I just got a traffic ticket

[MamaMia]

from a really scary looking female highway patrol person for going 2 miles over the 35 mile an hour speed limit. I'm just grateful I didn't have to spend the night in jail and post a bond.

[OUHOMER]

Speed racer are you.....BUt 2 mph over PLEASE!!!!!!!!

[Curly Bill]

That's insane! I'd find some way not to pay it if I had to pay a lawyer several times more than the cost of the ticket to get out of it.

[MamaMia]

Watch your speed in Geary Oklahoma people. http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/OUmom/smilies/bitenails.gif

[Turd_Ferguson]

Watch your speed in Geary Oklahoma people. http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/OUmom/smilies/bitenails.gifFunny you say that. Around 2006, I was taking one of my company's 18 wheelers up to Woodward. When I came into Geary I was doing 75 when I seen the 45 sign. About the time I let off the pedal, I saw the 35 sign...then I seen the OHP doing a u-turn behind me. He asked me if I seen the speed limit sign and I told him yes, right after I seen you. He laughed, went back to his car and wrote me a warning. Told me to "slow that damn thing down". :)

[MamaMia]

When I was 17, I got a ticket for speeding in a school zone past my own high school on a Sunday after summer school was over for the summer. I was going the regular speed limit on my way to church. Nobody was even at the school.

I also got a warning from a Seiling policeman a few years ago for having my fog lights on when it was foggy. Granted, it wasn't total fog, but I was driving through patches of it. I think he thought I may be drunk because it was about 2:00 am, but I had been in the city visiting family and that was why I was out that late. They will stop you for fog lights. I knew that, but I didnt think they would stop you if you had them on because of real fog.

I also got a ticket for illegal left turn in OKC on Classen back in the 80's. There was one of those pole lights that had 4 lights on it and one of them was a green arrow. I got into the brand new left turning lane they had just constructed which was directly across from the new traffic light pole. The lane only had enough room for about 3 cars. The light was solid green as I was approaching it so I signaled and turned left. I was pulled over right then. It was about 3 in the morning and I had been at my office working late and fell asleep on my office sofa. I later found out that under the lights on the pole there was a sign that read "Left Turn on Green Arrow Only" I didn't see that, but after that happened, even if the light was green I stopped.

Then, in 1999 or so, I also got a ticket for undoing my seat belt at a traffic light here in Woodward. I was taking my puppy home and his leash got caught up in the seat next to me so i released my seat belt to help him. I didn't have the doggy condos yet. After that I bought the condos to put both dogs in any time I travel.

The weirdest ticket I ever got was the year we were coming home from the Alabama game. It was the first year the Nissan XTerras came out and I had just gotten a red one. I was driving along and a car that was identical to mine sped past us going about 90 miles and hour. I saw a helicopter and just knew they would be nailed. I got the ticket instead of them. They had mistaken me for that other car. I tried to explain but the Arkansas cop literally yelled at me. I was terrified! So I just paid it.

[8timechamps]

When I lived in OKC, my neighbor was a OHP, and he would come over every now and then for a BBQ or to drink beer, and he used to tell us stories about pulling people over. I asked if he had ever let any one off with a warning; he told me there was only one excuse he ever let slide:

He pulled a guy over (can't remember the speed he was doing, but it was pretty high). He said the driver was really "squirmy" when he was walking to the car, so he was really suspicious and prepared for anything. When he got to the window, he said "do you know how fast you were going?", and the guy replied (with a grimace on his face) "probably really fast, but if I don't get home in the next 5 minutes, I'm going to **** myself!". He said "I told the guy to slow it down", then let him go.

I've never used that excuse, but I thought it was funny as hell.

[MamaMia]

Poor guy. Your friend should have given him a police escort to his bathroom. :D

[8timechamps]

Poor guy. Your friend should have given him a police escort to his bathroom. :D

Maybe the next time you get pulled over Glen, you should try that excuse. :D

[MamaMia]

Maybe the next time you get pulled over Glen, you should try that excuse. :DWith my lousy luck, I think I'm just going to stop trying to push the envelope. :)

To be honest, except for the helicopter pilot not telling the Arkansas highway patrolman that he had the wrong red XTerra, I could have avoided all the other tickets. 2 miles over is still speeding.The puppy should have been in a carrier. I hate it when people speed through school zones but that was also my fault because technically the school zone signs don't say "Except on Sundays, or When School is in Session." I also should have lowered my speed down to really slow so I would have been able to read the new sign about the arrow. :D

When I see a patrol person, I could grab a couple of tissues and blow my nose a few times, so they might be afraid of catching a cold? :O

[MamaMia]

Oh and just to tell you how small our town is...

