NoahzBurnt

iTrader: (10)

Man take it from me(not that i am all knowing) but I have been to jail and I have sped at well over 150 mph knowing that if i got caught I would be seriously F_UCKED.

Get a lawyer...I can't speak for the cops and WHY you actually got bagged....but they we're doing their job and you happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time....in NY i think it has to be 30 over the speed limit to get arrested so 85 and your gone....so i figure 85 or 155 i'm still spending the night =)



But get a lawyer.....you'll be fine....I mean the stuff they got me out of when I was young and stupid(WHEEW)

spf4000

That's not true at all. Read up on the law before posting: http://www.sr22.net/violations.html

palmerwmd

Werd.


Dont sweat it., they were bored.
Thats what laweyers are for.

Fred..

FLZ_Boy

I thought tailgating is illegal in most states, why are cops tailgating people?

Kray Z

The thing about cops are they are around sh!tbags and violence and silly drama so much that they have a lower mentality than normal people. Teachers are near the same way once you've been reinforced with a certain enviroment for so long you get caught up in it. The cops that take it most seriously are the dangerous ones. The easy going ones know when something is bad and when something is a whatever. This to me is a whatever but you got a serious cop.

sentry65

iTrader: (11)

i'm not really sure if they were tailgating me or not - it's a theory, but i'm not sure. I was getting claustrophobic being among all the cars and them changing lanes all around me - was a lot more activity than normal and I didn't like it.

The cops probably have video footage of what was happening. I don't want to argue saying they were for sure doing something or not - i just wasn't paying attention to the side or rear of me, but for the short duration i was on the highway there were just a lot of cars packed together close. People flicking their cigarettes out the window and it almost hitting my car etc. I was just getting irritated, but didn't do any evasive maneuvers. I calmly got to where I had an opening and then gunned it just a little - just dropping into 5th gear i think and accellerating for about 3sec or so. Subconsiously I felt like cars were following me and closing in on me, but maybe it was just in my head cause like I said, I don't remember much cause I wasn't looking behind me so much.

The cop said I "just took off - he couldn't believe it" - and i'm thinking, I was? I wasn't even trying all that hard. Was slightly flattering in a twisted way about my car, but it was a bad situation for someone to say how fast your car is.

I definetly don't want to plead not guilty. I sped. I'm guilty. I'm even somewhat ok with getting charged with "criminal speeding" I just don't want to do jail time and end up getting maximum sentence. I'm thinking if I just show up in court, plead guilty and explain my side, maybe they'll just make me pay a fine and warn me about getting 2nd offense consequences etc. I'm not sure they'll put me in jail because i do have a professional job working at a hospital so there might be some sympathy there cause what good am i doing the world if i'm in jail?

My dad gave me a similar story - only driving with a suspended license that he wasn't aware of because he had just moved and the gov't doesn't forward mail. He's a university professor and the judge didn't think doing jail time would teach him much of a lesson to be worth it.

Kray Z

I'm not flaming cops or teachers but your surrondings and enviroment plays a large role in your behavior

Alonjar

To answer your actual question, just get a good lawyer and do whatever he says. Chances are he'll get your ticket dropped and you'll pay a fine for a defective muffler or something. I kid you not, they really do that crap. As long as the city gets money (ie fine), they are happy, and as long as you dont get points, you are happy, so in the end.. the courts usually let it go down that way.

sentry65

iTrader: (11)

what i don't get is what can a lawyer do or say that I couldn't?

Isn't the main thing to explain to the judge what your side of the story is? Why do I need a middleman to do that?

And for me to get an attorney, does that imply that I'm supposed to plea Not guilty?

I don't want to plea not guilty because there were 2 cops that witnessed it and they might even have it on video. Obviously any judge will be partial to their view especially if they have video evidence that plainly shows me accellerating to 93mph - how can I possibly fight that?

on his terms, the cop did have probable cause - it obviously wasn't necessary in my case, but i'm sure there's lots of crazy guys who try to outrun cops. I'm not sure how I can see a lawyer reducing the 93mph what the cop wrote down to be 85mph

is the lawyer involved the first time I appear in court?

So far all everyone has really said is "that's messed up" and "get a lawyer" Does anyone have any details or is getting a lawyer always the best move to make? Why do I need a lawyer to tell my side of the story? What is the magic phrase he says to the judge to get him to go easier on me? Lawyer will probably cost as much or more than the fine

Strife350z

iTrader: (4)

i'm from Toronto so take my advice for what it's worth... but i would go with the other folks and get a lawyer

I've been in major speeding ticket trouble twice over the past 3 years... once doing a 120 in a 60 (km/r) and another time doing a 150 in a 100 (again, km/r). Both were considered major traffic offenses under Ontario law.

Both times I hired a lawyer and both times they had the charge completed lifted off my record. In both cases, they also charged a reasonable fee (typically equivalent to the dollar amount on the ticket itself... so $500 and $400 respectively). I actually attended court with the lawyer the first time, and really, there's no magic to it. Like someone mentioned earlier, patrol cars are expected to have numerous items inspected or calibrated from time to time (e.g. speedometer, radar guns etc). Not only that, they are expected to show audit trails of these inspections/calibrations from up to 1 year back (I believe this would depend on your specific state laws)

Anyway, the plan is to ask for a full disclosure of all of these details. In the end, the traffic cop simply gave up because he couldn't produce all the documents or prove that his equipment/car was in perfect order at the time of the incident.

