So.... my girlfriend got pulled over for a rolling stop thru a stop sign in my apartment complex (thought it was private property.. guess not). Its a 4 way stop thats wide open, everyone runs it. Anyways, this happened at 4:30 am with absolutely nobody else on the road. So, 1st of all... She has to appear in court for this ticket, it cannot be paid online... Which is retarded. Yes, she's guilty.. but this is about the smallest offense I can think of. So she goes to court and the fine is $185 dollars!!!!!!! This is just crazyness to me. This ticked should be $60.. $75 dollars max. But... you see... Sandy Springs has 25 new cop cars and a new cop shop to pay for.. So their taking it out of our ass apparently. Its bad enough that you can't go a mile without seeing 3 SS police cars.. But when they do get you, the fine is insanely high! The economy is in the shitter, everyone is broke... and your gonna rape us over stupid ass moving violations? I'm not the cop bashing type, but this is ridiculous. You can't tell me a stop sign sting operation is necessary at 4:30 am.. My complex is notorious for drugs and crime.. Find those guys!!!
You know with all the budget cuts and tax increases this is going to become more common and the fines will increase even more. Sometimes I don't see them as law enforcement - they're really just tax collectors. Think about how much $ they bring in. Why wouldn't they do this? A few weeks ago, I counted no less then 11 cops between shallowford road and chamblee tucker northbound on 85 pulling tons of people over. Sure it has a factor of slowing people down and bringing LE awareness into the area however I think the primary reason is revenue. You can thank your president for this. More federal spending means less for local and state governments. They end up having to fend for themselves in the middle of budget cuts. It's the trickle down effect. /rant off
the cops don't set the fines, the judges and courts do. It does suck that she got pulled. Is the cop a neighbor in the complex, or was he out on patrol when it happened?
No, he stated there had been complaints about that particular stop sign (from who I have no idea).... Sting operation...
If your implying just to obey the stop sign... give me a break... If you tell me you've never ran a stop sign.. your lying.
Agreed... I also think of them as fund raisers... But I think (in addition to the reasons you stated), the small cities being allowed to be incorperated made things A LOT worse. Sandy Springs, Johns Creek and a few more I can't think of being on their own, instead of under the guise of the city of Atlanta. The built their brand new cop shops, got new shiny cars and staffed up.. then realized they didn't have the funding to sustain themselves. I'm sure the fines are set by the courts, but you can't tell me there is no influence from the local PD's...
My boss got the same ticket for turning right on red without stopping first at the corner of Barfield and Hammond. $185. One day after she told me to always stop well there, I saw a cop behind me coming out of the SS police station. He was going to turn right on Barfield but instead waiting just long enough to make sure I stopped at that red light first before he turned right. I saw him in my rearview watching me.... revenue....revenue...revenue...
should have had it out with the prosecutor or the judge they would have atleast assesed no points, speaking of which, running a stop sign is BAD on points 3 or 4 IIRC. Should have used the nolo
^^ Did not know that... I figured 2 at most.. ouch. She has a clean record though, she should be ok... I didn't figure it would be a good idea to try to bargain, she was clearly in the wrong...
I'm standing in a line As I'm typing with about 200+ people long at camp drive for unregistered vehicle.
If that stop sign is on private property I'm not really sure that he can write you a ticket for that, what code section did he write it for.
Yep. I've run stop signs, and I've been caught running stop signs as well as running stop lights and speeding. You know what I did? I Owned up to it and didn't complain. The law is the law, you know it and I know it. If the sign says stop, and you don't stop, then get pulled over, who is to blame? You, or the police officer that is there to enforce the law you just broke no matter how "lame" the law is. It really is easy to obey traffic laws. If you don't want to do it, and it's not like many people do, deal with the fact you broke the law with out complaining like you are above said law. I've never understood why people bitch about traffic fines. It's not like you should be surprised when you get pulled for doing something that was clearly posted....ie STOP, or SPEED LIMIT 55.
I don't really care if she ran it or not...I'm now almost 100 percent positive that they can't give you a ticket for running a stop sign unless its on a public roadway or entering a public roadway.
because many people believe they are unreasonably high for deceptive reasons, and feel the government should be allocating its resources to better things. it's a feeling of helplessness, and there is very little you can do about it since most traffic courts are undeniably kangaroo courts. just because it is a law, doesn't mean it is morally right OR in the best interest of the people.
