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[elmono311]

Check this out...

So, I get off of work at 3 in the morning on Saturday/Sunday (6/18-6/19). I'm driving home and just as I turn off to the road that takes me close to home, a cop pulls me over. Of course, he asks me if I knew what he was pulling me over for. I told him I didn't (but I knew it was speeding since no one goes the speed limit on the Anthony Wayne Trail, a four-lane highway with traffic lights). He then asks me questions like I'm drunk.

Cop: "Where are you coming from?"
Me: "The theater." (Uh, hello, moron, I'M STILL WEARING MY UNIFORM!!!)
Cop: "Are you in a hurry?"
Me: "No. But it is 3 in the morning and I would like to get home."

He tells me I was going 60 in a 50 (yes, this stupid road is 50 mph for some reason). Then he tells me I didn't use my turn signal three times (WHAT?!) and I wasn't using the marked lanes (WHAT?! again. We still do not know what the marked lanes thing means. We think it means I was swerving, which I certainly was not). The turn signal one catches my attention. (He said I didn't use my turn signal passing a car... I passed ONE car and I know I used my turn signal).

I can account for all my turn signals uses.
1: I used my turn signal at the light at the theater to turn left.
2: I used my turn signal to turn left from Conant onto Illinois.
3: I used my turn signal at the stop sign to turn right onto Gibbs. If he cited me for any turn signal misuse, it would be here. I didn't turn into the closest lane, I turned into the left lane since there was a light ahead and I needed to turn left.
4: I used my turn signal to turn left onto the Trail
5: Now this moron cop said I didn't use my turn signal to pass a car at White Street, which was the next light I hit. Uh, I didn't pass a single car until after the second set of lights, which were red when I came to it. I passed the car after the light turned green, using my turn signal to get into the right lane (this entire time until then I was in the left lane on the Trail).
6: I used my turn signal to get onto the little offramp for Town Street, where the cop pulled me over.

So I tell him I always use my turn signal so he must be wrong. And this guy had been following me just about a mile from work...He insists I didn't use my turn signal. So...

Me: "Do you have any proof I didn't use my turn signal?"
Cop: "Only my word."
Me: "Then you have no proof."

(Later on, I realize if he really did have proof, the squad car should have had footage of me on his dash mounted camera...)

Anyways, he goes off and I say, "This is crap..." But not to him. He was walking away and almost to his car.

So, I wait, turn up the tunes in my car, and close my eyes to get a little rest. He comes back.

He hands me back my registration and insurance card. I toss them on the passenger seat because I was tired and I didn't want to deal with this moron. He tells me I get a warning for speeding and for the turn signal thing but gives me a ticket for the marked lanes. Then I asked him what the marked lanes thing was about. He refuses to tell me. I ask him again. He tells me I can call the courthouse and ask them. He won't tell me because I was argumentive (WHAT?!). Apparently I can't tell a cop that he's wrong and apparently I can't let a cop know my rights. So I ask him again. He says I can call the courthouse and he won't tell me. He holds the ticket out for me to sign. I don't sign it, because I don't understand the reason for the ticket, which is the purpose of signing it. So, I ask him again. Then he threatens to arrest me if I keep asking him. So I ask him again. Then he says if I don't sign the ticket, he'll arrest me right then and there. So, to avoid trouble with the moronic cop, I sign the ticket. He tells me I can pay the fine or I can show up in court. I tell him I'll see him in court. Then he hands me the ticket... failing to tell me my driver's license was in the folded up ticket. So, I toss the ticket onto the seat, not knowing my license was with it. So, he walks back to his car and I'm sitting there, wondering where my license was. I hold my hand out the window for a few minutes. He tells me over the loudspeaker I can go... but I don't. I yell out, "Where's my driver's license?" so he can hear me. He finally comes back and I ask him where my drivers license was.

"It was with the ticket you threw onto your seat. If you didn't have a tantrum, you would have noticed."

(TANTRUM? WHAT TANTRUM?!)

He finally leaves and I look in my car for a bit for my license. I then drive the rest of the way home and find it underneat the passenger side seat.

Today (Monday, 6/20) we were going to go to the police station to file a complaint against the cop. I'm thinking we'll do this on Wednesday now.

Anyways, my court date is June 28 at 5 pm. I'm pretty sure this one is going to be dropped.

[LostArtofRolando]

damn son, that sounds an awful lot like a Bellevue cop affair.  I hope that works out well for you.

