Need input from real police on this speed ticket

[3sgtepower]

Hi there, I feel a bit like I am going into the lions den by joining this forum, but hopefully no one will hold that against me here . I have a lot of respect for police officers and work with them on a daily basis, since I am a mailman at my college, and have to deliver mail to my college police station. I told the police officers at my college my story, and they thought that I should fight the ticket.

I would also like to mention that I have never once pleaded not guilty on any traffic ticket in the past, since I felt all of them were legit, but this is the first time I ever had a police officer pace me for so long and then pull me over for speeding, when I was making a concious effort to do the speed limit.

Unfortunately, I drive a modified, loud red sports car (1991 Toyota mr2) as my daily driver, and have noticed that I am much more susceptible to random pull overs as a result, than when I drive my moms lincoln town car.


Anyways, Im going down manchester, on a part where I have been pulled over before, so I was making extra sure to do my best to do the speed limit, I kept my rpms in 5th gear at 1500 rpms. I do not have a working speedometer right now due to my JDM motor swap though, but according to speed gearing calculators based on my rpm/5thgear/finaldrive and tiresize, I was doing 36mph in a 30mph zone, and I would feel completely fine with having to pay a 36 in a 30 ticket, but not a 43 in a 30 ticket since those are much more expensive.

I see a cop up ahead, further reason for me to make sure I was doing the speed limit, he U-turns into a parking lot and behind me. I go down bigbend and then as Im making a left into a subdivision, I see him right behind me. I drive perfect for about 2 minutes, stopping on the line at all the stop signs, doing under the speed limit etc.

He eventually pulls me over when I get out of the subdivision. Walks up, claims I was doing 43 mph. Tells me it was suspicious how I drove slow when he was right behind me, and I wasnt going anywhere in particular it seemed like. I tell him, I honestly cant tell my exact mph since my speedometer isnt hooked up, other than I was at 1500rpms in 5th gear, so Im going to have to see your radar. He ignores me, and keeps going on, about how I was driving in a subdivision for no reason. I said well I like to drive my car and wasnt going anywhere in particular. He comes up with the ticket and I ask again to see the radar, he claims he cant show me his radar since its in his squadcar and he dont want me in his car. Thats a first for me, Ive had cops offer to show me before even.

He then asks to search me, I wait about 10 minutes, while he waits for backup so he can search me.He then proceeds to search me and the car, finds nothing of course. Meanwhile im sitting outside in 20 degree weather, freezing my *** off talking to another cop of the department thats stealing from me $200 or so in what i feel are BS legal fees for driving a flashy import. He writes on the ticket that I was doing 42mph in a 30mph zone, originally he said I was doing 43mph, I find that to be an inconsistency in his story.

The only way I could have been doing 43mph is if my 15 year old toyota was geared up to 200mph in stock form and its 7250rpm redline, which I am sure is not possible for my car without major modifications.


I was hoping I could get the opinion of real police officers on my ticket, and whether it would be worth the hastle of pleading not guilty, or if I should just pay my lawyer to handle it and be done with it?

The college police officers said somethinga bout requesting the daily radar gun logs of the police officer that pulled me over, is that a good strategy to fighting a speeding ticket that I think is unjust?

I have plead not guilty before in small claims court when I was %100 sure I was not guilty, and still deemed guilty, simply because I was 21 years old and driving a modified car, I think judges often assume that because I am young and drive a sports car, therefore I am already at fault for whatever I was doing, and am just looking to get out of having to pay money.

On the other hand, my driving record is pretty clean, and I havent had a ticket on it in almost 3 years.

[txinvestigator1]

I ain't reading all of that, but no speedo means you got no defense. Its not an "unjust" ticket. I suspect the cop has less reason to lie than you have to make errors in your calculations and facts of your gearing vs tire size vs RPM.

[troysig]

I ain't reading all of that, but no speedo means you got no defense. Its not an "unjust" ticket. I suspect the cop has less reason to lie than you have to make errors in your calculations and facts of your gearing vs tire size vs RPM.

