Speeding Ticket Tonight

[bersaguy]

I did get stopped about 3 months ago on a seat belt violation for which I was not ticketed because I did have my lap belt on, just not my shoulder strap. When he approached my vehicle I did notice he was a bit cautious at first and I handed him both my HCP and drivers license. I also handed him a letter from my doctor made out to Law enforcement or Judge requesting that I be excused from wearing the shoulder strap do to a major medical abdominal health issue. He did actually take the time to read the letter. He was very nice and very understanding about my health issue and did not ticket me. He seemed much more relaxed once I handed him my HCP with my DL. He said he knew I had an HCP before he approached my vehicle. I am assuming just by running your license plate tells an officer you may have a weapon............jmho

[dawgdoc]

I was stopped in Georgia and answered yes when the deputy asked if there were any weapons. He just had me keep my hands in front, but nothing else. At the end of the stop, he suggested informing his fellow LEO because some of them "might fly off the handle" (his words) when they find out you have a gun. That actually sounds like an excellent reason not to inform.

The last thing I want to do is tell some anti-gun cop, "I have a gun."

[conn_air7]

So sorry to hear about your speeding ticket. However, if you were driving half as bad as you do at work, that cop certainly had a good reason to give you a ticket.


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[conn_air7]

I was stopped in Georgia and answered yes when the deputy asked if there were any weapons. He just had me keep my hands in front, but nothing else. At the end of the stop, he suggested informing his fellow LEO because some of them "might fly off the handle" (his words) when they find out you have a gun. That actually sounds like an excellent reason not to inform.

The last thing I want to do is tell some anti-gun cop, "I have a gun."

I could be wrong, but I bet most LEO's are not anti-gun haha! Given that they carry a firearm 24/7 during work, you would think that anyway.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited November 6, 2015 by conn_air7

[Monkeybat]

I would think that telling the cop you have a legally registered firearm would open the door for honest communication and break down a barrier and it may get you just a warning instead of a ticket. 

 

I've never been pulled over while carrying, but I think I would tell the officer.  

[nightrunner]

I could be wrong, but I bet most LEO's are not anti-gun haha! Given that they carry a firearm 24/7 during work, you would think that anyway.


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I'm not saying most, but a certain percentage of them are not anti gun period, just anti you mere civilian having a gun. And then there are some that really are anti gun and they don't even like carrying one but it's their job.

And then the rest are normal folk. :) Edited November 6, 2015 by nightrunner

[conn_air7]

I'm not saying most, but a certain percentage of them are not anti gun period, just anti you mere civilian having a gun. And then there are some that really are anti gun and they don't even like carrying one but it's their job.

And then the rest are normal folk. :)

I know what you mean! Seems odd that someone would want to enforce the law for their career and not be pro-gun.


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[kcruisin]

Is 15mph over the speed limit considered wreckless driving? If so, you definitely don't want that on your record & you should get a lawyer. Otherwise I'd just pay up.

15-over is reckless driving, the officer has the option to take you to jail for 15 over.  A truck-driver can only have one of those every 3 years.  I wouldn't want that on my MVR. 

 

I'd burn a vacation day to be in court.  Ask for mercy on the court to keep that offense off your record.

 

I keep a current CDL, I still haven't learned to drive 55, (but I try hard not to do 15 over).  I'm grateful for the mercy that several judges have given me over the years.  It's usually cost me court-cost and time. 

[Pain103]

 15mph over the speed limit is not reckless driving under state law. We used to have in the law that 21mph and over the speed limit was reckless but they got rid of it a few years ago. Here is a list of point values assessed on a license for violations and crashes if you were wondering.  https://www.tn.gov/safety/article/values

At 12 points license is suspended for an adult and 6 points for a juvenile.

[kcruisin]

Thanks for that info, 103. 

I got nasty letters from TNDOT for 3 years, because of my first speeding ticket in a big-truck. 

[Mike.357]

I would think that telling the cop you have a legally registered firearm would open the door for honest communication and break down a barrier and it may get you just a warning instead of a ticket. 

 

 

There is no gun registration in TN.

 

Before this year it was illegal to carry a gun,  on your person or in a vehicle.  A HCP was only a defense to that act.  Now it is not illegal to have a loaded pistol in your vehicle.     

 

It is illegal to have hydrocodone in your car.  It is not illegal to have them provided you have a prescription for them. Do you tell the cops when you are carrying something like that in your ride?

 

It used to be illegal to have a knife with a blade longer than 4 inches.  Now it is not. Do you inform them if you are carrying a knife with a extra large blade in your car?

[FTE]

There is no gun registration in TN.

Before this year it was illegal to carry a gun, on your person or in a vehicle. A HCP was only a defense to that act. Now it is not illegal to have a loaded pistol in your vehicle.

It is illegal to have hydrocodone in your car. It is not illegal to have them provided you have a prescription for them. Do you tell the cops when you are carrying something like that in your ride?

It used to be illegal to have a knife with a blade longer than 4 inches. Now it is not. Do you inform them if you are carrying a knife with a extra large blade in your car?

Can't kill a cop with hydrocodone.