[Vengeance]

I'm thinking that maybe we shouldn't file a complaint. Wouldn't that just piss the cop off so he could be there at court and then we would have to pay the ticket anyway?

Cops rarely show up at court in Maumee because they assume everyone just pays their ticket. If we alert him to the fact that we're pissed he's just going to show up and be an ass. Plus I won't be there. I have a class. Considering that I'm the one that knows the chief I think it would be better if I was there to be a bitch.

Or I can just call him and file the complaint that way. I'm at a loss what to do. Any suggestions?

[disnut8]

Don't file a complaint against the cop.  Just show up in court to fight the ticket.  Elmono did that successfully in Nebraska (not Bellevue) with what the cop thought was a California roll.  Hard to do when you're completely stopped at the sign and trying to figure out the directions to your friend's house.  I think it was three court appearances later and one bench warrant (we were stranded by a storm in Florida) and everything was dismissed.

All it takes is for the cop not to show up.  Even if he does, you can present your side of the story that you asked exactly what you were getting ticketed for and the cop refused to tell you.  You were not hostile to him and you didn't throw a tantrum (and make sure the judge knows that's what the cop said).  Go to court dressed as nicely as possible (hell, even wear your movie uniform).

One thing we have learned here in the south and it might work with your situation.  No matter how pissed off you are, drop in the Sirs and the Ma'ams.  Say "no Sir" and "yes Sir" whenever the judge asks you a question (or Ma'am).  Tell him/her that it was three o'clock in the morning, you had just worked a long shift at the theatre and you were tired and wanted to get home to your wife and young stepdaughter.  Don't even admit to speeding.  Say it was a surprise to get pulled over.

I'm sure what happened was it was a Saturday night/Sunday morning.  You are young.  It was in the wee hours of the morning.  The cop probably thought you had been drinking or worse and was pissed when you were totally sober.  He made up something to justify pulling you over.  How much was the ticket for?  And he could have gotten you on the speeding since I'm sure that would have been more.

Same thing happened to your dad in north Florida.  Cop pulled him over for doing 81.  I just about died in the passenger seat.  RichN NEVER goes that fast (well, there was that one time in the Vette....).  After Rich tried to reason with the guy (the cop said he pulled Rich over because he actually passed someone), the ticket was magically reduced to just 76 which still meant a fine but there was no way we would be driving five hours to fight the damn thing.  And the cop knew it.  Rich was only doing 74 and I know that because I wanted him to go faster and he refused.

It's the male Niklewski curse.  I'm the speed demon and have yet to be pulled over.  And I even drove a red car for 10 years.

Fight, my boy, fight.

[elmono311]

I'm still wondering why he decided to get me for marked lanes and not speeding. If it was for speeding, I would have accepted it and gone on with my business.

And I don't know how much the ticket it. I haven't called the courthouse.

[disnut8]

Because he was stupid enough not to get enough evidence for speeding.  So the marked lanes thing, which he couldn't even explain to you, was his option.  That's why you need to fight it.  Tell the judge you just want to find out what misuse of marked lanes means.  So you can probably educate your wife, your mother-in-law, your stepdaughter's father and stepmother, your father-in-law, etc.  Heck, I'd like to know for the next time I'm in Ohio.

I'm telling you - it was because you were sober at 3:00 AM Sunday morning.  Damn you!

[RichN]

File for a continuance just prior to the trial date.  Not sure about the rules for doing that, but then the cop would have to reschedule his time.  He'd get tired of that after awhile.

[jitspoe]

At least you weren't drunk and didn't have to go through all this:

http://wimp.com/drunktest

[Supermercado]

lmao @ drunk test.

[elmono311]

What a smart smart cop...

[elmono311]

The city of Maumee must really have nothing better to do. I got to court. I'm the third from the last to be called up. I plead Not Guilty. The judge asks if I have an attorney (what?). I said no. He asked if I wanted to speak to an attorney (what?) and I said no. Then I'm scheduled for a pretrial conference for July 13 at 10:45 am. WTF?!

In any other city, the case would have been settled right then and there. I know in Bellevue, you say Not Guilty to the judge for something small like this and they do the whole thing right there. What the heck is wrong with this town?!

[ocultado]

That just sucks.

