thanks for all your inputs...

it was also interesting to see how the other officers responded to him...

now, if you don't mind me throwing few questions at you folks....

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what if you got pulled over by your husband/wife/son/daughter

would you expect a "courtesy?" (nepotism?)

would you get angry if you DID get a ticket from your spouse or kids?

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would YOU give your loved ones or close relatives a ticket if you were the one to pull them over?

(please know that your answer(s) will not be judged by me. )

My father was a Police Officer.

My dad died before I ever gave him cause to test out whether or not he'd have let me off an infringement, but I think as long as it was minor.... and didn't endanger anyone else, I do think he'd have let me off.

Boy, you like the tough questions!
If I were pulled over by a relative...First of all, they all know my car, so if they pulled me over it would be either as a joke or for a really good reason. No, I wouldn't expect to be let out of a ticket, and the only one I'd be angry with is myself for doing something stupid enough to put both of us in that position..
If I were the cop, that's tougher..I'd be tempted to let someone off whether I knew them or not. Which is why I'm not a cop..

Letting somebody off on a ticket isn't a "courtesy", it's kinda more like corruption. A courtesy is maybe waiving a late fee or giving a colleague first dibs on something. If the infraction would usually earn just a warning, it isn't a courtesy, it's everyday policy. If the infraction would usually earn a ticket, it's still not a "courtesy", it's letting someone get away with breaking the law.

In one of your hypothetical situations, I would tend to err on the side of caution, lest John Q. Public get the wrong idea. If I were the ticketer, I would say "Your mother is a cop, you should KNOW better! No way am I letting you off the hook."

If I were the ticketee, I would probably INSIST on the ticket, not wanting the possibility of someone accusing my loved one of favoritism or corruption.

Anybody who's truly angry because he/she got a ticket that he/she knew was deserved doesn't belong in law enforcement.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

I work part-time at Justice Court, where no good deed goes unpunished.

In the past, if I knew someone that owed on a ticket, I'd give them a courtesy call when the late penalty of $50 was going to kick in. Then I'd give them an extension of a week or two to get it paid.

Well, a month ago I called a lady's/defendant's daughter (I already had her cell number from church), and left a voice message that I was giving her an extension on her payment due date. So I get a call from a very irate mother (who apparently didn't know the daughter had voluntarily gave me the number). She viewed this as invasive, which I guess it was. (Other friends have been very appreciative).

So, no more "Mr. Nice Guy." I'll just send them their late letter. And no, I don't deduct $50 just because I know them. I'll do what I can within office protocol, but I don't do favors that would jeopardize my job.

BTW, the mother was STILL late paying the ticket and got charged the additional $50!


About cops issuing tickets -- just b/c someone has broken the law doesn't immediately warrant a ticket. The officers get to use their discretion on whether or not they issue a citation. For instance, I get a stack of tickets to input into the computer by re-typing the information so we can follow-up on whether they pay; sometimes the officer will give them a seatbelt ticket (which doesn't reflect on your driving record), and issue a "warning" for speeding.



Also, an FYI: Did you know that you can do a "plea in abeyance" to keep a speeding ticket off your insurance? This is an agreement between you, the judge and the prosecuting attorney. In our court it costs $25 and gives you the opportunity to pay a little extra to take Traffic School (which costs about $30). You can do it online in just a couple of hours or so.

The County District Attorney likes that people get educated on how to be better drivers which, after all, is the ultimate goal.

Hey Twinks:

You wrote:

"Also, an FYI: Did you know that you can do a "plea in abeyance" to keep a speeding ticket off your insurance? This is an agreement between you, the judge and the prosecuting attorney. In our court it costs $25 and gives you the opportunity to pay a little extra to take Traffic School (which costs about $30). You can do it online in just a couple of hours or so."

When you say You can do it online and it just takes a couple of hours, do you mean you can do the Traffic School thing ONLINE??

Really? That's amazing.

Mel

Oh, I just love this question. If a relative pulls you over for speeding, would you expect a ticket?

Since the majority of speeders SPEED, and they probably have more than one ticket on their license thing (I don't drive so I don't know what it's called when they put points on your license or WHATEVER they do when you keep getting tickets).

If a person is speeding on the highway, and BAM, you get pulled over, and it's your son, NOW WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN? Do you really think a son is going to ticket his parent? Or better yet, A SON-IN-LAW??

Never gonna happen. Is it right? Of course not. But it's never gonna happen. Too much at stake. Can you imagine when the guys goes home and there's his wife waiting for him (frying pan in hand).

And god forbid if it's the mother driving he car, and the son is he cop. Can you just hear the dialogue:

"mom, what are you doing THIS TIME? Mom, you were doing 70 in a 50 mile an hour zone". Mom, this has to stop". And the mother goes: "yeah, I know hon, I'm sorry, by the way, there's a tray of brownies with your name on it, in my kitchen"

Do you think THAT COP is going to ticket his own mother (or father?) Don't think so.

Is it right? Of course it's not right. But will they get that ticket? Not in a million years.

And that's a shame because some day, that mother who was speeding is going to mow down some unsuspecting person who was just crossing the road.

Some people like to drive fast. It makes them feel GOOD!!

I never figured out why. But it happens. And some people think their cars are actually worth more than human life.

The other day I read a very sad thing. It seems that this student plopped down his bookbag on a guy's BMW. So what happened? The driver of the BMW got out of his car and beat the student to a pulp...BECAUSE HE DARED TO PUT HIS BACKPACK ON THE GUY'S CAR.

Good Lord, what is happening in this world of ours?

Melody

I would say to this man: As citizens we must follow the law. Being a cop does not make you special, your still a citizen like all of us and put your pants on one leg at a time. JMHO

*OK, so I have some issues from my past with speeding tickets. Give me a break*

Well, I should clarify that statement. That's how it works in OUR court. And they're all different. But yes, once the agreement is signed, you can take Traffic School online.

It does depend on the deputy county attorney, though, who signs the agreement. We had one that didn't allow the online courses a couple of years ago.

Wow, you gotta love this country of ours. You can go to Traffic School online!! You can take college credits online!!!

You can eve meet your future husband or wife online.. (that's how one of my relatives met their significant others, OH, actually two of my relatives did this.

God bless the internet. While it's chock full of nuts trying to hack our secret passwords and such, it's also chock full of interesting stuff to do.

Mel