sscritic wrote:cmanion wrote: If you want to be found innocent, you have to attend your trial. That's the way it works for murder and for traffic violations.
However the reason I asked what was said by the police office and by the OP. Most of the time the first question the office will ask is "Do you know why I pulled you over, do you know how fast you were going?"
Now a person going 75 in a 55 will tend to say something like I guess i was going a little over speed limit 65? They are hoping for leniency by the officer and most of the time the office will write you up for 65 in a 55.
But here is what just happened. You just confessed to a crime. The office now has a verbal confession you were speeding.
He writes you a ticket and you drive off. Did you notice the office it still sitting there filling out paper work. What he is going is writing down on the back of his copy of the ticket word for word everything you said. That way if it should goto court he has a record of what you said.
Now you have the option to assert your fifth amendment rights when dealing with a traffic stops. You can say NOTHING when the officer asks you the question, "Do you know why I pulled you over, do you know how fast you were going?'
You don't have to answer the question. In most states you do have to provide your license and registration if asked.
In my area you show up to court in a room with about 200 other people, the assistant DA (really assistant to the assistant) calls each person up and hands them a pre filled out ple agreement to a lesser charge you can take that plea or request to talk to the Assistant DA, or request a trial. The plea usually is some non moving violation (tail light out), but reduced or no points. Then the judge calls each person and asks if they want to accept their plea and if they have anything to say. Now the smart people will say, Yes your Honor I accept the plea and have nothing more to say. The not so smart people will say something, at which point the judge will give them a tong lashing. It was good entertainment the last time I went....
In another county I went to it was a deferred and dismissed after 12 months charge if you paid the ticket in person, then entire operation took like 10 minutes and could have been done via a drive thru..
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin
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