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Found Guilty

broblues

planning and plotting
Joined
Oct 27, 2010
Messages
2,077
Today I was found guilty of a traffic offense I didn't commit. The citing officer told two different stories and neither of them were the truth. At least for now, I HAVE LOST FAITH in the judicial process. :(
 
Sorry to hear that. I hate when cops lie about what happened just so they don't look stupid.
 
Today I was found guilty of a traffic offense I didn't commit. The citing officer told two different stories and neither of them were the truth. At least for now, I HAVE LOST FAITH in the judicial process. :(

What did your lawyer say?
 
Today I was found guilty of a traffic offense I didn't commit. The citing officer told two different stories and neither of them were the truth. At least for now, I HAVE LOST FAITH in the judicial process. :(

What did your lawyer say?

"Your word against His...."
You had one representing you today?

In court?

Yes. It's all part of the equation that is so frustrating. If you just pay the ticket, you pay $161.00 and court costs, and admit guit. If you go to court, you pay a lawyer, and win or loose you pay attorney fees. So even if you win....you loose. What a system.
 
Of course you can appeal the verdict, but if it's really "your word against his".....it may be over before it begins.

What are you accused of, what what really happened...??
 
Of course you can appeal the verdict, but if it's really "your word against his".....it may be over before it begins.

What are you accused of, what what really happened...??

Disregard for a traffic control sign. "Yield to pedestrians at crosswalk" The pedestrian was 70 feet away from the crosswalk, j-walking. He lied. As I walked out I looked him in the eye and shook my head. No proof from him, the only pictures I could take were after the fact. Just needed him to be honest. Not today.
 
The only time that I was meaningfully held in contempt of court was in this kind of situation. I exploded when an officer changed his story from what I had recorded him saying in the pretrial conference. The Judge was not pleased with my display of anger. I did, however, win that case. I am sure that we won because I was able to produce proof of the changed story from the officer. I had an audio recording of his prior statement. Was your lawyer unable to do that?

In a bit of karma, the offending 'officer' in that trial was himself arrested just a few weeks later for some kind of kick back scheme he had going on with some local drug dealers. The absolute VAST majority of police officers are 100% honest in court. However, when you get an officer who is willing to lie in open court then you have to watch their practices on the street. As for the judicial system...it's sometimes more concerned with moving cases swiftly than it is with actually dispensing justice. Our system does not get it right every time. I am not going to shock any of the lawyers or officers on CP when I say that I have seen people convicted of traffic offenses just because they bothered to take them to trial. It's kind of an 'enter a plea and get some reduction in penalty or take it to trial and we will shove it down your throat' scenario.

Do not appeal. Forget that. If you think costs are high for representation at a traffic related trial then triple that for an appeal. And, as Tom said, your word against his does not ring very well on appeal. If there is newly discovered evidence (e.g., audio tape or written statement of the officer), then ask to set aside the verdict...but do not take it to trial.

Don't consider this legal advice!!! I am not licensed in your state so this is just my $.02.
 
I am not going to appeal it...............This is a no win situation. (expense wise) Live and learn..............sometimes not good.
 
I sent you a PM as many that have been a member of CP for many years got a first hand look at what I went through. I can understand what you went through and then some.
 
I do not wish to offend any police officers whom may be members here, and I know that the officers "aren't all bad", but this justice system
makes me sick to my stomach. Most cops are cowboys, wanting to "prove" something. How many of us get tickets for cell phones or seat belts, yet
EVERY SINGLE cop that passes me never has one on, and IS ON THEIR phone.Ok, ok... the story of the seat belt hindering their ability to perform properly out in the feild is a grey area for sure. Still, I have seen to much in-justice that I simply cannot trust this justice system we currently have.
DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO.
These people are paid by our tax dollars to "protect and serve" but most wish to just do just the opposite, or "whatever they want". And that "Its his word against yours" thing is getting pretty old !! It's BULLSH*T.

Sorry to hear of your situation, and wish it could have worked better for you. Thanks for firing me up fellas.
The gas is always there, just need someone to light a match. lol

Which takes me with this ending comment . . . "Wake up, and OCCUPY WALL ST!" Im headed there next week...
 
I do not wish to offend any police officers whom may be members here, and I know that the officers "aren't all bad", but this justice system
makes me sick to my stomach. Most cops are cowboys, wanting to "prove" something. How many of us get tickets for cell phones or seat belts, yet
EVERY SINGLE cop that passes me never has one on, and IS ON THEIR phone.Ok, ok... the story of the seat belt hindering their ability to perform properly out in the feild is a grey area for sure. Still, I have seen to much in-justice that I simply cannot trust this justice system we currently have.
DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO.
These people are paid by our tax dollars to "protect and serve" but most wish to just do just the opposite, or "whatever they want". And that "Its his word against yours" thing is getting pretty old !! It's BULLSH*T.

Sorry to hear of your situation, and wish it could have worked better for you. Thanks for firing me up fellas.
The gas is always there, just need someone to light a match. lol

Which takes me with this ending comment . . . "Wake up, and OCCUPY WALL ST!" Im headed there next week...

