OT- Had run-in w/small town usa Police

But a supervisor or court would not have accepted random hero dad's word over that of the cop's.

I've had to pay “extra fees” (la mordida) in third world countries. The one thing you never want to do is make accusations. They cost extra and take way longer

 

That sure would be a great thing to do. Not only would you still be in trouble with the locals, but you would also be in trouble with the Secret Service for the counterfeit money scam.

 

I've had several members of family in law enforcement over the years, and it convinced me early on that that's not something that I could do, and I have great admiration for anyone that can continue to do that job. Almost all of them developed a rather sour outlook at society in general. As my son-in-law said one time, "we get to deal with the dregs of society almost all the time." "It changes you." This is right after he was assigned to Gallup New Mexico. It is the hellhole of N M because of it's location. (It is pretty well surrounded by Indian reservations, and the poverty that it brings. Lots of crime and alcohol.) If you will notice, when you deal with most police officers, on a work related basis, they are the most serious minded people you will ever meet.
Their work requires it.

From that I would suggest that when one gets stopped, he treats the officer very nicely, and with respect, because of the fact that they are in charge whether right or wrong.

 

I was escorted to a mail box to deposit an "apperance bond" which when forfited was also the fine amount in full.

I was allowed to plead my case by mail, found guilty and they kept my cash and assigned zreo points. I was guilty and feel I was treated fairly.

 

Seems unlikely an unscrupulous cop depriving motorists of due process on the side of the road would add to his troubles by revealing how he got the counterfeit bills. How's anyone going to tell whose bills he's buying dough nuts with? Once it's in his pocket, it's all his. I think it's a good idea.

 

I've paid on the spot in two different states but it's not as easy as giving cash to the officer. When it happened in Colorado I pulled the cash out, the officer wrote the serial numbers from the bills onto the dedicated spots on the ticket then handed me an addressed postage paid envelope and said he was no longer allowed to touch the envelope or money. I was then suppose to follow him to the nearest mail box and he had to witness me placing the envelope in the mail box. Very nice guy, and the ticket was only $35. He even went into the convenience store with the us to get a cup of coffee. We shot the breeze a few minutes while drinking coffee then went on our way. This was many years ago back in 85.

I can't remember the other state where I did something similar. I want to say it was Kansas but I'm not sure.

 

Ok, fine, enough humorous fantasizing....in the case of the much more probable, honest cop scenario, my advice is to pay with real $1.00 bills.

 

I was happy to pay with whatever I needed to. The guy cut me a break. He asked if I could pay a $35 fine that wouldn't be on my record and I said it would be tight but I could do it since I would be staying with my aunt that night. He said it's that or he could write it for what he clocked me at (86 in a 55) which would have been just shy of $200 bucks and a trip to the station. I laughed and said the $35 would be just fine. So he smiled and said I thought you would see it that way too.

 

The exact same scenario (right down to the escorted trip to the mailbox) happened to me near Eagle, CO in the middle of the night about 25 years ago.

Another time had me dead-to-rights in Missouri (if I recall correctly) again in the middle of the night and this time an escort into town to the court building where some lonely night clerk took my money after ringing me in the front door.

 

Hell that Colorado process rocks. Shit $35 bucks and done with it is the way it should be. I should have handed him $105 and said I've got a long way to go so let's just take care of the whole day.

 

Standard issue small town cop. Best thing you can do is turn up the twang and act as though the cop is a bigger stronger cooler older kid in high school and say "gosh officer", make nervous small talk and laugh a lot. If you're lucky he'll think you're a nerd on a bike who's completely afraid of and outwitted by him, and he'll let you go with a warning.

I may be completely wrong but in my experience in small towns, the traffic stops there - especially regarding out-of-towners - is all about revenue generation. It's too much of a PITA for most folks to bother going back into town to fight these cases so there's a screwy-seeming "pay now" policy in place that doesn't exist in big cities.

 

Truth be told, I actually like this type of process. A nice old judge in a place to remain unnamed, in remote TX, allowed me to pay a 'special dismissal fee' in exchange for tearing up my tickets. I called the court and asked if there was any way we could simplify everything. He said: "Let me think about it", then presented that option.

 

mailing in CASH is TOTAL BS.
theres NO way in hell thats legit.
what happens when it gets lost?

and...if theres NO record...why is it even sent..and to WHO. there HAS to be record of it..somewhere.

i call bullshit on it.

 

Is it that at the state level, there are reciprocity agreements but not so much at the county level?