This is what happens when local, state governments are apposed to tax increases. Well the money has to come from somewhere, so the answer is increased revenue through writing traffic, fines, fee's and increasing fee's for things like business licenses, tag renewals, local services like sewer, water, etc. Cops who should be working crime are diverted to traffic disqualifying their actual purpose and what you the tax payer are paying for, for them to protect and serve you. Kind of defeats the purpose of low taxes. Not to mention the increase in your auto insurance................ My right passenger head lamp went our at 10pm Saturday night. I was in Roswell. By 11:15 I got pulled over.
I never said anything about getting away with it, I'm only mildy bitching about the the actual ticket because it was 4am in an area where it was safe. What I am bitching about is that the fine is almost $200 for the most minor traffic ticket possible and the shady-ass reasons for that high fine. And again, why a stop sign sting was going on in the middle of the night, when there are clearly better things he could be doing. Something tells me you put that bullshit cookie-cutter response on every thread related to tickets... without even reading. Doesn't matter if its something small like this or the idiot bitching about getting pulled for 70 in a 35..there is a difference. You're kinda a douche, please stay out of my thread.
I would agree with you on some traffic related laws, especially some of the arbitrarily low speed limits on some roads, but red lights and stop light laws are another matter. I understand the OPs frustration over the amount and the situation the ticket was given, but as has already been stated, if you KNOW the rule and break it intentionally, you should own up, regardless of the situation, if you want it changed, get more involved in your local, state and federal political systems.
sure, but I never made any reference to which laws I felt were unjust, nor did I refer to ALL traffic laws/ordinances.
Its a road right off of Roswell that leads to either the 4 apartment complexs on the left, or a neighborhood with expensive homes in the other direction. Not a private road I guess, but there is no reason to be on it, unless you live in that area. So, fair game...
This is a public forum jackass and I can post wherever the hell I'd like. Maybe if you took the time to look at how many posts I make, you'd realize that I don't make a whole hell of a lot on this forum. And for the record, I never said anything about the actual fines themselves. Some are definitely more ridiculous than others, but, the stop sign is there for a reason. Just because it's 4:00 A.M. means that people no longer have to do what the law says? And what would you rather the police officer be doing that late/early? Eating a donut, sleeping, or enforcing posted laws?
Again, I know she broke the law... She owned up and paid the fine. The point is it was a shady circumstance/situation, and that the fine is huge(very similar to the arbitrarily low speed limits you mentioned)... I agree about getting involved and trying to get things changed, but I guess I just feel its a hopeless fight... Way deeper than checking "no" on proposition 46a.
they fit such a very loose definition of a "law". more like a contract between yourself and the DMV. you breach the terms of the contract (your drivers license you signed) and you either lose your access to the services provided by the government (the roads), or you pay a fine to bring the contract standings in the clear. know what happens when you break a real law? you can go to jail. minor traffic violations aren't really laws in my book, because there's no damage to persons or property. there's a reason it is handled in 'traffic court' rather than civil/probate court. sure, you can go to jail for not paying a fine, but that's really about owing the government money rather than the offense you committed. I've always wondered if I could show up to a speeding ticket, and ask the judge for 30 minutes in jail in lieu of a fine
The last judge I dealt with would probably hit you with a fine and then 30 minutes in jail for trying to avoid the fine with jail time LOL!
WOOHOO!! I always knew I would win something one day! Either way, it definitely sucks, but, I'm just here to play devil's advocate. Hope it all works out for you guys in the end. But I think it's safe to say that you guys will be watching that intersection a little more attentively now.
That's probably the best description I've ever heard of traffic tickets. Well said! Everyone knows you shouldn't run stop signs, no matter what time. That's not the issue. The issue is some cities artificially raise their fines to pay for other projects, etc. If the complex or someone in the complex was having a problem with that particular intersection, why would he not issue warnings or just sit and monitor. Just the presence of the cop car would deter most people. In Alpharetta they tack on an additional $100 if you are charged with the same offense within a 12 month period, regardless of which city you were charged. I received a speeding ticket in Woodstock (17 over and $60), ten months later I received another in Alpharetta (17 over and $160). When I questioned the additional fine they told me about the $100 surcharge. Like I said, some cities just charge more to generate revenue.