[disnut8]

The first trip is just your plea.  Most people just do the guilty thing and pay the fine.  Usually, this judge just gives you another court date and then you'll have a "trial" judge.  If you had had an attorney, he/she probably would have been able to talk to the judge.  And as far as being asked if you want to speak to an attorney, they have to give you that option.  Defend yourself.  It worked once before in Nebraska.

[elmono311]

I have the perfect defense... the cop threatened to arrest me if I didn't sign the ticket, which to my knowledge signing the ticket means I understand it...

[LostArtofRolando]

hopefully it doesnt mean that you also signed culpability for the crime the ticket stated.

[Supermercado]

Yeah, no kidding... I'd have said "Okay, fine, arrest me but I am not signing that ticket until I know what it's for." Called his bluff, basically. Either he'd arrest you and then have to deal with the paperwork or he'd let you off the hook for a BS ticket.

[RichN]

Super, you wouldn't want to do that with the jack booted, redneck thugs down here in the south.  They all have a power trip they like to go on between donut stops.

[Supermercado]

I believe it. Even so, I don't think I'd have signed that ticket until I knew what it was for. Especially if it meant that whatever I was cited for, I would be admitting to doing.

[elmono311]

Okay, so I went to my pretrial yesterday. Total joke. I sat outside the courtroom for about 30 minutes. Then the prosecutor came out and offered me a deal... yeah... a deal... He said they'd lower the ticket to a nonmoving violation (equipment failure regarding the brakes) so I'd get no points on my license. But I'd still have to pay a fine. I told him I'd think about it so I did. As I thought about it, I didn't want to pay a fine, I didn't want that stupid cop to get away with what he did, and I didn't want to except any friggin stupid deals for something that DIDN'T HAPPEN!!!

Anyways, I tell the prosecutor I wanted to go to trial. He takes me into the courtroom and we wait for a few minutes while some German guy (he had a translator) was getting sentenced to 90 days in jail. Then I go up. I tell the judge I want to go to trial. He asks if I'm representing myself. Uh... yeah... hiring a lawyer for this is plain stupid. Then he tells me to be prepared. To get my materials and witnesses together before the trial. I had a little smirk on my face the entire time. This whole thing is a total joke. Witnesses for something that happened at 3 in the morning. Like I'd be able to even figure out who the heck was there on an empty highway (speed limit: 55... yeah, try to run someone down going those speeds...) at 3 in the morning. But... I do have subpoena power to bring a witness in, which is cool .

So, cue the Law & Order music. It's time for Law & Order: Traffic Violations Court at 11 am on July 27.

[disnut8]

I hope you mean July 27th.  The cop ain't going to show up.  He obviously didn't for this one, he's not going for the second one.

Moot point.  Where are the witnesses FOR the cop?  I'd call the DA's office and ask for that list.  Since you are representing yourself, you are entitled to every piece of evidence that they have against you.  Which is probably zil and none.  You have it on record that you are your own attorney.  You can ask for and receive your entire file.  You can even ask for them to expedite it over to you.

[elmono311]

I fixed the date

I'm not going to go through all that trouble for this because I know there's no evidence against me. The little camera in the squad cars don't even turn on until the lights go on.

[jitspoe]

Just be sure to show the proper respect to the judge and other authorities.  I'm a little concerned because I've heard that if it's just the cop's word against yours, the cop wins.

[RichN]

Maybe find out if this cop has had any disciplinary measures taken against him.

[Vengeance]

I fixed the date

I'm not going to go through all that trouble for this because I know there's no evidence against me. The little camera in the squad cars don't even turn on until the lights go on.

Um....do it. It can't hurt and we can't afford this ticket anyway.

If they make you pay this then I'm going to the police station and filing a complaint of some sort. I'm really fucking sick of the cops around here being total fucking assholes.

When I hit the damn deer I dealt with Waterville cops and a wood county deputy. They were nice and they were very polite and seemed to have some common sense. Maumee cops aren't famous for that.

[elmono311]

Today is the trial. Wish me luck. I'd laugh if the cop didn't even show up. And I swear if there's actually a jury there, I'm sending a letter to Maumee to stop being so dang uptight about traffic violation "trials."

Okay, the whole thing is over. We couldn't afford going up against the officer in this... up to a $250 fine and up to 60 days in jail if I was found guilty. For some reason, my accident affected that outcome. So, we were forced to take that deal with the brake failure, which came out to be a $20 fine plus the $55 court fee for $75 total.

We found out the officer's name, though