Anybody ever beat a speeding ticket in court?

Illustrious Potentate said:
It was a gift, but that is what I use
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Season 3 Nbc GIF by The Office
 
Illustrious Potentate said:
Saturday afternoon, I was headed up to check on a herd of goats we had rented out(trust me, the jokes have been made 100 times on here, so be original is all I ask) and then ride on up to the casino for a bit

There’s some kind of festival going on past Blue Ridge, so traffic was a little heavy on 515 and the Georgia State Patrol was pretty well lining the highway, I see one, glance at my speedometer and see I’m going a hair over 70 in a 65.

I get lit up, Barney says I was doing 85, but he bumped it down to 84 so I wouldn’t have a super speeder(I thought super speeder was 25 over, but whatever). I call bullshit, ask to see the radar, Barney refuses(isn’t required to in GA), but is required to see I want his radar’s calibration checked and he didn’t offer that

So for the first time in my life, I’m gonna fight a traffic citation. I’ve had a few others years ago, but didn’t fight them because I got caught and I’m a pretty honest guy. Only other one I know was BS was supposedly going 44 in a 35 in a speed trap South Georgia town where the cop pulled me over immediately after he turned in behind me at a 4 way stop and I had Tennessee tags on my work truck, but it was like a 60 dollar fine with no points, so not worth fighting

Is fighting a ticket a waste of time? Like is the judge just gonna blindly agree with the cop, or is there actually a chance of getting out of the ticket? I’m gonna try either way, figure it won’t hurt to try
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When I was 17 I did. Technically it was Mayor's court. I got pulled over doing 37 in a school zone. I felt stupid as shit, then got home and realized "Shit! I am on spring break!" Cop got me doing the 37 in a 20 because the lights were blinking. But school was not in session so it was actually 37 in 35 and the ticket was thrown out.
 
dikowt dowg said:
My advice is not to tell the judge you were going 70. He will gladly accept your guilty plea for speeding 5 miles over the limit. Stick with the calibration route. Tell him you were traveling 64.
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^^ THIS ^^

I don't know the Georgia law, but I've beaten my last 3 speeding tickets over the last 12 years in court representing myself. It didn't cost me a dime other than travel and time.

Know that there is a HUGE difference between 'Certification' and 'Calibration'.

Certification is the officer powering the unit up, watching it go through a series of tests using a tuning fork, then certifying it once the radar's L.E.D.s tell him "Everything is fine".

Calibration is sending the radar into an independent testing facility for any necessary adjustments. The calibration facility is the "standard".

1st ticket: 12 over on Interstate 29 in a construction zone. Not a human cop. Just a radar and speed camera on the side of the road in Sioux City, IA.
I simply told the judge I had a right to face my accuser. My accuser was a (private) machine on a trailer hitch and surely wasn't present in court. I testified that the ticket was written to me by a private company in Arizona (who owned the speed camera) and they split the fines 50/50 with the state of Iowa. I asked the prosecutor to present the paperwork showing the radar to be independently calibrated. He had no such paperwork. DISMISSED by the judge.

2nd ticket: 11 over on a 4 lane city street. The Omaha PD cop showed up to court and claimed he'd 'certified' the radar when he came on duty. i.e. Bee Bop, yellow L.E.D, Bee Bop green L.E.D). "iT's WoRKiNg".
When it was my turn to speak I asked the cop to present the paperwork showing the radar to be independently 'calibrated'.
He didn't have it. The judge spun around in her chair, grabbed a law book off the shelf, thumbed through it, and said "Dismissed". The cop turned to the prosecutor standing next to him and said "Appeal it". The woman prosecutor looked at him like WTF? and said "I'm not appealing a speeding ticket" LOL.
The cop stomped out of the courtroom.

3rd Ticket: 11 over on a highway through a small town north of Omaha. Deputy sheriff testified he'd 'certified' the radar prior to duty. i.e. Bee Bop, yellow L.E.D, Bee Bop green L.E.D). "iT's WoRKiNg".
To start things off, when the prosecutor read the charge and I plead "Not guilty", the judge came out from behind his bench, stood in front of me in intimidating fashion and stated to me some kind of rights spiel. I knew right then what I was up against as I've never seen a judge come out from behind the bench in this type situation.
When it was my turn to question the deputy I asked the deputy to present the paperwork showing the radar to be independently 'calibrated'. He didn't have it and replied "It wasn't necessary". I knew right then I had him and the prosecutor in my hands.
Even though I provided the judge with the actual Nebraska statute which showed a previously adjudicated similar case, he found me 'guilty'. Odd thing is (after finding me guilty) he immediately asked me (from the bench) "Are you going to appeal this?". I replied "I don't know, your honor". I STFU and put my paperwork back in my folder to leave. I did ask "Am I OK to leave now?" He said "Yes"
It was my opinion he wanted me to say that I was going to appeal, so he could start some kind of argument and have one of his bailiff deputies arrest me for being in "Contempt". Every one of them, Judge, Prosecutor, ticketing deputy, and bailiff deputy were staring me down with stink eye throughout the entire process. I knew to keep my mouth shut. I knew I would win on appeal.
I left the courthouse having 30 days to pay the fine and was careful driving until I was out of that county.
I called the courthouse from home the next day and requested the transcripts from the trial showing that the deputy could not present the 'calibration' paperwork to the judge and that I'd also provided the judge with statute including a previously adjudicated case where the ticket was dismissed by the supreme court. I filed paperwork to appeal and they dismissed the ticket (in a letter to me) without a trial. I'm sure the judge knew he got overturned by the Supreme Court. Most likely by a 'Do Better Letter'.
I wanted sooo fucking bad to go back to that judges courtroom, walk in and say "You remember me?", then laugh in his face. However, I'm smart enough to know he'd have had me arrested for being in contempt. If I were to see him in public, he'd certainly get an earful.

