23 posts shown.
James Cox6 said:Look, baby... it really depends on the judge and which city you're dealing with.
The reality is, everything in Chicago is backed up.
Maybe you'll get lucky. But even if they convict you, try to argue the statute of limitations in municipal court.
I might have more luck than brains, but in this instance, I’m a skeptic.👎
Regarding the statute of limitations, I've heard it's actually smarter to just ignore the court summons. Given how slow the American judicial system moves, wouldn't ignoring those notices eventually lead to the case expiring? Am I right?
James Cox6 said:He can. Traffic lights are synchronized. They'll just bring in a traffic expert who knows everything about how those systems are timed.
And they'll bring in some yes-man to testify at the hearing...
Look, I get that the lights are synchronized. But is a judge really going to waste time and money on expert testimony for this? And once they bring in some incompetent witness to testify, the court is just going to believe them. From what I've seen, the police act like they're above the law anyway. Third point: does it actually matter if they botched the location or messed up the street name on the ticket? Do I even have a fighting chance at getting this charge dropped?
May 11, 2007. A police officer pulled me over, claiming I ran a red light. I know for a fact the light was green when I passed through that intersection, and his entire claim rests on nothing more than his own "visual observation." To make matters worse, the citation itself is a complete mess—the street name and the location of the stop are both entirely incorrect. On top of that, the officer was incredibly rude. Before he even signaled me to pull over, he drove his cruiser aggressively toward my car, practically forcing me off the road. Honestly, I was terrified I’d be pushed right into a ditch. When he slapped me with the ticket—which I refused to sign ($333 + $37; 2 misdemeanors and a 2-month license suspension)—I didn't waste any time. As soon as I got home, I drafted formal appeals against both the citation and the officer's conduct, then mailed them all via certified mail. By Saturday, I received a response from the Police Chief. Predictably, they doubled down on the errors, citing the wrong date and the wrong location again. They claimed to have conducted a thorough review of the file and concluded that my grievances were baseless 😠 because, of course, the officer denies being unprofessional. Since I filed my appeal within the legal timeframe, the case has been forwarded to the local municipal court. From there, I can seek protection of my rights if they are violated, call witnesses, request a confrontation, and present other evidence during the proceedings.
Now, here is what I want to know: can an officer actually prove I ran a red light if he didn't pull me over until two intersections later? Especially since he wrote on the ticket that he witnessed the violation personally? There is absolutely no video footage.
How should I prepare to go before the judge? This is my first offense ever, and I’ve been driving for over a decade. Regardless of the outcome, I am not paying a dime. I refuse to pay for something I didn't do.