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These are always interesting threads. I can share my experience for what it's worth....
I'm a Washington State resident. Got a ticket for doing 42 in a 25. Total BS ticket. Was I speeding....you bet. Should the speed limit have been 25....no way. Just happened to be a great place to generate revenue for the police.
I got the ticket dropped. Here's what I learned. Suppena (sp??) the cop was a "big" mistake. If the cop shows up (and they usually do) they (lawyers and judge) will rip you a new a-hole. Remember they do this stuff a lot more then you do. Calling in the cop just pisses them off. Before my court date I sat in on a few sessions just to watch and try and learn "the game". And believe me it's a game, the lawyers game. If you try and play lawyer on your own the odds are stacked against you. I felt bad for those that showed up thinking they had a case. They were made fools of by the judge.
I hired a lawyer, who talked to the court attorney, and negotiated a deal (class and no new tickets for 6 months) to have the ticket dropped. So my record is still clean. All this is done before you even get in front of the judge.
If your serious about getting the ticket dropped I'd highly recommend a lawyer familiar with the court your going to (ie...he/she nows the judge or court attorney). If you don't hire a lawyer, I'd still fight it. After all you've already got the ticket, might as well go through the motions.
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