The ticket I had gotten here in town was when I took my seat belt off while stopped at the traffic light to unwrap my puppy's leash. Not long after that, a couple of us were driving through Crystal Beach Park. They have a beautiful Christmas light display throughout the park all around the lake, play grounds, amphitheater and sports area. There's one entrance and one exit. We were the last visitors before they shut the gates.

As we were driving along the desolate exit area we saw a very elderly couple wandering around in the middle of the street. The weather was snow and ice. They were confused thinking they went out of the entrance where they had parked their car at a nearby church. We rescued them.

The elderly man didn't put on his seat belt, so I told him that I had just gotten a ticket for undoing my seatbelt to untangle my puppy while stopped at a traffic light, so would he please put his seat belt on? The lady said that the officer was very insensitive to have still given me a ticket even though I told her I explained to him why I unlatched my belt. She then asked me what the name of the officer was. As it turned out, he was their son! She told me that she was going to give him a good talking to. I saw him at the county sales barn and couldn't resist teasing him about that. http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/OUmom/smilies/giggle.gif

[Boomer.....]

I would go to court and fight it. 2 mph over should get dismissed. What a B!

[olevetonahill]

I would go to court and fight it. 2 mph over should get dismissed. What a B!

If ya go talk to the DA he will dismiss it, But I bet ya he makes you Pay court costs or some other silly fee
An ex GF got a ticket for transporting an Open container , I went an talked to the DA and thats what happened
You can demand a Jury trial But I believe you have to post some kinda Bond then Hire an attorney and all that crap
Just pay the Court cost and move on.

[badger]

I would go to court and fight it. 2 mph over should get dismissed. What a B!

Is it worth going to court over or do you just pay your hundred bucks or so fine and move on?

I've heard that it is easier to contest a ticket that has the officer following you at a certain speed, rather than being caught on radar.

[KantoSooner]

If you can talk to the DA, you might consider asking to see the calibration records of the speed detection device the officer was using. They have to be calibrated on a regular basis.
Cops, like almost everyone else, don't like doing tedious things and instrument calibration is one of them.
Uncalibrated speed gun + 2 mph over violation? You might just buy yourself a dismissal.

[MamaMia]

Its a 4 hour round trip. My car insurance company said that its been so long since my last ticket that it wont go against me. I think I'll just pay it.

[olevetonahill]

Its a 4 hour round trip. My car insurance company said that its been so long since my last ticket that it wont go against me. I think I'll just pay it.

If ya hadnt told yer Ins. They would have never known, Unless a ticket is for 10 over it never goes on yer driving record
Yea just pay it

[MamaMia]

I just called them to see if I could get a break if I just paid it. I explained that I took my foot off the gas when the limit started lowering. The lady is going to get back with me.

[olevetonahill]

I just called them to see if I could get a break if I just paid it. I explained that I took my foot off the gas when the limit started lowering. The lady is going to get back with me.

They should reduced it while you were on the phone . Dont let too much time go by before callin em again and Make sure you get names and write that stuff down

[jk the sooner fan]

If you can talk to the DA, you might consider asking to see the calibration records of the speed detection device the officer was using. They have to be calibrated on a regular basis.
Cops, like almost everyone else, don't like doing tedious things and instrument calibration is one of them.
Uncalibrated speed gun + 2 mph over violation? You might just buy yourself a dismissal.

not....exactly........true..........it's a semantics issue, but an important one for you Perry Mason's trying to get out of the ticket you likely deserved (present company excluded of course)

the police officer CHECK the calibration - in past times they had a tuning fork that they'd pink and then hold up to the radar - if the speed depicted on the radar as the same as the number etched on the tuning fork - everything was good

policemen are not typically qualified to actually calibrate a piece of equipment like a radar - that would probably void any warranty.....they send them in to the manufacturer

but - striking a tuning fork on the steering wheel and holding it up to the radar really isnt all that "tedious"


i think you'd be better off trying to argue that your odometer looked like it was on the speed limit ...

[Ton Loc]

Cops giving BS tickets. Blah - what a **** job. Certainly not what you imagined as a child playing Cops and Robbers or those 80's movies where everyone yelled "No time for backup!"

[MamaMia]

They said I could pay 40 bucks. I don't know how big of a break that is but it would have cost me that in gas just to get there. I doubt I would have gotten out of it because why would she be giving out tickets that she has to be in court to defend, if she thought people wouldn't have to pay?

[olevetonahill]

They said I could pay 40 bucks. I don't know how big of a break that is but it would have cost me that in gas just to get there. I doubt I would have gotten out of it because why would she be giving out tickets that she has to be in court to defend, if she thought people wouldn't have to pay?

