Just got my first ticket!

[RandyO]

I didn't know the Sheriff department can hand out tickets.

welcome to Vermont, many towns to not have PDs

Sheriffs in VT (and in NH as well) have authority to hand out performance awards ..... Game Wardens do too

Fight it, particularly b/c its a 65 in 50. Had it been 78 in a 50 you'd have almost no chance, but at 65 in a 50 you have a decent chance of talking your way out of it to the magistrate.

magistrates are unique to Massachusetts

[markbvt]

Okay, all of you Massachusetts folk talking about registries and magistrates and Commonwealth Attorneys... P_easy is in Vermont. We don't have that shit here.

P_easy, as a fellow Vermonter, my advice is... pay the damn ticket. The cop cut you a huge break by only writing you up for 65 in a 50, and if you try to fight it he's perfectly within his rights to inform the court that he'd already cut you a break, in which case the court can decide to fine you for the full 78mph.

Fact is, you got off easy. Count your blessings, pay the penalty, and be glad it's not $300 and 5 points like it could have been.

--mark

[obsolete]

...and if you try to fight it he's perfectly within his rights to inform the court that he'd already cut you a break, in which case the court can decide to fine you for the full 78mph.

Ummm... I dunno about that? I could see him saying he cut a break but to up the speed in court. I dunno about that.

Also in MA you don't see the cop until the appeal (if you get there). Fight the ticket and you talk to a magistrate and a rep. for the police. If they still find you at fault you appeal and go to court. At that point it the cop has to show up or it is thrown out.

I've never heard about the old well just kidding your honor he was actually going faster charge him with that.

I fight every ticket.

[Awesome]

there's an app for that.

[kbroderick]

In Vermont, speed limits are generally state law. As I understand it, any licensed LEO in Vermont can enforce state law anywhere in the state--so, for example, a Winooski cop can write you a ticket for running a red in Colchester (which happened to a friend of mine in college). I don't think it's common practice for LEOs to enforce stuff out-of-area, but it appears to be completely legit from a state law perspective.

As far as Vermont traffic "court" goes, everything I've heard from folks who have fought tickets is that the first-level "court" isseriously tilted towards the prosecution, but they would obviously be biased.

Here's a diagram of the system. Cases are heard by either a "hearing officer" or assistant judge; the LEO who issued the citation acts as the prosecutor.

If someone with more direct knowledge wants to explain the situation and/or correct me, I'd be interested to learn.

[highsider]

In Vermont, speed limits are generally state law. As I understand it, any licensed LEO in Vermont can enforce state law anywhere in the state--so, for example, a Winooski cop can write you a ticket for running a red in Colchester (which happened to a friend of mine in college). I don't think it's common practice for LEOs to enforce stuff out-of-area, but it appears to be completely legit from a state law perspective.

As far as Vermont traffic "court" goes, everything I've heard from folks who have fought tickets is that the first-level "court" isseriously tilted towards the prosecution, but they would obviously be biased.

Here's a diagram of the system. Cases are heard by either a "hearing officer" or assistant judge; the LEO who issued the citation acts as the prosecutor.

If someone with more direct knowledge wants to explain the situation and/or correct me, I'd be interested to learn.

The judge can in fact "up" the ticket as high as $1186 dollars for a speeding violation. So if an officer cuts you a break on speed, and you fight the ticket, the judge can in fact make you pay the fine for the higher speed. (Though I dont know if they can add the points on.)

The traffic court is....not like a normal "court". The judge takes into account the fact that LEOs are trained, held to a higher standard of integrity, and are frankly not likely to pull someone over for no good reason at all. As such, while everyone is innocent until proven guilty, once the officer provides testimony as to why they believe someone was speeding (visual observation, radar reading, etc.), the defendant is often in a tough spot to refute that.

That doesn't mean it cant happen. I have seen many people get tickets dismissed or reduced in court by offering up reasonable arguments.

My advice: if you dont think you "earned" that ticket, contest it. Just bear in mind that the officer/sheriff did in fact already cut you a break, so the judge might be less likely to do so.

