Situation:
Yesterday, carpooling with 5 folks in a Subaru wagon on Rt. 2 in CT.
CT trooper Mustang in center median behind bush with radar.
Second trooper down the road a ways on the right shoulder
pointing to cars and ordering them to pull over to the right shoulder.
They waited until they had about 12 cars, then the Mustang came
over and they started writing tickets.
First of all, we probably were exceeding the 55 mph speed limit, which
our driver admitted to (telling the cop she thinks she was
going 66 – I didn’t have time to prep her – she was really nervous).
Anyway, we were in a line of traffic passing a truck (going under the
speed limit) and what really upsets me was the way the cops ordered
folks over FROM THE LEFT LANE. I feel that this type of trap
endangered not only the lives of the allegedly speeding motorists and
any passengers but also the lives of the other motorists.
We saw one guy panic when he saw Buford pointing and yelling at him from
the shoulder that he pulled over in the grassy center median, which
further angered Buford, who then order this guy over to the right.
This poor fellow had to negoitiate through 2 lanes of
traffic (tho light). Our pullover wasn’t this dramatic but
still frightful (and then Buford ordered us to back up a few hundred
feet on the shoulder).
BTW- she got a ticket for doing 70 mph!
Any help on this matter?
How can they give her a ticket and not allow her to see the radar read-out?
What about the procedures that they used?
Who would be the best person to complain to about the endangerment of lives?
I told my friend (who never had a ticket in many years of driving) to plead
‘not guilty’ and go see the DA before the court hearing. She could use
some help/tips since its been a while since I battled tickets in CT.
Thanks for all the help.
Marc
m…@dancer.cc.bellcore.com
[A poster relates a story of a speeding ticket gotten en Connecticut, and
asks how the CT judicial process works. I've been through the process
about a dozen times in the last few years (*not* all my tickets) so...]
The first date they will mail you is not really a trial, it’s a meeting
with the prosecuter. He (or she, many are female) will ask you why you
are pleading "not guilty". Based on what you say and what local policies
are, they’ll either offer you the choice to plead guilty for a lesser
offense, make up an arbitrary amount for you to pay, or (very, *very*
rare) ditch the ticket completely. This will almost always be a timeslot
in the morning; everyone else has the same time too; the best thing to do
is be an hour (or more) early so that you’re not on line for another
half-dozen… I suppose it’s possible, but I’ve never seen one offer you
no discount at all and tell you you’ll have to see the judge. (They’re
not stupid; the time the cop spends in court won’t make up for all the
tickets he’ll miss writing.) I’ve never actually been to a trial, but
reading indicates that radar is given the legal equivalent of a
presumption of guilt, and VASCAR a presumtion of innocence. If anyone
*has* ever taken a CT ticket to court, I’d love to hear about the
experience. Since NY doesn’t hear about out-of-state tickets, I’ve never
bothered going all the way…
Always apply the general wisdom that if you got a ticket from an officer
who just happened upon you and was involved in something else, they very
often won’t bother showing up in court, as yours might be the only thing
they’d be there for, whereas if it was part of a regular revenue
gathering operation, they most likely will be there…
Since the person who posted was radared passing a truck, I’d say take it
all the way unless the prosecuter offers a good deal. Just that one was
supposedly radared passing such a big target is enough to get the ticket
thrown out in some places…
andrew