Okay, so after getting pulled over yesterday for doing 61 in a 55, although 4 cars infront of me doing 70+, I was curious to know if anyone could enlighten me on some cans and cants for the highway patrolmen/women?

Do they HAVE to have their parking lights on while sitting on the shoulder?

Do they HAVE to let you know your speed they "clocked you at" if you ask?

Do they HAVE to let you see the radar if you ask?

The reason I ask this, is because as I was going to work yesterday, I got passed by 4 cars within about a 2 mile span on the highway(pretty flat road), and went by a cop while he was sitting on the shoulder, no parking lights on, dark out so you couldn't see him(dark blue Impala, local cop), and just as I went by, he pulled out with his headlights on, and pulled me over. I was a little(quite a bit actually) upset considering the people in front of me were going much faster. You could not see him, and he had no lights on when he supposedly clocked me, however he would not tell me my speed, which I inquired about to see if my speedometer was off. I feel I was trapped since it was dark, and he could not be seen, and he was illegally parked correct(with no lights on, on the shoulder of the highway, with the engine running)?

Any help and/or additional comments on this subject would be very helpful.

 

im not sure on specifics, but im pretty sure thats not how there supposed to do it. might be worth it to make a couple calls.

 

Do you know where I could look up the rules for them online or anything? I am getting the stuff to file a complaint against the officer since he has a habit of "harassing" people in my class and guys under 20 in general.

 

Just call his headquarters and talk to the dispatcher. If they wont give you answers, ask for their supervisor. If you ask politely, usually they are pretty helpful. Last I recalled, they are required to show you the radar if you ask about it. If not, you can fight the ticket in court. Double check to make sure. Good luck!

Stryder

Edit: If you do go to court over the ticket, ask about the speed of the people that passed you. Legally, when passing another car, you are not allowed to exceed the speed limit.

 

Last I knew, if you went to court, and told the judge you weren't allowed to see the radar, the ticket is gone. Problem with that is that then you may become a target, can't seem to win. If you are dealing with the wonderful Iowa County deputy, get ahold of Nick Roggentien, the Sheriff, and just talk nicely with him. He had a rep for being that way to the North English crowd, but don't know how well based it was. North English was his beat back when he was a deputy about 10-15 years ago. Some of the new guys kinda get carried away. I went through it with the Marengo cops, got screwed over a time or two as well, never got a DUI but was watched like it... really got irritating when the town cops would drive by my parent's place over a mile out of town, out of their jurisdiction. Got to hammer the jack-off that was the worst problem, was able to prove he was a lying sack of manure... and not even on my case! Worst I ever did was torch the tires and speed a little, nothing real serious. Did a burn out in front of the jack-off once when he was off duty, and he had it for me from then on.

 

Iowa doesn't have the requirement of having thier lights on like some states so that one is out. But if you asked to see the radar he is required to let you see it, and you can move to hve the case dismissed based on not bieng able to get a fair trial since you can not verify the radar unit manufactorer, or seriel number of the unit bieng used and thus can not verify it's calibration or repair status at the time of the stop, or in fact if it was even in the car or working at the time he stopped you. Also since he was parked he couldn't have been pacing you to get a speed, adn at night they can't use aircraft.
DO NOT under any circumstances try to use the other cars as your defense it makes you look bad and doesn't do a thing for your defense all the officer has to say is he was just finishing up some paperwork, and you were the first vehicle that went by when he started clocking vehicles again plus the court will look at it of someone else commiting a greater wrong doesn't justify your speeding.

 

Thanks guys. Fellro, which county mountie are you talking about? I know all of them and they know me, some are on a good basis, some arent. The cop that lives in North English doesnt like me, but Nick R. and I get along pretty good, and he usually will dismiss the ticket for me b/c he knows this guy does what everybody says. Some very helpful information, I do however, have to go to court to fight a ticket and testify for a harassment charge on the cop that is just trying to pin somethin on me. I know what I can do in town, legally, and just stay under the limit so I stay legal. Any additional information or experiences would be greatly appreciated. THANKS A BUNCH ALREADY GUYS!

