Home › Forums › West Seattle Rants & Raves › Bridge Cop claims 20mph over, then gives actual ticket
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April 4, 2013 at 9:04 pm #607034
lukester01ParticipantAnyone else have this happen? He pulls me over after claiming his laser says I was going 65 on west seattle bridge. NO WAY I was going 20 over! Then comes up to car with ticket for 5mph over. Now that’s more like what I was doing. Then says he wrote it for only the 5 over if I want to just pay it. Nice guy? or total scam to get people to simply pay the ticket, which I will, because I can’t take risk of judge slapping the 20mph over ticket on me. Oh, and thank you officer friendly.
April 4, 2013 at 9:20 pm #787571
lukester01Participantyeah, not ready to call it a scam yet. Posting here to see if this is a new “technique” they have. If 20 others come forward and say “yeah, he claimed same outrageous speed, then lowered extremely.” Then I would be ready to claim scam. At this point he really could be simply a really nice guy with a crappy laser. Sure would be nice if they were required to show you proof of offence at the time the ticket was issued.
April 4, 2013 at 9:21 pm #787572
RainierMemberIf it’s in writing that it was 5mph over than that’s what the judge would be going by. Either way, I’m a stickler for sticking to my principles and I’d fight it. If enough of these stories come out from people also fighting their tickets by this officer, maybe a red flag will come up in the justice system.
April 5, 2013 at 12:26 am #787573
mike0323ParticipantLaser is pretty accurate, but also short range. My guess is that he visually saw you going faster but didn’t clock you at that speed.
April 5, 2013 at 12:43 am #787574
DBPMemberWhile he had you pulled over, did he try to sell you a subscription to the Times?
That’s usually a sign that they’re not on the level.
April 6, 2013 at 6:35 pm #787575
lllllMemberjust put your cruise control on 35 or 40 to not get trapped.
April 6, 2013 at 7:07 pm #787576
DBPMemberAre you serious? You sound serious, but that statement cannot be serious.
April 6, 2013 at 8:48 pm #787577
EdSaneParticipantJust visit one of those sites like speeding in seattle. I’ve had great luck with having the vast majority of my speeding tickets dismissed.
April 6, 2013 at 9:45 pm #787578
dhgParticipantThe vast majority of your speeding tickets…..
what are you, insane????
One or two should be enough to tell you to stop that shit.
April 6, 2013 at 10:39 pm #787579
EdSaneParticipantShrug, I see it as a tax. Driving is not an ‘equal’ ability for all. Some are more capable then others at driving their vehicle at speed. I don’t believe the rate at which I drive my vehicle relative to others puts them at any greater risk. Especially on freeways (where I’ve received all of my tickets except one).
July 18, 2013 at 8:05 pm #787580
gregsalmonParticipantEven if you are able to handle the speed and are a genius driver others may not be as gifted.
July 18, 2013 at 10:11 pm #787581
WFMemberwhere was the ticket issued? if it was on the spokane street viaduct the 35 MPH speed limit, based on the old geometry, was supposed to have been raised months ago to 40 MPH (it should be raised to 45 MPH)
July 18, 2013 at 10:25 pm #787582
lukester01ParticipantGuy was really nice. Let me off easy. I’m grateful. I see him about 3 times a week along Spokane St and then the bridge and then Admiral Way. It’s simply frustrating when you can go to any number of places and watch open air drug dealing, etc., but our “public servants”, are out wasting time harassing non criminals on their way to work instead of actually going after criminals. I just read a candidate for major thinks we need 250 NEW police to patrol downtown to keep us safe. How about we just use the police we have for actual police work. Traffic infractions, like parking tickets, are not police work, don’t waste valuable resources on activities that do not actually reduce criminality.
July 18, 2013 at 10:40 pm #787583
WFMemberpart of the problem is that many speed limits in seattle are not based on technical traffic engineering standards. a prime example is admiral way sw between olga street and the west seattle bridge. for years it was reasonably set at 35 MPH and then one day the city arbitrarily lowered it to 30 MPH. this arbitrary change reduced safety, the accident rate went up after they lowered the speed limit, yet they did not admit an error and correct the mistake. it is all about revenue!