Good luck.

[P_easy]

Yea I am actually feeling like I have a bit of faith in the judicial system, I will go to court and fight it, as long as I am in Vermont at the time. I am going to PA to visit my parents at the end of the month but I'll try to do this. I guess I'll try to fight it, I may as well see what its like, I have a friend from home who drives his car like its some kind of race rig, and he just always goes and fights the ticket, and WINS!

thanks for the advice

-P

[Rambunctous]

Next time lay down on the bike. Cover the plate with your foot. Give em the bird and nail it. Don't believe that crap on "Cops" with everybody getting caught. "Can't outrun a radio". BS when they get to the intersection and they have no idea which way you went.

[SVRACER01]

Any public law enforcement can, if they have a ticket book with them, I'd think. Two recent anecdotes:

- Lynn, on the Lynnway. Transit Police cop in the right lane, some douchebag in the left lane, me in the middle lane. Light turns yellow, then red.. douchebag runs it in full view of Transit cop. Transit cop lit him up and pulled his ass right over.

- Salem. Four-way intersection with lights. Me, stopped behind a pickup truck emblazoned with "Salem Harbormaster". Light turns green but a douchebag in an Eclipse blasts straight through his red light in front of the pickup. Harbormaster lit this guy up and pulled him over instantaneously.

If it has blue lights on the roof, don't fuck with it I guess.

i had a room mate get pulled over by the DARE van...

[P_easy]

Next time lay down on the bike. Cover the plate with your foot. Give em the bird and nail it. Don't believe that crap on "Cops" with everybody getting caught. "Can't outrun a radio". BS when they get to the intersection and they have no idea which way you went.

F***in A man, F***in A

["Dangerous" Dan K]

Next time lay down on the bike. Cover the plate with your foot. Give em the bird and nail it. Don't believe that crap on "Cops" with everybody getting caught. "Can't outrun a radio". BS when they get to the intersection and they have no idea which way you went.

I thought the trick was to have a cheezy aluminum plate bracket that would let you reach back and move the plate to horizontal so it can't be read from behind, or just to zip-tie it to the swingarm facing straight up, again so it can't be read from behind? Wait, wat?

[Slyder]

Next time lay down on the bike. Cover the plate with your foot. Give em the bird and nail it. Don't believe that crap on "Cops" with everybody getting caught. "Can't outrun a radio". BS when they get to the intersection and they have no idea which way you went.

You ever ride in central / northern VT?

You do realize you can't just duck down a random road, right? You'll haul ass by them unless you know the area. If you do slow down and make the turn, 9 times out of 10 they will be dirt. Can you dirt track a sport bike without destroying it and yourself?

I can...but I'm not stupid enough to run. My life and the bike are worth a whole shitload more than a 150+ fine and 2 points. And if and when you do get caught...well, you know.

Also add in the fact that I've ridden somedays for a few hundred miles and have only seen one blue and white bike, which happens to be in my avatar pic.

Oh also add in the fact that if you're screaming along running and a family of 4 pulls out in front of you...you're dead. You hit their vehicle in the side, door area...you're killing numerous people inside, if not all.

In the end, it's far from worth it.

As for cops, they need to start showing more of what happens when people do run and innocent people end up dead. I'm sure they have some privacy policies or restrictions on showing that stuff, due to investigations and liability of getting sued from the deceased person(s) families. I dunno.

[Doc]

The only reason to go to court for a ticket you are guilty of is to save up some money to pay the fine and try and get it reduced by throwing yourself on the mercy of the court.

[danny86]

Could always be worse.

My last ticket was over $500.00

[Trouble]

My wife's coworker got pulled over on Rt7 a week ago. He's an older dude and had his daughter on the back. The officer reduced the ticket because he was the first motorcyclist that day that hadn't run from him. The previous three had apparently taken off. I thought it was hilarious, but a bit sad too. It's no wonder that LEO's seem to have an attitude about motorcyclists.