I would inform a cop about any large blade I was carrying.

You're grossly missing the point around this "legality" straw man.


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[Monkeybat]

It's not even about legality. It's the fact that I'm a law abiding citizen and I appreciate what "good" officers do. I figure if I can put him at ease in any way it's not a big deal to me. If it helps me get out of a ticket then that's a plus.


Sent from the Fortress of Solitude.

[Defender]

My town will usually offer you traffic school if you show up in court.  They make more money that way, and it stays off your ins records.

[Sam1]

It's not even about legality. It's the fact that I'm a law abiding citizen and I appreciate what "good" officers do. I figure if I can put him at ease in any way it's not a big deal to me. If it helps me get out of a ticket then that's a plus.


Sent from the Fortress of Solitude.

 

That's the way I see it; the golden rule.  This isn't a situation where they are going door to door asking for serial numbers, it is simply a courtesy and may save your ass if something goes haywire with the stop.  What happens if they run your plates or ID and make a mistake, name came back for a felony stop or something... then you go to get out of the car and your gun prints or see it between the seat or whatever.  That's a bad situation.

 

Stuff happens and the police make mistakes too, you can do as you wish, but any time they pull me over I tell them I'm carrying and the worst thing that has happened many moons ago was one ask me to keep my hands on the steering wheel as he went back to run the numbers.

[GlockSpock]

There is no gun registration in TN.

 

Before this year it was illegal to carry a gun,  on your person or in a vehicle.  A HCP was only a defense to that act.  Now it is not illegal to have a loaded pistol in your vehicle.     

 

It is illegal to have hydrocodone in your car.  It is not illegal to have them provided you have a prescription for them. Do you tell the cops when you are carrying something like that in your ride?

 

It used to be illegal to have a knife with a blade longer than 4 inches.  Now it is not. Do you inform them if you are carrying a knife with a extra large blade in your car?

 

If a cop, for whatever reason, catches a glimpse of hydrocodone (prescription or not), he isn't going to immediately think "drugs, shoot him!". If a cop, for whatever reason, catches a glimpse of a firearm unsuspectedly, his first reaction could very well be "gun, shoot him!". At minimum most officers would be put at extreme unease at such a situation. I know one thing, with my Wife and myself (and in this particular case two passengers in the back) parked on the side of a highway at 11:00 PM at night at the mercy of the officer, I want the officer to be as cool and calm as possible.

 

That's why I turned my dome light on, that's why I made sure my hands were clearly on the steering wheel holding my license and permit, and that's why I made sure to be as respectful and polite to the officer as possible. No, I don't keep my license, registration, or proof of insurance in the same compartment as my Glock 26. But to me, ultimately, it comes down to the fact that I have a permit and I believe it certainly will show up to the officer whenever he runs my license or tag. I am not an officer, have never been an officer, and will likely never be an officer, so I do not pretend to know exactly what an officer might think, but it is certainly a possibility that if they see I have a permit on their system yet I in no way acknowledge it to them voluntarily, they may question as to whether or not I am trying to hide anything (legal or not).

 

The bottom line is, you do whatever you think is best, I'll do what I think is best.

Edited November 10, 2015 by CZ9MM

[FUJIMO]

The bottom line is, you do whatever you think is best, I'll do what I think is best.

This is my rule of thumb for most things in life .

[rmiddle]

In Collegedale/Ooltewah tonight on Little Debbie Parkway. I think but am not 100% positive that the limit was just reduced there. I was going 55 in a 40.

 

I handed him my permit with my license. He simply asked if I had the weapon in the car and asked where, then asked me just to avoid that area. I guess he handled that part well. I tried to be very respectful and polite to the officer, but didn't try and come up with an excuse or anything. I honestly didn't know I was speeding, but didn't want to come across as annoying or irresponsible. I honestly thought that he was going to run my license and checkup on my insurance and then give me a warning, but he was gone way too long for that so that's when I knew...

 

Ticketed $133.75.

 

Court date of 12/09 at 3:00 during my normal work hours. I'm in Cleveland, courthouse in Collegedale. My question is whether or not it is worth showing up. I think some/most of the time they tack on fees for showing up to the court date, right? All I'd plan on doing is showing up, explaining that I genuinely did not know I was speeding, had a clean record up to this point, etc. But I don't deny that I was speeding because I know what I set my cruise control on. Does the judge even have the capability for grace, and if he does, do they often exercise it?

 

It is not just the $133.75 ticket cost it is the increase in insurance rates that come with it.  I have gotten 2 tickets in my entire life.  That is in part because I have just plain been lucky but both times I went to court.  In both cases I plead guilty (I was guilty and knew it).  In both cause the points went away and even with court cost the total fine was less than the face value of the ticket.  For me getting the points to go away was the important part as they can really effect you car insurance rates.  Even if you have to take a day off work it will still be cheaper than paying $$$ in increase car insurance for year to come.

 

Thanks

Robert

 

PS.  What part of Cleveland do you live in?