City of Alpharetta tried to charge me $700 for 15 over (which I swear I was not doing). I promptly took that to state court and ended up paying $100. I used to have customers that were Alpharetta police and they told me the judges regularly up the fines b/c of the money that the residents have, knowing they will pay it and be done with it.
I believe a small percentage of fines from probate and traffic courts goes directly into judges' retirement funds :unamused:
You should be happy. On the way back from Roebling Road once I got a ticket from a sh1t town redneck that totalled $768.
I guess none of you or your girlfriends vehicle(s) have been totaled because of someone that ran a stop sign? Does 2:45am count...I could tell my story; but I won't. :unamused:
Just got back from the court. What a mad house and a TOTAL waste of time. People are standing in line everywhere. Turns out they postponed my court date 4+ months and they didn't bother to update their phone system. I called them the night before as well as today. What a waste of people's lives. As I sat in the court room, I found out tons of people were there for stuff like license plate lights out, turn signal light out and only a hand full of moving violations - a good number were for stop signs. I'm not condoning or justifying running stop signs, but it looks like dekalb's finest has stepped up their game to bring in more revenue. Here's whats funny... I was in line with one of my employees schedule for the same time and day.
I was in that line once. Was supposed to be in court for a speeding ticket I got on 85 one sunday morning on the way to Autocross. My court appearance was supposed to be at like 10 am. Get to the court and get in the line that is wrapping around the building, and one of the officers that stands outside directing people comes near me and says to the crowd to be prepared to wait in line till up to 4 pm. He also said no cell phones, and the second he did, you see about half the line step out towards their cars to leave their cell phones. I wasn't about to wait in line so I just called, paid the fine over the phone while standing in line, accepted the points and left. I think the lines are also part of the game. Make people wait in line all day and many may just decide to pay the fine and not try to get it dropped or reduced in the court.
I see your point.... I guess you'd just have to see the intersection. Its a sharp turn, she all but stopped at the sign. Especially at night, if there were a car coming, you would see it. Its not like she went thru the sign sideways, Tokyo drift style. There is no possible way for a car to be going fast enough to cause major damage (unless drunk). And again, my post is more about the huge fine than the actual ticket.
Is it just me, or there some irony in the sign on that last photo: "No Parking, Stopping, Standing". Too bad they can't catch real criminals like they can write Bullshit traffic violations, they certainly have no shortage of violent crime in DeKalb........................... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQOyhhFcvmU A little dated but certainly still relevant with respect to 2009 which has been no exception.
What I dont get is why slow rolling a 4way stop in Fulton County is a $165 ticket and my coworker blasting through a redlight at full speed is only an $80 ticket. This happened to me a year and a half ago and I swear that I had come to a complete stop but I think I'd had ~4 beers at the bar so I didnt want to argue with the cop, the ticket was way cheaper than the possibility of a DUI. It was a stop on an uphill so I coasted until I felt the car rolling back and then clutched out into 1st gear and pulled away, the cop just didnt see brake lights so he felt compelled to pull me over. Similar occasion, 4 way stop, late at night, cop probably just wanting to pull you over to see if he could catch you on anything else.
^^^ Yeah, we had that exact arguement at my work... $80 for a potentially fatal infraction and close to $200 for something that could cause little more than a fender bender (not even that in my GF's case).... Agreed about him being on a fishing expedition as well. My GF used to have a few drinks every night after work(not a lot, but still)... The new rule over the last few years is no driving if you have more than 1 drink... Not worth the risk.
If you read his post you would know this happened at like 04:00AM. I doubt there are a lot of kids running the streets at that time.
And, not to mention, he's not complaigning that she got the ticket. I think that maybe a warning could've been in order considering the time of day and the fact that she didn't just blow the stop sign, it was a rolling stop. He's complaigning about how high the fine is. Rules can be bent, we all do it. Not everything in life is black and white. And rolling through stop signs at 04:00AM doesn't kill kids.
i was referring to why those fines might be higher. Fines are not determined by time of day, usually.
No, there not. But they are determined by the city/county. And that is the point... Why are fines 2-3 times higher in one jurisdiction compared to another.
GtScoob says its 80 bucks for a red light and 160 for a stop sign. Nothing about different cities. Just tying to come up with justification for that.
but it is different for cities/counties/municipalities. a $160 stop sign ticket in Fulton county is probly $100 in cobb county, and probly $65 here in Bryan county. its all based on the income of that specific county or whatever. it depends on HOW they wanna get their income