Police ticketing out of control...quota in full force
Tickets to fill a real or implied quota are usually given at last couple of days in the month when the cop who got chewed out last month realizes he is also low this month.
Did the cleaning lady park illegally?If not, you can certainly have her fight it. If she did, the police were correct in ticketing her. I am sure that they had no idea that that car was connected to you unless when they ran the plate it came up with your address.
she was parked in front of my house where there are signs periodically (as on all suburban streets) for two hour parking limit. If she cleaned my house for only 2 hours that would be a separate problem. She's cleaned my house for over 6 years but as I suspect the pressure is on for ticketing.
so basically be careful for electricians, plumbers, teenage playdates, SAT tutors (for math and reading), any friend visiting, all relatives.
S.O. has parking enforcement people whose sole job is to give out tickets. If the cleaning person has been parking overtime for 6 years, and only has been caught now, that's pretty amazing.
Regarding the moving violation, it does sound like the cop should have let you go with a polite warning. But if you were driving that slowly and near (or in) the shoulder, without using flashers, that's cause for him to check out what was going on. It's odd he was engaging with the kids in the back seat, so I'd pursue the complaint.
The SOPD called you back a day later than you would have liked? That one, I'd say let it go.
Getting a ticket instead of a warning for five miles an hour over is a little douchy, but still within the law. I don't think that one person getting a ticket for speeding suddenly means there is a quota. There could also have been complaints of speeding and unsafe traffic in town which would result in supervisors telling patrol to start cracking down on the speeders, and you were just one of the unlucky ones.
Ditto on what apple44 said in regards to this being her first ticket in six years of parking illegally. If she is there to clean your home which takes more than two hours, and you only have two hour parking in front of your home, then a solution might be to let her park in your driveway when she is there.
I would say regarding the ticket you probably have no choice but to go to court and fight it. You might want to engage a lawyer. The ticket itself would probably not cost much but your insurance rates can rise from a moving violation. The SOPD won't just void the ticket. If you really feel you didn't deserve the ticket then you should fight it. Police have been known to give erroneous citations before.
You didn't provide a clear description of the officer's behavior so it's hard to say how far your complaint about him will likely go. Did he physically threaten you? Did he single out the African American teenager in the back seat for no reason?
I doubt the parking ticket is anything other than bad luck for your cleaning person. If she parked longer than 2 hours in a clearly marked 2 hour parking zone she doesn't have much of a leg to stand on. Saying you've been getting away with an infraction for years is not likely to help garner sympathy.
Lastly I'm not really sure this constitutes ticketing being out of control. It sounds more like an unfortunate coincidence. The police wouldn't know your cleaning person's car was associated with your house so it sounds unlikely to be retaliation.
Good luck with your efforts to get answers about the officer's behavior.
Why would you think police should not ticket residents of that town? Are you saying you were only going 5 mph? If so why? going too slow is ticketable. It is unusual to ticket for 5 over. Typically they go after people going at least 15 over and that gets knocked down to a lesser offense in court. 5 can't be knocked down any lower.
How was the cleaning lady parked? Was she parked more than 2 hours? Usually you have some extra time by the time they spot the car and come back 2 hours later. A basic cleaning can be done in 2 hours on a small house. Also, the car can be moved 2 hours into the job.
Too far to the right? was there a shoulder or did you nearly side swipe the bridge? a ticket for 5 over is likely less than careless driving, maybe he did you a favor. What was the ticket for?
Careless driving and 5 mph over the limit are both 2 point tickets. Reckless driving (which wouldn't apply in this case) is 5 points.
jmitw said:
Too far to the right? was there a shoulder or did you nearly side swipe the bridge? a ticket for 5 over is likely less than careless driving, maybe he did you a favor. What was the ticket for?
really? my manual from when I took drivers ed says careless is 4 points...guess they changed it
OK everyone, just got home. I was driving NOT five miles over the speeding limit, but just 5 to 10 miles per hour. Concentrate people, I wrote that in my first comment. Gosh we are all so stressed that no one can concentrate today, but anyway, I plan on not paying the fine and going to jail overnight. Assuming there is no lice, I'm ok with that just to make a point that we are not going to finance this town with these tickets.
