Cop Haters...

subie cop

subie cop

Club Member
Got ya!

I have posted a thread like this on several websites...some sites have really like it and some I had a really hard time with.

The purpose of this thread is to give anyone a chance to ask questions regarding an "issue" they may have. Example, "I just got a speeding ticket....what do I do next if I want to fight it?" The thread isn't ment to give legal advice nor to say I know everything about the law. In the past I have done my best to find the answer for the poster if I dont already know it. I'm not here to argue with you about your hatred for the law and those posts will not get a reply. If you have an honest question Ill be happy to give you an honest answer/opinion.

Haters post your own thread.....
 
Tickets

One of the most common threads I see lately is "I got a ticket, what do I do?" or "Ticket, help!"

Unfortunately no one is immune to tickets and sometimes one of us gets pinched. Most of the time these "ticket" threads appear to be a place where the original poster wants information regarding his/her chances of getting the ticket reduced and sometimes its just a place to bitch about the cops.

So, that being said I thought I'd post a thread about what usually happens in Michigan courts.


After a ticket is issued you have two choices.

1. Set a court date
2. Pay the ticket

If it were me, I'd always set some sort of court date because the chances of getting a ticket reduced is pretty damn good (depending on a few criteria which Ill talk about later).

__________

There are usually three types of court appearances, Pretrial, Informal and Formal. Some of you will go through all three and some will to one or two.

Pretrial -

Here you meet with the city/township prosecutor who usually offers you a "deal" depending on your driving record. If you take the deal then its over, you go to the front desk and pay the fine. If you don't like the deal offered then another court date is set, usually a Formal.

Informal -

Here you are in front of a magistrate along with the original Officer that wrote the ticket. When it comes your time the magistrate will call you up, swear you in and then do the same with the Officer. The magistrate will read the violation and give you one of three options.

1. plead responsible - you admit responsibility and pay the fine

2. plead responsible with an explanation - you admit responsibility but give an explanation as to why the violation occurred. Sometimes this can influence the magistrate in their decision if there is a good reason for doing what you did.

3. take it to a hearing - you fight the ticket. Here you both will tell your side of the story and the magistrate will then decide your "fate" based on both testimonies.

Once the magistrate has rulled you have the right to take the matter to a Formal hearing, essentially appealing the ruling.

side note: look for the Officer outside the court room prior to going into court. If you find him/her ask to speak with them regarding what occured that day. Be nice and ask if there is any way they could help you out regarding the points. Often you will find that this works in your favor.

Formal -

Here you meet with the Officer who is represented by the city/township prosecutor. You can either bring your own attorney or represent yourself. Your attorney will then try and work out a deal for you with the prosecutor and the Officer (who has some say but its really up to the prosecutor). If you have no attorney then you can attempt to do the same. If a deal can not be worked out the matter goes before a Judge in the same manner as the Informal. The Judge wont ask you how you plead because its assumed by now your not gonna admit responsibility.

Both the Officer and you will get on the stand and testify as to what occurred that day. You will then be questioned by the city/township prosecutor and the Officer will be questioned by either you (if you have no attorney) or your attorney. Based on the testimonies the Judge will make his/her decision.

Something to also note. Before the hearing if your offered a deal its null/void if you take it to a hearing. If your found responsible there the original violation holds true.

__________

Things that are often taken into consideration when taking a ticket to court.

1. Your driving record

2. Your attitude at the traffic stop (the Officer will take notes and everything will be recorded - if the city has cameras)

3. Are you a resident where the violation occurred (breaks are often given to residents due to them being taxepayers...but not always)

__________

There is no exact science but this is usually the procedure in Michigan traffic court. Some cities/townships are more strict and despite the request of Officers, lawyers and prosecutors your stuck with the original ticket.

__________


As always, feel free to PM me or post in my thread.
 
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If you pull me over, can I use my pretty eyes, and flash you to get out of the ticket? Maybe offer a lil more sumptin sumptin?

~Asking for FannypackDodge.
 
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This should be stickied.

Is honesty always the best policy, even for trivial things?
 
subie cop said:
In my book yes but give me an example of what your thinking....
Click to expand...

Ok, i'll give you a few. Say you ask me if I was drinking, and I say 'Yes sir, I had two'. Or just a simple 'yes sir'.

Or you ask me if I knew how fast I was going, i should say 'no' or 'yes sir i was doing xx'.

Just in general, because when I get pulled over, I don't have anything to hide so I'm up front and honest. Some people don't like to or are afraid to be honest.

I dunno, it's weird.
 
When is the best time to pull out the "I know so-n-so card"? I've got a wallet full of business cards ranging from cops to office clerks.
 
CRASH said:
Ok, i'll give you a few. Say you ask me if I was drinking, and I say 'Yes sir, I had two'. Or just a simple 'yes sir'.

Or you ask me if I knew how fast I was going, i should say 'no' or 'yes sir i was doing xx'.