July 18, 2013 at 11:16 pm #787584
lukester01ParticipantThe problem is that I don’t believe that the reason is revenue. I haven’t penciled it out, but the cost per hour for the officer (salary, insurance, health coverage, pension, vehicle, police station; court cost for every ticket, judge, security, court building, etc.) to the tax payer is far more I’m sure than writing tickets can possibly cover. I’m sure when all is said and done, the fine on the ticket is far outweighed by the cost of even giving a ticket. It has got to be a negative sum venture due to the admin cost when considered in full. So I don’t think they can even supplement the coffers writing tickets. I think it is simply poor prioritization and utilization of a resource that would be of far more value doing actual crime fighting work.
July 18, 2013 at 11:36 pm #787585
EdSaneParticipant@lukester01, we are already going to pay for police services. Revenue generation offsets their cost. A portion of every ticket goes into the court system, police and general fund. How the funds are allocated can easily be found online. And FYI, a cop could easily write enough of these tickets to rake in quite a bit of money considering the vast majority of speeding tickets are never contested.
July 18, 2013 at 11:59 pm #787586
lukester01ParticipantI get that we have to pay for it, even if he isn’t writing tickets, but if each ticket costs more than the fine due to overhead for the police dept and the court system, then each ticket written actually costs the tax payer money to cover the difference. Here is an article that states how that is actually the fact for cities. http://www.blog4safety.com/2013/04/five-ways-cities-lose-money-on-tickets-guest-post/ . Also, here is the bureau of statistics report citing avg cost for a single officer. In our city I’m sure the cost is double the avg considering what our police make double the avg salary. Plus, the cost of a single officer surely does not include the cost of his vehicle, etc. since not every officer has a vehicle. http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=71
And the most a officer could write would be 3 tickets an hour since each easily takes 20 min from time he clocks you till he is back out in position again.
July 19, 2013 at 12:07 am #787587
acemotelParticipantOver the years, I’ve had three or four tickets on Highway 2. Each time, the officer tells me I’m going a certain speed, but writes the ticket for a lower speed. i.e. he tells me I was going 15 over but writes the ticket for 10 over. I thought it was just the way it’s done. I haven’t received any tickets in Seattle, so I can’t say about that.
July 19, 2013 at 12:13 am #787588
singularnameParticipantWF … Source, please, on your assertion that accidents on that stretch have increased, particularly pedestrian-related ones? Having lived on that street for 5 or so years, I’m an avid proponent on 30 there.
Overall … Always baffled by the whining over speeding and getting tickets. The “I’m specially skilled thus qualified to speed” is particularly laughable.
July 19, 2013 at 12:16 am #787589
EdSaneParticipant@singularname, I’m also baffled. Just pay for the attorney. Same cost as the ticket and nothing on your record. Treat it like a tax.
July 19, 2013 at 1:39 am #787590
Myr-myrParticipantEdSane,
Glad you alerted us to your feeling entitled to speed. Care to post your car make, model and color plus license plate so we can see you coming and give you a clear path? Gee, I hope word circulates to non-WSB readers, too. Otherwise they’ll be expecting fairly predictable road etiquette and doing normal defensive driving.
July 19, 2013 at 1:45 am #787591
singularnameParticipantLet us know how that cost balance works out for you if you go careening into a ped or another vehicle or a tree. Your attorney is laughing, too.
July 19, 2013 at 3:59 am #787592
WFMembersingularmom i obtained the traffic accident data for the before and after the speed limit change and conducted a detailed review. and in fact i submitted it to the City and no one ever refuted the analysis. the 30 MPH speed limit is less safe than the prior 35 MPH limit! the prior 35 MPH limit was operating very safely, was reasonable and appropriate and met technical Traffic Engineering standards.
i task anyone to prove my analysis wrong. the city has not! frankly it is very annoying for the city to claim they are trying to improve traffic safety and when they error and are taken to task they need to admit the mistake and correct the error. i am still waiting for them to correct this mistake.
July 19, 2013 at 5:55 am #787593
miwsParticipantWFhoop, why do you always expect everyone else to do the research to find the documentation for your assertions?
Mike
July 19, 2013 at 5:12 pm #787594
lukester01ParticipantFrom now on I’m driving 5 mph on the bridge and Admiral Way. That’ll make all those who believe slow is safe happy.
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