Driving 5mph is dangerous because no other driver is going to expect you to be puttering along like that and will have to either hit their brakes or peform unexpected or incautious manoeuvres to get around you.
If you were driving 5 mph in the shoulder on SO Avenue I a glad you got pulled over. That's the kind of thing that can cause accidents. I can read, and I did read. I'm not sure that you actually have the option of going to jail instead of paying, but let us know how it works out for you.
Why were you driving 5-10 mph? Without context it's hard to opine on whether sopd was out of line in writing a ticket. There's lots of pedis in that area of course so sometimes traffic flow is just 5-10 mph, if that. Can't see why you'd be ticketed in that situation. But if road was clear and you were causing traffic behind you to back up by driving 5-10 mph in a 25 mph zone, that to me is a justifiable ticket.
Just saw the ticket again. Bingo!!! written 5/31 yes indeed trying to get the quota in by end of month. Ha!!! I'm still planning on sleeping there in the jail, anyone know anything about the facility? I'm just not paying it!!!! I'll bring my own pillow, and I guess there's no food, maybe I can tell them I'm on a special diet and it must be gourmet, ha ha!! Seriously folks, I'm not going down easy.
As far as the ticket given to your cleaning lady is concerned, if you live on a totally residential street I would look into your neighbors who may have a complex about people parking on your street. The police rarely enforce parking regs on residential streets. If you want to get back at them, ask why Ward Place is full up every day even though the sign clearly states no parking allowed on this side. With regard to the ticket for driving just 5 mph, you should definitely contest it.
dave said:
Driving 5mph is dangerous because no other driver is going to expect you to be puttering along like that and will have to either hit their brakes or peform unexpected or incautious manoeuvres to get around you.
Wouldn't that depend on the circumstances? Going 5 -10 m.p.h. on S.O. Avenue at 3:10 when school lets out would be more than reasonable.
sender said:
Just saw the ticket again. Bingo!!! written 5/31 yes indeed trying to get the quota in by end of month. Ha!!! I'm still planning on sleeping there in the jail, anyone know anything about the facility? I'm just not paying it!!!! I'll bring my own pillow, and I guess there's no food, maybe I can tell them I'm on a special diet and it must be gourmet, ha ha!! Seriously folks, I'm not going down easy.
Can you post when your Court Date is? I think we would all be amused to watch this. 
Good luck!
Let's be clear, the policeman made no mention of me going to slowly, that just wasn't the issue, and it was at around 10 AM last Wednesday when there was a delayed opening at the high school. This is a system; where lawyers make a buck (so far have already gotten 4 letters in the mail for services), the courts make some, and our town makes out. Which is why I have decided to opt out of the charade and go to jail. I may be the one net loss for them this year, but so be it.
Court date is June 20 at 4:30. It's now in Maplewood on Springfield Avenue.
Oh, and one last funny bit, the reason I was making a left off Ridgewood Rd onto SO Avenue is because two police cars were blocking going straight across Ridgewood due to a pot hole. So I then had to instead of going straight on Ridgewood, make a left onto SO Ave. I know, I know, my taxes aren't enough to take care of that pot hole.
I don't mean to feed the troll if that's what this is. If it is legit, take heed. You could get Jugde CBA which, unlike MOL, takes no BS. If the link doesn't work, search for him on the podcast site. If you don't know who Judge CBA is I recommend that you find out before you go to court or you should pack more then your toothbrush.
My aunt works at one of Boston's most busiest courthouses. She deals with attorneys and officers all day and is friends with many. Over her many years there, she has overheard, been involved in and repeated many stories. There are many officers who carry vendettas against residences; there are many officers who have bad days and will ticket you for the most minor of infraction (albeit, still lawful for them to do so, but it's kinda petty) and there are officers who will ticket you for something minor, not show to court if you choose to fight it, and you'll win.
And would like to add that driving near the school during school start hours on most used roads, isn't it a bit hard to NOT drive 5-10mph?
