I got pulled over and ticketed for my license plate lamps being out. I called figureing the fine cant be that much. But they want $90, so i am going to go to court. They were out but i was unaware of it, what should i plea ? Should i just plea guilty tell him there fixed and hopefully he cuts me a break, or should i plea not guilty and give him every reason why i dont deserve to pay $90 for something that i was unaware of. Should i even get into how it took 3 cruisers, pulled me out of the car, patted me down, asked me a few times if i had weapons or drugs all over this burnt out bulb.
i didnt think they were allowed to remove you from the vehicle without cause. If all you had was a burn bulb they had no right to touch you. I would prove that point in court as well. Thats profiling because of the car you drive. I had a cop pull up next to me after i made a 5-7mph pass over the speedlimit on a car and then resumed to get in the right lane after and had traffic still passing me. WEll he pulls next to me and rolls his window down and in this rude tone says "SLOW DOWN" so im like wtf.
that's b/s. I got stopped for the same reason on x-mas and they just told me to get them fixed. Why don't cars have a damn warning light for them anyways? those lights are the only ones you will never notice. You must have had "that look" lol I would act furious to the judge and embarrass that asshole cop that pulled you out w/out probable cause and harrassed you. Tell the judge to ask the cop why he pulled you out. PIGS...gotta love em'
I think if you are up to it you have a potential counter suit or at least some bargaining room. You can kindly offer not to press charges against the offers if they drop the ticket.
Same thing happened to one of my close friends. He only had the license plate bulb but then the Peachtree City police (dont even get me started . . .) officer proceeded to search his car too. I guess they'll use anything as probable cause. At least you were clean unlike my friend . . . I'd go in and plead not guily or at least try to get the charge dropped if you fixed it immediately afterwards.
Did they ask if they can search your car. If there is no visible evidence of drugs or weapons they have to get your consent to search your person or belongings. At least that is the law in PA. If they smell, see, or hear something, then they have the right. That is why everything says never to have illegals in plain sight.
if you're out in public, an officer "smelling" is not grounds for search. only plain view items are. should they toss your car based on "smell" and find nothing-that's a lawsuit, and you will win. this also applies to your person. yes, they must ask to search your car. at which point you can tell them to get a warrant or no dice. if you have a firearm in the car and he asks if you have a firearm in the car, you are also-according to ga constitution-within your right to say "no i do not". HOWEVER, should he obtain said warrant and finds said firearm, it better be: 1) legal (clean SN) 2) in a proper car storage compartment if you do not have a carry permit (glove box, consol, ect) 3) not found in conjunction with anything that IS illegal. in ga, your car is an extension of your home.
I would definately plead not guilty and bring up the fact that he padded you down. Unless your eyes were bloodshot and there was a bowl sitting on the dash or something that obvious, I don't understand why he would search your car. My friend peeled out at a light, which was stupid, and got pulled over. He assumed a ticket was in line, but in stead, the officer arrested him, seized his car and made his girlfriend and her sister find another way home in the middle of downtown at night. Cops can be really big asses when they want to.
I got back a little while ago. They didnt even pull my ticket, it wasn't in the pile. Judge called me up and asked me what the ticket was for. Told him, he asked if i got it fixed said yeah and said i'm free to go. I had nothing in the car, they didn't ask to search the car, they were looking around threw the windows with a flahlight for awhile. First question out of his mouth was is this a new car. I dont live in the best area, but it its right down the Rd from work. They probably were profiling me, nice car bad area ya know. I was walking back to my car today from the court house and see a silver bugeye parked. Black wheels, exhaust, de badged. As i'm driving up the street this guy stops me walking by and we chated for a sec. Didnt have a chance to ask him if he was on this board.
i believe the wording used in the constitution for your 4th amendment rights against unlawful searches/seizures uses the phrase "reasonable suspicion", not "cause". Guess that leaves it up to a judge to interpret, they're allowed to pat you down or do whatever if the officer thinks his safety is at risk; that's why you always leave your hands in plain view and roll all your windows down.
You live in Doraville, what do you expect? j/k Everything dealing with the traffic stop falls under reasonable suspicion, right up until an arrest (which includes a ticket, as that is also technically an arrest), at which point there must be probable cause. And yes I can do a pat down for the purpose of officer safety whether you want me to or not. And no I do not need a warrant to search a vehicle, but if the situation allows it sure does look good come court time. Most times a consent search will work just fine, but the amount of probable cause and evidence I have will determine how far I should go to search the car. Maybe that'll clear some things up. Your experience probably has very little to do with "profiling." Pulling cars over for burnt out tag lights and broken taillights is great cuz about half the time you get something good out of it..... a warrant, suspended license, DUI, dope, etc, as I said before, depending on how hard I want to or am allowed to look..... I've never actually written a ticket for it though..... Yes there are bad cops, yes there are good cops, just like in every other profession on the planet. I'm not gonna get into the good cop/bad cop argument cuz that can go on for ages and it never really changes anyone's mind about it anyhow......
I like to poke my head into these threads every now and then and see what's going on..... and prove to you guys that I actually do work for a living (at least those of you who haven't had to meet me for parts when I'm in the cop car). :wavey:
it would be scary to see a cop car pull up next to u when u r trying to sell an 'illegal' catless exhaust
Ok Ill be the Jerk. Were your bulbs burnt out? Yes Are you guilty? Yes The judge is going to find you guilty on that count and then he is going to tell you that the other things you mentioned have nothing to do with this case. At which point he will also tell you that if you would like to per-sue the other things that you should hire a lawyer. Matt
Yeah I read it, the outcome is complely irrelevant. The truth of the matter is he is guilty. I'm not saying any of it is right but regardless thats the truth.
Guilty is subjective. If he didn't know it was out, how could he be guilty of something he knows nothing of?
wow, It doesnt matter if he knew it was out or not. If you were speeding and you didnt have a speedometer you would still be speeding. Its not subjective at all its very clear.
but only within grounds of probable cause which of course one could make up(oh i smelled something-assuming that you were stopped for something else)--at which point the officer REALLY better find something especially if any damage is done to the car during the search. through the years i have had a couple friends who've sued-and won on these grounds(upholstery was cut, speakers were damaged). the first guy was a profile case (long hair black fingernails, freaky ect). the second guy was "probable cause" due to speeding ticket-however the judge did not equate speeding=dealer/gun runner, but he was black(and unfortunately for the cop legitimately wealthy)... just something to keep in mind. depending on the neighborhood, yeah, cops LOVE outted lights because they really do increase the count for them. and face it, cops really don't get a lot of easy breaks(i.e. guy driving down the street with a crackpipe hanging out the window). but yeah growing up in a law enforcement family, there are both kinds(good/bad) in plentiful quantities (i'd say 60/40 leaning one side or the other based on where you are) when i say "bad" i don't neccessarily mean hollywood "bad", i mean confiscating shit and keeping it for themselves and worse bad. and i knew plenty of them too, really nice guys as long as your "family"
Your still not getting it, If you have sex with a 12 year old girl that you think is 18 its still illegal even if she tells you shes 18. Just because you didnt know doesnt make it right. Ignorance of the offence or the law is not an exscuse. Officer I didnt know I was speeding.
I agree with slowwrx. You're guilty if you do something wrong. Even if you don't know you're doing something wrong. Such as driving with a tag light that is out.
I thought i wasn't guilty either. Even a cop should understand a light bulb can blow out at anytime and there is no warning or indication of it, specially that particular bulb. If he pulled me over for it, gave me a warning and made me aware of it, then saw me a couple days later and it's not fixed, then i would be quilty.