[rmiddle]

Back when I lived in Greenbrier I got my last ticket which would now be over 25 years ago. I was driving through Watertown about 3:30 AM heading for a bass tournament on Center Hill Lake dragging my boat. Was cruising at about 55 MPH when I saw rollers come on and since I was the only vehicle on the road I just slowed and pulled over. Officer was nice while asking for license and registration. He walked back to his car and wrote me the ticket for 50 in a 30 and not 55 or he would have had to take me to jail for reckless driving. I signed the ticket and we exchanged good byes and I went on to fish. Upon getting home I took the ticket out and read the information on the back about what the fines where. I had already made up my mind I would just pay it rather than make that long drive back to attend court. On the very bottom of the information it said "No Checks accepted"  Well I pondered over it for a day or two and just sat down. wrote a check to the Watertown Court clerks Office where it said the ticket could be paid and mailed it. 6 days later my check cleared my bank and I never heard another word about it from Watertown and my insurance did not go up. I learned right then that it is all about the money. The say they won't accept checks but they accepted mine. They had what they wanted which was the $57.50 for the fine.

 

Now I don't know about this day in time and tickets but I did have to go with a friend to traffic court about 2 years ago for speeding. He was going 74mph in a 65 MPH Zone. Hendersonville on Vietnam Vets Highway. He wanted to fight it in court. Bad idea. He ended up paying the fine of $90.00 + $105.00 court cost and it went on his driving record. I told him to just pay it by mail and let it go but he was bull headed. Ended up costing him a day of work wages plus $195.00. .............................. :shrug:

 

He plead not guilty didn't he.  There is a lot more paper work involved with no guilty so the judges tend to come down harder on people who plead it.  Unless you have something that can be considered solid proof  pleading not guilty is generally a bad idea.  Now if you can show something was wrong with the car and fixed that can help but if you were speeding and you know it don't plead not guilty it never goes well.

 

Thanks

Robert

[GlockSpock]

My court date is later this afternoon. Until then I'll be watching My Cousin Vinny, hoping to learn not only what attire to wear but also how to handle myself properly. Wish me luck!

 

[crossfire]

My court date is later this afternoon. Until then I'll be watching My Cousin Vinny, hoping to learn not only what attire to wear but also how to handle myself properly. Wish me luck!

 

 

Come off looking and acting like  Joe Pesci and your going to need it.

 

Good luck :wave: 

[GlockSpock]

Great! I just got back from court. At the very beginning he called a list of names from the ~180 or so people there and had us approach the bench. Due to several factors, we were awarded defensive driving school and only have to pay $65 and avoid having it on our record as well.

3 of us (not myself) had to pay court costs because their speed was "excessive" (I presume this takes into factors such as what road, time of day, etc possibly).

So, only $65 (instead of the ~$130 amount for the ticket) and it stays off my record!


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[GlockSpock]

Something that caught my attention when getting to the court. Outside I noticed two officers. One was getting out of his car with an AR-15 and the other was standing on the sidewalk next to the building with an AR-15. I may have been imagining it but I think I heard the sound of a bolt slamming home as I walked into the building.

 

Do they have guards done there at all times? Responding to a possible threat? I will note that in the courtroom for "Traffic Court" were probably at least 180 people (10 people per row, 9 or 10 rows per side, two total sides) and some of them that were there were incarcerated criminals that also had traffic violations attached to their charges. Were they there because of the transfer of these prisonors?

 

Overall, I would say the experience in total was a good one. Instead of $133.75 I only have $65.00 and have up until May 18th to complete Defensive Driving School. 

[TNWNGR]

Something that caught my attention when getting to the court. Outside I noticed two officers. One was getting out of his car with an AR-15 and the other was standing on the sidewalk next to the building with an AR-15. I may have been imagining it but I think I heard the sound of a bolt slamming home as I walked into the building.

 

Do they have guards done there at all times? Responding to a possible threat? I will note that in the courtroom for "Traffic Court" were probably at least 180 people (10 people per row, 9 or 10 rows per side, two total sides) and some of them that were there were incarcerated criminals that also had traffic violations attached to their charges. Were they there because of the transfer of these prisonors?

 

Overall, I would say the experience in total was a good one. Instead of $133.75 I only have $65.00 and have up until May 18th to complete Defensive Driving School. 

I have a suspicion you either walked up on a vehicle inspection by a supervisor or it was shift change because patrol rifles don't generally get used for court security. Whether inside the building or outside of it.

[GlockSpock]

I have a suspicion you either walked up on a vehicle inspection by a supervisor or it was shift change because patrol rifles don't generally get used for court security. Whether inside the building or outside of it.

I don't think so but maybe. One of the officers just got to the parking lot, got out and was holding his rifle walking towards the building. There was another officer just standing on the sidewalk with his rifle hanging from its sling.

They seemed at the ready, waiting either for someone else (maybe to pick them up) or for someone to arrive with prisoners perhaps.

Might note that the College Dale Police Department is attached to the Municipal Court. Now that I think about it perhaps court in session and what I saw were unrelated.

It just isn't everyday that you see officers sporting rifles as such in public.


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Edit: I retread your post again and a shift change could be it. Maybe the officer standing was waiting for a vehicle to arrive. Edited December 10, 2015 by CZ9MM