As you age, hopefully you will learn not to speak in absolutes. BTW there are quite a few officers among our membership and I would hazard a guess you have offended most of them.

Please refrain from engaging in touchy or political conversation. This is not the place for it.
 
Kharma - I'm sure you skated on something else.
 
In my life I have gone through periods of idealism, cynicism, apathy and a gamut of other emotions and attitudes toward the law. Ultimately I have come to the conclusion that our judicial system is certainly flawed, but I do believe that it is the best in the world. I honestly cannot think of any change that would truly make the system better. Unfortunately it is founded on principles that require people to respect the oath they take to tell the truth, and if someone is willing to break that oath there are very few protections.

Set In Stone, while I share your frustration to some extent, I think you are wrong. It is not all, or most, or even many. It is only a few bad apples, but as the saying goes, they spoil the bunch. I strongly believe the vast majority of law enforcement officers generally want to do their job and help make society better. I differ strongly, however, in your support for Occupy Wall Street, but that is a discussion for another time and place.

broblues, I am sorry to hear your story. Sounds like you got screwed, but like everyone else has already said, what goes around will come back around.
 
I do not wish to offend any police officers whom may be members here, and I know that the officers "aren't all bad", but this justice system
makes me sick to my stomach. Most cops are cowboys, wanting to "prove" something. How many of us get tickets for cell phones or seat belts, yet
EVERY SINGLE cop that passes me never has one on, and IS ON THEIR phone.Ok, ok... the story of the seat belt hindering their ability to perform properly out in the feild is a grey area for sure. Still, I have seen to much in-justice that I simply cannot trust this justice system we currently have.
DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO.
These people are paid by our tax dollars to "protect and serve" but most wish to just do just the opposite, or "whatever they want". And that "Its his word against yours" thing is getting pretty old !! It's BULLSH*T.

Sorry to hear of your situation, and wish it could have worked better for you. Thanks for firing me up fellas.
The gas is always there, just need someone to light a match. lol

Which takes me with this ending comment . . . "Wake up, and OCCUPY WALL ST!" Im headed there next week...

As someone else has pointed out, you speak in absolutes, and are quite ill-informed. Ever consider the possibility that the Officer has several "Calls For Service" holding on the Watch Board, and while going enroute to a shoplift call at Wal-Mart, he/she is also calling a tax-paying citizen who called in to report that her neighbor is poisoning her grass and it's dying and it's the Police Department's fault? And perhaps the Officer is trying to clear a "B.S." call so no other Officers get tied up on the "Poison Grass Caper" and instead are clear to be able to respond to assaults and domestic violence calls?

Oh well, I guess all the cops you see aren't being efficient. They're just taking their sweet time, chatting up their old buddies for 12 hours a day, making sure to call someone on their cell phone every time they see you drive by them. Go have fun on Wall Street.

ETA: I forgot to put on my cowboy hat while I posted this. Sorry. I guess we all just do "whatever we want."
 
I do not wish to offend any police officers OCCUPY WALL STREETERS whom may be members here, and I know that the officers OCCUPY WALL STREETERS "aren't all bad", but this justice system MOVEMENT
makes me sick to my stomach. Most cops OCCUPY WALL STREETERS are cowboys SPOILED ROTTEN TRUST FUND BABY ANARCHIST DUMBASSES, wanting to "prove" something. How many of us get tickets for cell phones or seat belts PAY OUR TAXES AND GO TO WORK EVERYDAY, yet
EVERY SINGLE cop OCCUPY WALL STREETER that passes me never has one on I SEE IS A FILTHY, UNEMPLOYABLE, DUMBASS, and IS ON THEIR phone COMPLAINING TO EVERYONE ABOUT THEIR DUMBASS MISTAKES.Ok, ok... the story of the seat belt hindering their ability to perform properly out in the feild UNIVERSITY THAT OVERCHARGED THEM FOR A WORTHLESS EDUCATION AND THE GOVERNMENT THAT SCREWED THEM BY MAKING THEIR LIVES TOO EASY is a grey area for sure. Still, I have seen to much in-justice DEFECATING ON POLICE CARS AND STORIES OF RAPE that I simply cannot trust this justice system OCCUPY WALL STREET MOVEMENT we currently have.
DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO. GIVE ME WHAT I WANT AND GIVE IT TO ME RIGHT NOW OR I'LL SLEEP IN THE PARK FOR WEEKS ON END STINKING UP THE AREA AND DISTURBING THE GOOD HARD WORKING FOLKS WITH KIDS THAT LIVE IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
These people are paid by our tax dollars to "protect and serve" COMPLAINING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE SUCCESSFUL but most wish to just do just the opposite FORGO THE HARD WORK IT TAKES TO BE SO AND JUST DO, or "whatever they want" AND GET PAID $100,000/YR TO DO SO. And that "Its his word against yours" BONGOS AND "THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE thing is getting pretty old !! It's BULLSH*T.

Yeah, absolutes are fun... :sign:
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It seems as though I have a fan club... I am frequently seeing the same people posting after my posts. weird ???
 
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