Just in general, because when I get pulled over, I don't have anything to hide so I'm up front and honest. Some people don't like to or are afraid to be honest.

I dunno, it's weird.
Click to expand...

Ok, when I ask you "do you know why I pulled you over?" it makes no difference what your answer is as far as your "guilt" goes. I dont need you to admit your running the red light in order to write you the ticket. When I ask that I'm looking for you to just admit responsibility for your mistake....because thats really what it is most of the time, just a mistake.

Example. We have this intersection in our town that is one of the most highly traveled in the state. Sometimes I watch the people turning left on a green arrow to see if anyone continues to go after it turns red....and I mean RED not yellow. If its a good RED I stop them and ask that question "Do you know why I stopped you?" If they say "yeah, I cut that pretty close...sorry" (or something along those lines) 99 out of 100 times = no ticket. If they argue with me and say it was yellow, I'll write them a reminder that it was RED (I dont stop people for yellow lights).

As far as OWI's are concerned. Yes, honesty it the best policy. There are a lot of "what if's" but I will work with you the best I can if your honest, I promise. OWI's are watched very closely so my discretion my not be as much as with a ticket but I'll work with you if I can.


Does that help?


Oh, FYI....A red light ticket and a yellow light ticket are the same violation. They both carry the same points and fines.
 
I have a question!
A few years ago I witnessed a car break-in at the apartment complex I lived at, so I called the police. After the police chased them down and caught them they brought them directly in front of my apartment and asked me to ID them. I had a big problem with that and asked if they could do it some other way. They said thats how they do it. So I reluctantly agreed and exactly one week later (to the day) my apartment was broken into and many things were stolen. I later went to the station and voiced my concern for the way it was handled and me, along with my wife, were treated very poorly and told to file a complaint if we didn't like it. Sooooo........I filed a complaint and to this day I still get followed often and am well known by all the police...
I simply went up to the station to talk about it and ended up being treated worse than the thieves that they caught! Sorry for ranting on but this has been with me for a while and it just won't go away. I am a good person with good intentions and I hate to be treated the way I was treated. I also understand if you can't comment on this issue.
 
91trunk said:
When is the best time to pull out the "I know so-n-so card"? I've got a wallet full of business cards ranging from cops to office clerks.
Click to expand...

Just pass all your cards to the officer, maybe he will know someone in your stack of cards.:893nana:
 
quickstang1983 said:
I have a question!
A few years ago I witnessed a car break-in at the apartment complex I lived at, so I called the police. After the police chased them down and caught them they brought them directly in front of my apartment and asked me to ID them. I had a big problem with that and asked if they could do it some other way. They said thats how they do it. So I reluctantly agreed and exactly one week later (to the day) my apartment was broken into and many things were stolen. I later went to the station and voiced my concern for the way it was handled and me, along with my wife, were treated very poorly and told to file a complaint if we didn't like it. Sooooo........I filed a complaint and to this day I still get followed often and am well known by all the police...
I simply went up to the station to talk about it and ended up being treated worse than the thieves that they caught! Sorry for ranting on but this has been with me for a while and it just won't go away. I am a good person with good intentions and I hate to be treated the way I was treated. I also understand if you can't comment on this issue.
Click to expand...
There was a better way to handle it IMO on the Officer's part based on what you have written here. I wasnt there nor do I know the details so I cant really comment fairly either way.

If you have a problem with an Officer or the way you were/are treated by the PD then file a complaint. Someone will always listen even if you have to go up the chain. I can't explain why some departments do things differently or handle situations the way the do...my department included.

Its a shame if indeed the situation was handled the way it was...I hope you run across another cop that will help change your opinion of us and the way we do our jobs.
 
i have a question...... lets say its tthree in the morning, nobody is on the road, there is 10 inches of snow on the ground and im in a plow truck. i slow down for the red light check to see if anybody is coming and if all is clear i proceed.... would you see a problem with that?
 
subie cop said:
There was a better way to handle it IMO on the Officer's part based on what you have written here. I wasnt there nor do I know the details so I cant really comment fairly either way.

If you have a problem with an Officer or the way you were/are treated by the PD then file a complaint. Someone will always listen even if you have to go up the chain. I can't explain why some departments do things differently or handle situations the way the do...my department included.

Its a shame if indeed the situation was handled the way it was...I hope you run across another cop that will help change your opinion of us and the way we do our jobs.
Click to expand...

I know that not all cops act the same. Some are cocky and some are understanding and really want to help people. That goes for people in general also I guess. I assure you that it happened the way I told it and I believe it could have been done in a better way, like at the police station. Ohhh well, it is old news now but I haven't forgotten about it ya' know. I've had cops pull me over for speeding only to walk up laughing thier ass off and ask whats the hurry man! That was memorable.LOL! I can admit to messing up sometimes but I try to abide by the law and be a good citizen. BTW, I don't condone street racing...:nervous:
 
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