+1, I saw the length of the post and said screw it.

[Drummadude]

Considering you don't have speedometer, and that this story is biased, I don't think many cops could tell you what to do.

[3sgtepower]

Use these E153 transmission gear ratios and plug them into a speed gearing calculator and you will find I am not off in the slightest

tire size 245/45/17

1. 3.23
2. 1.91
3. 1.25
4. 0.91
5. 0.73
Final gear is 4.28

rpms was at 1500rpms

Id post the URL to this, but this forum will not allow me to do so, type in speed gearing calculator into google and many will come up.

According to the one I am looking at, i was doing 35.4 mph

Speedometers dont hold up, ALl i could tell the judge is my speedo was at the dash between 35 and 37mph, which isnt necesarily accurate. Ok seeing how alot of police officers that dont know me will also automatically assume I am guilty irregaurdless, hypothetically, if I wasnt speeding, what would be the best way to fight a ticket?

[Darin]

Answer: Go to court and plead your case. You have a 50/50 shot. You'll either be found not guilty or guilty.

[chaser]

My opinion is you say you were speeding 36 in a 30 then it will be the same fine most of the time.

Speeding is speeding, I could see your concern if he wrote you reckless but pay up slow down and take the money for your lawyer and get the speedometer fixed.

[Valor55]

I thought I'd seen everything until the day I read about a tool whose spedometer doesn't work but knows he was going 6 over the speed limit and not 13 over.

[3sgtepower]

Yea, but 13 over is a much worse speeding ticket than 6mph over. I think I should be allowed atleast to be shown the evidence of me doing 13 over when I requested it, but since he had no actual proof, he denied it to me.

And few 6mph tickets hold up in court, since that is such a narrow margin it can come down to calibration of the radar, and are often thrown out in traffic courts, except where it says "Strictly enforced" on the speed limit sign, so he had to claim i was doing 13mph over for it to stick.

[txinvestigator1]

Yea, but 13 over is a much worse speeding ticket than 6mph over. I think I should be allowed atleast to be shown the evidence of me doing 13 over when I requested it, but since he had no actual proof, he denied it to me.

You're a tard. The police have no obligation to show you their evidence on the street.

And few 6mph tickets hold up in court, since that is such a narrow margin it can come down to calibration of the radar, and are often thrown out in traffic courts, except where it says "Strictly enforced" on the speed limit sign, so he had to claim i was doing 13mph over for it to stick.

More tard comments. Where did you get than nonsense, a cracker jack box?


IBTL

[3sgtepower]

Hey no need for name calling here, Im trying to have a mature conversation.

But if the general consensus is that I should pay a lawyer to fix it, than I will.

[troysig]

And few 6mph tickets hold up in court, since that is such a narrow margin it can come down to calibration of the radar, and are often thrown out in traffic courts, except where it says "Strictly enforced" on the speed limit sign, so he had to claim i was doing 13mph over for it to stick.

Ohh that is so funny I would love to hear where you heard that from. So what it takes special radars to use in the "Strictly enforced" zones? Dang I guess I better throw our new Stalker Radars away. I wish I could be in that courtroom to laugh with the judge when you start talking.

[3sgtepower]

Sounds like you work for a kangaroo court, and if what the college police officers tell me is true, a new radar is no better holding up in court than an old radar, it all comes down to whether the police officer used his tuning forks that morning or not, and kept his log up to date

[txinvestigator1]

Hey no need for name calling here, Im trying to have a mature conversation.

But if the general consensus is that I should pay a lawyer to fix it, than I will.

You call the officer a liar, you're lucky all I called you was a tard.

The consesus is that you pay your ticket and put a speedo in your car, and stop listening to sidewalk lawyers. :rolleyes:

[txinvestigator1]

Sounds like you work for a kangaroo court

Better a kangaroo than a jack ***.

MORON