Start with the basics.... what description of the offense was written on the summons? What Statute was cited? No, you don't need to bring your toothbrush with you on June 20th. That is the date you meet with the prosecutor who offers you a plea deal so as not to take up the court's time. You accept the plea deal or come back at a later date for the hearing.
If you accept the plea deal, you go before the judge and pay the fine. I would not hire a lawyer for such a summons unless your point accumulation is already high enough that your license is in jeopardy. But that is me. You may decide to hire a lawyer anyway.
The OP has not told us exactly what violation the ticket was written for. I believe he/she said it was not for going too slow or obstructing traffic.
The ticket was given near Sloane, but now the OP writes about making a left from Ridgewood to SO Avenue - a distance from Sloane.
No one goes to jail for a simple traffic offense ... unless the person just blows off the ticket and doesn't show up in Court. Eventually the Court will issue a Warrant for the person's arrest but nothing will actually happen unless that person gets stopped in the future for some new violation. The Warrant will show up and the person may be locked up, but far more likely he/she will just have to post a small amount of bail and be given a new Court date.
Of course anyone receiving a traffic ticket has the right to plead not guilty and go to trial.
You are the one that needs to concentrate. Your ranting is irrational which indicates you might not be writing coherently. Going too slow is a ticketable offense and an indication of an impaired driver. If convicted in court and you fail to pay, they suspend your license. Eventually you can spend more than a night in jail.
If you are rational, there is a chance the ticket would be thrown out in court if it is unjust.
just saw the ticket? are you so out of it you are clueless about dates? act like this in court and you may get arrested on suspicion of drug use.
and no you don't get to bring your own pillow..they would have to rip it open and empty it to check for drugs.
was the left illegal? why were you going to slow? what was the ticket for?
jmitw said:
You are the one that needs to concentrate. Your ranting is irrational which indicates you might not be writing coherently. Going too slow is a ticketable offense and an indication of an impaired driver. If convicted in court and you fail to pay, they suspend your license. Eventually you can spend more than a night in jail.
If you are rational, there is a chance the ticket would be thrown out in court if it is unjust.
just saw the ticket? are you so out of it you are clueless about dates? act like this in court and you may get arrested on suspicion of drug use.
and no you don't get to bring your own pillow..they would have to rip it open and empty it to check for drugs.
was the left illegal? why were you going to slow? what was the ticket for?
ok once again, you who have no ability to concentrate and comprehend, read the original post, last sentence. You btw are the irrational one, the lady doth protest too much.
sender said:
OK everyone, just got home. I was driving NOT five miles over the speeding limit, but just 5 to 10 miles per hour. Concentrate people, I wrote that in my first comment. Gosh we are all so stressed that no one can concentrate today, but anyway, I plan on not paying the fine and going to jail overnight. Assuming there is no lice, I'm ok with that just to make a point that we are not going to finance this town with these tickets.
I can't speak for others, but I assumed it was 5 mph over the limit and your post was a typo because I couldn't fathom someone actually doing 5 mph on South Orange Ave unless there was a traffic jam. Since you freely admit that you were actually only driving 5 mph, which is 20 mph under the speed limit, just take the ticket and pay it.
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Two days ago, got pulled over going 5 miles an hour on South Orange Avenue in the heart of town, near Sloan Street, driving my son and friend to high school. Officer was a bully, not to mention a racist as he intimidated the black teenage friend in our back seat. Truly awful experience for all 3 of us. I went to the station and filed a report but no one seemed to care. The lieutenant took down my complaint, said he'd call me the next day and never did for two days. I called him twice today and got lip service. Then today my cleaning lady got a ticket parked on my street in town. Really? I'm not going to say we're being targeted, that would be a bit paranoid. But, if there is a quota system being imposed on these officers, really, is this the best method for how money is to be raised? Ticketing our own citizens in town? I'm not sure why I was pulled over, officer was so rude I figured I'd just take ticket and get the kids to the high school. He mentioned I was too far to the right on the street under the bridge? Ugh!!!!