calcapt

I used to be a deputy sheriff in a prior life and there are supposed to be calibration records for every radar gun in use by a department. That being said, they are rarely ever kept current due to budget constraints. It used to be that contesting the ticket and requesting this documentation ususally resulted in the ticket being dismissed. The information was unavailable or the officer never showed up. The question I would ask myself Is how bad do I not want this ticket on my record and were you really speeding? If you have a good record and you don't have the time to screw with it, just pay the fine and slow down.

Kill Bill, II

FWIW, i'm a former cop, too. we actually DID do calibration checks (and logged them) on our guns prior to beginning of watch but i also worked for a relatively large agency with no budget problems. we always took the log to court with us when we had to appear.

TonyC

I gathered from your post that there is not a dispute as to whether you were actually speeding. If that's the case, I wouldn't try to find some technicality to have the ticket dismissed. I think that approach borders on intellectual dishonesty.

My suggestion is that you appear in court and show remorse. In most cases, I believe a judge will reward that attitude by reducing the monetary penalty to court costs, and not charge the ticket, and points, against your driving record. You learn a lesson, and you depart from his presence a safer and more conscientious driver.


If you go in there fighting, looking for some type of technical loophole, you're more likely to have the entire fine slapped on you, points and all. In that case, you'll depart his courtroom a poorer man, a man with a driving record, and a man with a marred integrity.



Naturally, it's your decision.





- The truth only hurts if it should -

calcapt

We were a small department - we basically had to decide between donuts or coffee but not both. Calibration checks were not even on page 1 of our budget dream sheet. In our department, the radar gun happy deputies began to have higher than usual incidents of testicular and prostate cancer which most assumed were caused by laying the radar gun in your lap between victims. Again, our budget did not allow for the dash mounted variety. After awhile, I rarely used them again and focused more on important stuff like solving crimes. Imagine that?

calcapt

Related Post:

Airline management positions available. Qualifications should include:

(See above)

Kill Bill, II

i hated working radar as it is just a not-even-thinly-veiled scheme to generate revenue. i used to set mine 30 MPH over the speed limit for wherever i was working and let it go at that.

Tgaug6300

Maybe I could help out a bit here. I'm currently a Deputy and Chief Pilot for our agency. As for calibration of the radar. An Officer can CHECK the calibaration of the radar gun both prior to and after the stop. This is done to ensure that the equipment is working properly at the time of the stop. But there is NO WAY to calibrate the radar itself. That must be done at the manufacture or service center. Officers must also log the tuning fork number that was used to check the calibration too.
If the officer stopped you with moving radar (he was in motion). You might have alittle more room for error. Especially if there was other traffic over taking you.
If the officer stopped you using LASER. Well, you are just toast! LASER doesn't lie, and there is no doubt you were the target and you were speeding!
Depending on the courts in your area, you could be eligable for DIVERSION. If you have not had any other tickets in X amount of years, they will not file this one aginst you. But, if you get a ticket within the next X years, they will

Tgaug6300

Sorry ran out of room.
They will file the ticket you just got and the past ticket. Check on Diversion. If they have it take it. If not and you think it was unjust take it to court. If you know you were speeding, suck it up and pay the ticket.

Remember, Drive safe!

TG

OldAg84

Just remember- traffic court is to justice what rap is to music.

mordi

No offence, but most cops are dicks. First, don't try to be a bad ass to the cop. Pull over under a street light, turn on your hazards and dome light, and sit there with your hands on the steering wheel. Don't make any sudden moves, and tell him where you are going to reach befor you move to that glovebox. Make the Fuzz comfertable with the situation, and let him be the bad ***. Ohh, and don't admit to nothing... just yes and no sir. I get let go most of the time, and most of the airport cops recognize me now at star bucks. Always ask for a court date and always fight the ticket. Aslong as you are respectiful to the judge, they always cut it in half at worse. We all no that speeding tickets in a city are for revenue only. Got to pay for that bad *** hawk (or falcon, BEE CMI, MVR, MPH) in the car. For the most part, cops and pilots run the same personality, think about where would you would hide to catch him running late to work. That is where he will be looking for you. And if you have kids, make sure they don't have a quater and ask the smokey where his bubble gum machine is.

For some reason, I get pulled over more now in my grocery gitter that has car seats in the back and a gallon of walmart milk on the front seat then I ever did in high school with my little red sports car.