Pay the 40 and be glad
The Broad gave out the tickets in the Hope that you wouldnt contest it
Ya did good Mom


Now back to That calibrating of the Radar unit
Both posters are correct as of 30 years ago yet they aint complete

We had to Recalibrate the Radar unit in whatever Squad we were in when we 1st started shift , Then never again unless that unit was turned OFF , Then we had to do the Tuning fork deal. Now again that was 30 years or better ago
No Clue how that works now.

[jk the sooner fan]

small town oklahoma must be great - i've never heard of the ability to just "call in and negotiate" your speeding ticket without having to go to court or talk directly to the attorney

wish we had that down here

[jk the sooner fan]

i'm told that the radars these days have an auto-tune feature and dont have to go back to the mfg anymore to be re-tuned

i'm sure technology has changed dramatically from the old K/X band radars vet and i are likely familiar with.....the ones with a stationary and moving setting - but you can only do one or the other

[olevetonahill]

i'm told that the radars these days have an auto-tune feature and dont have to go back to the mfg anymore to be re-tuned

i'm sure technology has changed dramatically from the old K/X band radars vet and i are likely familiar with.....the ones with a stationary and moving setting - but you can only do one or the other

For several years Tropers in Most states used what they Called "Shotgunning" They would run with the Unit In Off to avoid the radar Detectors the Turn it on real fast to try to catch you

That killed em when the Courts got told to throw em out cause the Units hadnt been tuned after being off

[jk the sooner fan]

well we didnt call that shotgunning - but it did have a "hold" feature - the machine was ON - but it wasn't sending the doppler radar beam out the front end

cant remember what we called that

[Turd_Ferguson]

I use to ride with an OCPD Officer back in the mid 90's. His radar was always powered up but he had a button he would push whenever he wanted to check the speed of certain cars. When he pushed it, you could hear the radar whistle and it would show the speed. When he let off the button the whistle would go away. Don't most of them use laser now days?

[Lott's Bandana]

I use to ride with an OCPD Officer back in the mid 90's. His radar was always powered up but he had a button he would push whenever he wanted to check the speed of certain cars. When he pushed it, you could hear the radar whistle and it would show the speed. When he let off the button the whistle would go away. Don't most of them use laser now days?


I have a detector in my car that I use mostly to keep me awake to all the 65 to 45 spots on the state highways. I don't speed so much anymore, but some of these places don't make sense so I protect myself. It works.

What I've found is, Laser is very infrequently used. I've only had a Laser alert less than a 1/2 dozen times in 4 years of having this latest detector. Also, I have discovered that only about 20% of the law enforcement vehicles actually are using their radars actively...even the ones on the side of the road are seemingly just slowing everyone down.

The azzholes in Texas are the ones I get tickets from, as they have no problem breaking traffic laws in order to run you down. I had one drive through grass from the frontage road at breakneck speed in order to stop me before I crossed the Red River bridge. Next time you are northbound on I35 at mile marker 501 or so...look over at the frontage road at all the tire marks from the troopers doing high-speed U-turns to stop north bounders.

[soonerloyal]

Years ago, I was talking to my next-door neighbor who was a member of the Norman PD, about ticketing. I joked about wondering just what their quotas were. He looked at me with mock consternation & said "LORI! We of Norman's Finest DO NOT have quotas! It is merely strongly suggested that we have as many 'personal contacts' with our fellow citizens on a monthly basis as we can fit into our duties."

[olevetonahill]

Years ago, I was talking to my next-door neighbor who was a member of the Norman PD, about ticketing. I joked about wondering just what their quotas were. He looked at me with mock consternation & said "LORI! We of Norman's Finest DO NOT have quotas! It is merely strongly suggested that we have as many 'personal contacts' with our fellow citizens on a monthly basis as we can fit into our duties."

Yea, I remember azzholes telling me I was just trying to make my Quota. My stock answer?

" I dont have a quota, They let me write all the tickets I want to."

[jk the sooner fan]

no quota? really? we got a free toaster for every 50 written ;)

[olevetonahill]

no quota? really? we got a free toaster for every 50 written ;)

Busted a Drunk one New years eve. He said that Quota crap
I just told him I needed to hurry and get him Booked cause If I got 2 more that night I would win a Free TV :very_drunk:

[jk the sooner fan]

actually that toaster line was from my very first traffic ticket ever as an MP- i was riding shotgun with a senior partner that I actually outranked..we pulled over a Major who got mouthy and spouted off that quota BS......my partner responded with the free toaster deal

later i found myself standing in front of the Ops Officer's desk, receiving an Alpha Charlie....

[KantoSooner]

Let me ask you law enforcement types, why don't cops just put a patrol car on either side of a bar 30 minutes before closing? You'd pop every single person coming out for DUI.

Not that it would be something I'd like to see, seeing as how I'd likely be one of the people who'd get popped, but still, it's always seemed mysterious to me that you can watch people coming out of a BAR, getting in their CAR and DRIVING away. 95% chance they blow over the limit.