The point is these law enforcement agencies operate on a budget. They cut corners to save money by not having their radars calibrated per whatever interval they're supposed to. That or they know enough people don't/won't challenge a speeding ticket and just pay the fine so they don't need the calibration paperwork for court.
 
Red_Alert said:
^^ THIS ^^

I don't know the Georgia law, but I've beaten my last 3 speeding tickets over the last 12 years in court representing myself. It didn't cost me a dime other than travel and time.

Know that there is a HUGE difference between 'Certification' and 'Calibration'.

Certification is the officer powering the unit up, watching it go through a series of tests using a tuning fork, then certifying it once the radar's L.E.D.s tell him "Everything is fine".

Calibration is sending the radar into an independent testing facility for any necessary adjustments. The calibration facility is the "standard".

1st ticket: 12 over on Interstate 29 in a construction zone. Not a human cop. Just a radar and speed camera on the side of the road in Sioux City, IA.
I simply told the judge I had a right to face my accuser. My accuser was a (private) machine on a trailer hitch and surely wasn't present in court. I testified that the ticket was written to me by a private company in Arizona (who owned the speed camera) and they split the fines 50/50 with the state of Iowa. I asked the prosecutor to present the paperwork showing the radar to be independently calibrated. He had no such paperwork. DISMISSED by the judge.

2nd ticket: 11 over on a 4 lane city street. The Omaha PD cop showed up to court and claimed he'd 'certified' the radar when he came on duty. i.e. Bee Bop, yellow L.E.D, Bee Bop green L.E.D). "iT's WoRKiNg".
When it was my turn to speak I asked the cop to present the paperwork showing the radar to be independently 'calibrated'.
He didn't have it. The judge spun around in her chair, grabbed a law book off the shelf, thumbed through it, and said "Dismissed". The cop turned to the prosecutor standing next to him and said "Appeal it". The woman prosecutor looked at him like WTF? and said "I'm not appealing a speeding ticket" LOL.
The cop stomped out of the courtroom.

3rd Ticket: 11 over on a highway through a small town north of Omaha. Deputy sheriff testified he'd 'certified' the radar prior to duty. i.e. Bee Bop, yellow L.E.D, Bee Bop green L.E.D). "iT's WoRKiNg".
To start things off, when the prosecutor read the charge and I plead "Not guilty", the judge came out from behind his bench, stood in front of me in intimidating fashion and stated to me some kind of rights spiel. I knew right then what I was up against as I've never seen a judge come out from behind the bench in this type situation.
When it was my turn to question the deputy I asked the deputy to present the paperwork showing the radar to be independently 'calibrated'. He didn't have it and replied "It wasn't necessary". I knew right then I had him and the prosecutor in my hands.
Even though I provided the judge with the actual Nebraska statute which showed a previously adjudicated similar case, he found me 'guilty'. Odd thing is (after finding me guilty) he immediately asked me (from the bench) "Are you going to appeal this?". I replied "I don't know, your honor". I STFU and put my paperwork back in my folder to leave. I did ask "Am I OK to leave now?" He said "Yes"
It was my opinion he wanted me to say that I was going to appeal, so he could start some kind of argument and have one of his bailiff deputies arrest me for being in "Contempt". Every one of them, Judge, Prosecutor, ticketing deputy, and bailiff deputy were staring me down with stink eye throughout the entire process. I knew to keep my mouth shut. I knew I would win on appeal.
I left the courthouse having 30 days to pay the fine and was careful driving until I was out of that county.
I called the courthouse from home the next day and requested the transcripts from the trial showing that the deputy could not present the 'calibration' paperwork to the judge and that I'd also provided the judge with statute including a previously adjudicated case where the ticket was dismissed by the supreme court. I filed paperwork to appeal and they dismissed the ticket (in a letter to me) without a trial. I'm sure the judge knew he got overturned by the Supreme Court. Most likely by a 'Do Better Letter'.
I wanted sooo fucking bad to go back to that judges courtroom, walk in and say "You remember me?", then laugh in his face. However, I'm smart enough to know he'd have had me arrested for being in contempt. If I were to see him in public, he'd certainly get an earful.

The point is these law enforcement agencies operate on a budget. They cut corners to save money by not having their radars calibrated per whatever interval they're supposed to. That or they know enough people don't/won't challenge a speeding ticket and just pay the fine so they don't need the calibration paperwork for court.
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moxie said:
I, personally am already invested to see who is going to find out in this particular situation. I prefer not to be disappointed.

National Popcorn Day GIF by Angry Birds
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If OP gets blow up in a mine by cops with a bazooka we can’t say we didn’t warn him.
 
RobBase said:
If OP gets blow up in a mine by cops with a bazooka we can’t say we didn’t warn him.
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Hmm…I think I’m putting my money on the outlaw here.

Wonder if the bookie can lay some odds.
 
Illustrious Potentate said:
Was closer to Blue Ridge than Ellijay actually
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My grandmother lived up there from 79-90.. I spent many summers up there. My aunt and uncle lived in Blue Ridge.. I lived just outside of Blairsville one summer and worked at Vogel SP. Lots of memories up there in the mountains.
 
All that was a bit anticlimactic. I got there at 8:30 but was still 23rd in line. Finally get my number called and the lady said she would bump the fine down to 100 bucks with nothing on my license if I’d forgo the trial.

I took that deal. I think I could have beat it all together, but figured 100 bucks was worth getting out of there in a little over an hour and not having any points on my license vs probably being there all day with no guarantee anything gets reduced even though Roscoe P Coaltrain broke State radar device calibration laws

Still hope the cop raids a meth lab right as it explodes
 
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