I know NY state traffic tickets count in Ontario, Canada and vice versa. You can ignore the notices in the mail but you cannot renew your ownership or license without paying up.

 

Are you talking about the Colorado examples given? If so there's nothing at all wrong with it.

The cop looks at the bills and writes the serial numbers down on the ticket. Then hands you an adressed stamped envelop for you to place the money and a copy of the ticket in. He then gives you a copy and then has you follow him to a mail box and witnesses you placing the envelope in a locked USPS box. He never touched the money and the evelope was addressed to the county clerk. You sign on the ticket that you are guilty and waive any trial. All very simple.

I would never just send in cash for a ticket from my house. In TN it's not even allowed in any county I've dealt with. It has to be cashiers check or some will take a personal check. I usually pay online now.

 

Ticket stories..... I could tell them for hours after 26 years in uniform... Work in the court system now. We had an unmarked SWAT car running to a gun call immediately behind a marked unit running full code. A state trooper ran down the SWAT car and threatened to write him a ticket for not having his emergency lights on. The trooper complained to our Internal Affairs about the incident. The officer asked which was worse, the Trooper car going 100 to catch him at 85 while not turning his lights on until he caught up just to write a ticket or the SWAT officer going to save someone's life directly behind a unit running code? I was in my patrol car at 3:30 in the morning driving down a road that borders our city and another. I saw the other city's patrol car coming the other way. They usually only have 2 or so officers on their 3rd shift. He turned on his blue lights as he passed. He then stopped after he passed me and turned the lights back on. I assumed he needed backup for an alarm/burglary call most likely. I did a u-turn and headed back to him only to be told off for going 55 in a 45 zone in HIS city.... My mistake.. but hard to believe his attitude. One of their officers wrote one of our officers a ticket in the daytime for having the headlight out on his 1947 car making him late to work and he was in uniform and in this state he was not required to even have his headlights on at that hour...... Enough complaining... So we even mess with our own kind at times. Unfortunately in many communities ticket revenue has become important to many towns and cities' budgets including mine. If 300 officers in this city can average 500 tickets per year at close to $100 each, the city has $15 million more dollars for its 200,000 citizens. And now without that money this city can't make its budget, it seems.... So tickets have become another tax.... A tax that helps prevent accidents but carried a bit too far for the wrong reasons.

 

Actually, I would call the STATE's Attorney and the State Bureau of Investigaton (actual name varies by state.) There is a good chance that the local DA is in on the shakedown.

Don't expect great earthshaking results, this scam has been going on for over 80 years in the South and Southwest.

If the State agencies don't want to listen, contact the FBI SAIC in that state's capitol.

 

Ah, good ol' Gallup, NM...

It was in the pre-dawn hours of Thanksgiving Day, 1973. I was riding through Gallup in a '65 Mustang with another long-haired hippie freak-type, and the driver of the Mustang who had picked us hitchikers up a hundred miles East of Gallup. Stopped for gas, filled the car, when we find ourselves surrounded by Gallup police cruisers. Seems our principal crimes were being "hippie scum" (2 of us) and "filthy n*****" (the driver, who happened to be a man of color.) We heard both terms many times in the several minutes of that visit. They told us to get the Hell out of Gallup or spend Thanksgiving in jail. Apparently the gas station owner called the cops the second we pulled in.

We obliged, leaving with a full tank of fuel, which was never paid for in the confusion. Wierd place. Wonder if they still give free gas?

 

South and Southwest. Being a bit prejudice aren't you? This shit goes on all over the country.

 

A Lawyer runs a stop sign and gets pulled over by a Sheriffs Deputy.He thinks that he is smarter than the Deputy because he is sure that he has a better education.He decides to prove this to himself and have some fun at the deputies expense...........

Deputy says, "License and registration, please."
Lawyer says, "What for?"

Deputy says, "You didn't come to a complete stop at the stop sign ."
Lawyer says, "I slowed down, and no one was coming."

Deputy says, "You still didn't come to a complete stop. License and registration, please."
Lawyer says, "What's the difference?"

Deputy says, "The difference is, you have to come to a complete stop,that's the law. License and registration, please!"

Lawyer says, "If you can show me the legal difference between slow down and stop or convince me of the difference, I'll give you my license and registration and you give me the ticket,if not you let me go and no ticket."

Deputy says, "Exit your vehicle, sir."

At this point, the Deputy takes out his nightstick and starts beating the ever-loving crap out of the Lawyer, and says:

"DO YOU WANT ME TO STOP OR JUST SLOW DOWN?"