In the rare case that all the documents and rules were followed, the lawyer has other courses of action as well. For instance, he can cross examine the police officer and ask him about traffic conditions, his state of mind and so on.

Think of it this way... by hiring a lawyer, you're hopefully getting a competant person who is presumably more versed in traffic law(s) than your run of the mill police officer. The probability of you losing the case is very low.

Strife350z

iTrader: (4)

btw, the lawyer's fee may seem high right now... but they have a much greater chance of arguing the charge than you do. You mentioned you're 25 (I'm the same age) and courts don't think highly of relatively young people... if it boils down to your word versus the cop's, you'll lose.

And don't think that simply pleading guilty means that they'll go easy on you. I had a friend represent himself in court and he was fined the maximum penalty despite using the same tactics as his lawyer did in the past. Lawyers offer a "don't mess with me" presence that is well worth the cost of his/her services.

Again, just my 2 cents... Good luck.

sselway

Makes me glad to live in Europe where if one so desires they can get their "speed-fix" on the autobahn. Sorry to hear about your ordeal.

boldenmd

This could be a recipe for disaster. You're in a tough situation, and this is when you bring in the experts. A competent lawyer will have dealt with similar situations in the past and you're paying for the benefit of that experience. Hopefully, he or she will even have a collegial relationship with the prosecutors/judge/police officer and be able to trade on that to your benefit. You do not want to walk into court representing yourself in this situation. That's a good way to find yourself in jail. It would be easy to lose your head in an unfamiliar situation and say or do something that could be detrimental, or you could get the judge on a bad day where he just doesn't really want to listen to you. A lawyer worth his salt should be able to work out a deal of some sort prior to the actual appearance before the judge. You should be able to get out of this without saying anything to anyone but an attorney, and that's a good thing.

tacomaboy

What is a bit funny about all these stories, is the cops in some of them thought you were trying to run!


If you were trying to run, they would have needed the radio, and would NOT have caught you. Thats whats funny. The cop who pulled me over did not say I was running because I was going 65 buy the time they caught up with me (and I never even saw them until thew were maybe 1/2 mile behind me, I could have left them easily). But the cop said that my car MUST have been modified to do 109.

I said, no sir, except the stereo. Heck, it can hit 109 in something like 15 seconds!!!

JCat

iTrader: (4)

Once I hired a lawyer and discovered later that not only was she a neighbor of the judge, but they shared a vacation home.

I've heard similiar stories/situations many times.

Who it the judge gonna listen to?

Don't flatter yourself with un-earned respect (by fighting it alone). It's too risky.

tacomaboy

I know getting an atty is intimidating. My dad is an atty. But, let me tell you, it is MUCH easier WITH an atty. Chances are, with an atty you wont actually ever have to step foot in court. Dont assume that they will be dragging you in front of a big jury and all.

Usually the atty helps because they already have a repoir with the prosecutor... they go in (sometimes without you even being present) on or before your hearing, they talk to the prosecutor, and work out a deal where you pay a fine and take defensive driving, with maybe some probation time. Deferred Ajudication or Defferred Disposition they call it.

Thats what happened to me. I asked for a hearing, but went to talk to the prosecutor before the actual "trial". Well my atty actually did all the talking, I never even needed to get out of me seat. Got off with a slap on the wrist IMO.

Generally I believe the atty will charge the amount of the fine. Honestly, you CAN do this all yourself, but tell me, is it worth 300 -500 bucks to get this off your record? It was to me!

sq40

iTrader: (4)

Please dont take this the wrong way;

DONT BE STUPID!!!

Its your life, YOU are facing huge fines, jail time, insurance rate hikes, cancelation or forced to go on state insurance and a revoked licsense!!!!!

DONT SCREW AROUND WITH THIS!

Pleading Not Guilty is only a barganing chip to get you out of as much trouble as possible. Getting a Lawyer is the only way to keep yourself out of as much hot water as you can. Only Lawyers know the ins and outs of the system.

Just like you said, YOU didnt think the speed was a big deal, but the Government DOES!

If you pass this off as nothing, go in and plead guilty, you will get much worse than having your lawyer fight it for you.

Let me ask you this, Next time you go to get a job and they do a background check, Do you think they will hire you over someone else if you have Jail time??? The Difference in a Mis. Speeding Charge and a Felony is Huge.


YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO VOTE OR BUY/OWN A FIREARM EVER AGAIN IF YOU PLEAD GUILTY TO A FELONY!!! YOU WILL LOOSE OTHER RIGHTS TOO!

IN AMERICA A FELON IS LESS THAN A CITIZEN!

Devrbd

I hate being stuck in those clusters, don't understand why people maintain the clusters and they always give me anxiety. All you need is one driver to screw up and take everybody out. I agree with you regarding getting out of there as quick as possible.

Definitely get a lawyer and be sure to tell them every little detail. Remember the cops have rules, laws and procedures to follow as well. Al lot of times they forget that and it's just what you need to turn this somewhat in your favor.

capnfrantic

sentry65 you screwed up but the best thing is you know it. Calm down! Get a lawyer, it is how the system works. Believe it or not it's like doing business. Do not go it alone. I think you are over reacting some...Quit imagining Alcatraz from the movies. Make that call and you will feel better immediately.

Increased insurance costs over the time it takes for this to drop should warrant whatever an attorney cost! Figure it up.

I had to learn how to say "Nolo contendere" once too!

Yes, I do consider this a serious matter.

Sensation350Z

hello my fellow arizonian. ...? ha well good luck with that ticket, get a lawyer and get this all sorted out