particularly frustrating when you're accused of something that was physically impossible for you to have done. Happened to me before too and it really sucked. Got railroaded in the hicktown court too when I contested it. I thought I had a slim chance of winning an appeal, but filed one anyway in downtown Pittsburgh. I knew the little hicktown lived on fine revenue and would be very inconvenienced by having to send the officer downtown for half the day. And that's exactly what happened. Not only did it cost them far more than they got out of me, but that was one less cop they had out there writing tickets (bogus ones at that) that morning. It was just a revenue stream and had nothing whatsoever to do with safety or the law.

[RickM]

Originally Posted by Tobra

I would also file a formal complaint against the officer for his unprofessionalism prior to the court date, including his use of profanity.

Where does he state that the officer used profanity and when was he unprofessional?

[Tobra]

sorry, no profanity, misread that, but if you are claiming the officer did not act unprofessionally from the description of the situation we would have to agree to disagree.

You are still all wet thinking that anyone would assault a cop in that situation

[RickM]

Originally Posted by Tobra

You are still all wet thinking that anyone would assault a cop in that situation

Why chance putting yourself in a compromised position? We can agree to disagree on this one too.

As for unprofessional; according to you any time you lose an argument over a ticket the cop is unprofessional? I don't see it.