What's the reasoning?

[Curly Bill]

Let me ask you law enforcement types, why don't cops just put a patrol car on either side of a bar 30 minutes before closing? You'd pop every single person coming out for DUI.

Not that it would be something I'd like to see, seeing as how I'd likely be one of the people who'd get popped, but still, it's always seemed mysterious to me that you can watch people coming out of a BAR, getting in their CAR and DRIVING away. 95% chance they blow over the limit.

What's the reasoning?

Too many cops would fall victim to this themselves, so maybe professional courtesy? ;)

What about bad karma?

[jk the sooner fan]

Let me ask you law enforcement types, why don't cops just put a patrol car on either side of a bar 30 minutes before closing? You'd pop every single person coming out for DUI.

Not that it would be something I'd like to see, seeing as how I'd likely be one of the people who'd get popped, but still, it's always seemed mysterious to me that you can watch people coming out of a BAR, getting in their CAR and DRIVING away. 95% chance they blow over the limit.

What's the reasoning?

i believe the courts have ruled against this sort of thing

[olevetonahill]

i believe the courts have ruled against this sort of thing

If I remember right they called it Entrapment, You couldnt watch some one get in their car and drive away knowing they were drunk .
Thinking was If Ya know they drunk then arrest them for public Intox Before they commit a worse offense

Not real sure on that because its been a lot of years

[KantoSooner]

Yeah, I can kind of see the public intox v. DUI thing, but generally the courts are pretty lenient in the event you're talking public safety.
Oh well, it's not the first or last mystery I just have to live with. Makes the world a more magical place.

[jk the sooner fan]

it's also a resource thing

parking officers outside any given nightclub (which one do you pick?)...takes officers off the street and the ability to respond to other incoming calls

most DUI's arrests are made while the officer is moving and observing erratic driving, etc....the road side DUI checkpoints have been pretty much squashed (not completely, but seriously neutered) by SCOTUS

so - you sit on a club? are you going to single out the brothers? the bikers? etc etc

from a management of police operations and resources, it really makes zero sense to sit outside a bar. DUI arrests are labor/manhour intensive....once you approach the first dude leaving the bar - you're off the streets for an hour or two

[KantoSooner]

What I'm taking away from this seminar is that I can pretty much drive drunk with much greater impunity than I had thought.

Not sure that's a good message for this hat rack to be taking on board.

(Mind you that the interstate between Amarillo and Albuquerque is tailor made for stoned driving).

[olevetonahill]

What I'm taking away from this seminar is that I can pretty much drive drunk with much greater impunity than I had thought.

Not sure that's a good message for this hat rack to be taking on board.

(Mind you that the interstate between Amarillo and Albuquerque is tailor made for stoned driving).

You dint get that from me. Just said A cop cant set up and watch drunks come out of a bar and then let em get behind the wheel

DUI is gettin tuffer an tuffer every year

[MamaMia]

Well, I don't know if I got a break, or if she just told me what it would be normally, but my daughter called to see where she had to send the money order and got in the mail for me today. I'll have to be extra careful since I drive through there all the time. I have a friend who lives there so sometimes we meet. We love the hamburgers at the Rusty Bucket they have there.

They way I look at it is, I have gotten stopped a few times with nothing but a warning through the years, so every once in a while having to pay a fine is to be expected. There's so much construction going on between here and the city, no matter which of the 4 routes you take, and those fines are double, so there aren't a lot of places to speed anyway.

[usmc-sooner]

were you in your car?

[MamaMia]

I'm 40 something dollars richer today. A woman called and said there was "misinformation" on my citation, so they dismissed it. I sent a copy of my drivers license that I gave the officer when we were pulled over along with my daughters car insurance. I included the ticket, even though I couldn't read her writing, and a copy of my DL with my check, so I don't know what "misinformation" she is speaking of, but I verified my address and thanked her for the call.

I think I'll phone a friend who's a traffic attorney just to make sure it was dismissed, just in case, to be on the safe side. :nonchalance:

[SoonerBread]

I also got a warning from a Seiling policeman a few years ago for having my fog lights on when it was foggy. Granted, it wasn't total fog, but I was driving through patches of it. I think he thought I may be drunk because it was about 2:00 am, but I had been in the city visiting family and that was why I was out that late. They will stop you for fog lights. I knew that, but I didnt think they would stop you if you had them on because of real fog.



I was not aware of this. I do this everyday. I've yet to ever be stopped for driving with my fog lights on. I wonder what's the reasoning behind it?

[MamaMia]

I was not aware of this. I do this everyday. I've yet to ever be stopped for driving with my fog lights on. I wonder what's the reasoning behind it? I never looked it up but the first words he said when I rolled down my window were "Do you always drive with your fog lights on?" I was not breaking any laws.