 

Well, I don't know the new local, back when I had to deal with what you are, it was Nick. My pita was Paul Jacobs of the Marengo force at the time, but he is long gone. I would just have a chat with Nick about it sometime. Basically, we were able to catch him in a lie, but the funny thing was that he hung himself basically, as he couldn't keep his story straight. If you know the terrain near Marengo, you know the big hill south of town just before you get to the golf course. At the top of that hill is two gravel roads, one goes to the west, to my parent's, the other to the east. He claimed to be in pursuit of 2 cars, and when he came over the hill he couldn't see them. Well, considering it is a minimum 1/4 mile visibility in a couple directions at the top of that hill, it is a little hard to buy that story. Well, my friend's brother was off toward my parent's place taking a ****, and this cop tried to say he was drunk and his passenger was not, but I had seen them drinking quite well at a party just prior to that, and my friend's brother had been at work, and was just going to give them a ride home.. Anyway, the cop claimed he was out there in pursuit of 1 car, ( the point his lawyer caught it...) so he spotted this guy a ways from the road, no dust... The case got dropped, because he got caught in his BS. He was the same one that liked to come on by my parent's place with no good reason to do so, that was why he had to lie about why he was there at all. He got me for speeding once which was total bull, because I had just left a stop sign, and hadn't even made it to speed when he met me, but claimed I was doing 65. The judge wouldn't even let me talk, just said "why would the cop lie?" I was questioned that the car wasn't stock, and such, so i was guilty just because it was possible... so I was more than happy to nail him on this other BS...

 

lol, sounds like some experience I have with a guy, he isnt new, but he must think I am dumb or something, he sits in the alleyway behind my house by my shop and waits for me to go flying by, but I wait till his son or daughter gets infront of me, and let them fly by. He trys to hide, and claims he had clocked me at 130+, which is BS, there isnt a road that he sees me on that I could do that. Anyway, this cop makes rounds by my house, which is in town, he HATES our 65 stang w/long tube headers n header mufflers. I have to go to court on the 15th of December to nail him for harassment charges of a kid I run around with, I volunteered. He doesnt like dad either, brake stand+65 Mustang+ Open Headers+In front of his house when he was off duty= HATRED FOR MY FATHER...lmao. Your parents only live about a mile and a half from my grandma out by Marengo.

 

then there is a good chance I know her and she knows me, that part of the county is where I spent 23 years of my life, and will be back here in a couple years. I was actually born on that farm, didn't make it the couple miles to the hospital...

 

When it comes to getting tickets , you can fight most of them and win alot of them. The problem is the time thing, you have to take a day off of work, which to me would cost me $200, The fact that you got pulled over and ticketed will still show up on your DAC record regardless if the ticket is thrown out. No matter how hard you try and have it removed from you DAC record it will always be there and even if you somehow win the case to have it removed, first of all you will have to hire a lawyer ( BIG $$$$ ) and take more days off work ( $200 a day ) and waste gas and time running around, In the end you may get it removed but there will be a notation on your DAC stating that a ticket was removed and will still state what the ticket was for. All this pops up on your insurance record when your insurance company runs your annual report, and also even though it is removed from this report and is stated that it is removed, when it first pops up it looks like a ticket was issued unless you click further details on the bottem of the report. I have seen this many times when i was given a warning . or even a company related ticket.
So in the end save yourself the hassle and money and just pay the stupid ticket and forget about it. They say you can't fight city hall but you really can if you want to spend the cash to do so, and they still get you in the end.

 

See, I don't have the problem of losing money fighting the ticket, if I am at work, I can take a paid half day or vacation since I'm at the body shop during the week, or if its school time, I just cut out of class and go save myself some money since I don't think I deserved the ticket since I wasn't really speeding, I mean what they consider speeding is above 64 MPH(according to the local State Troopers, love my job at a restaurant). But anyway, I fought the ticket, didn't have to pay, saved myself around 50 bucks. Thanks for the input though guys.

 

I have had officers flat out NOT LET ME SEE the radar when I asked...and others have specifically asked me to come see it. Typically I don't need to as I know I was in the wrong. One specific case where he wouldn't let me see it, I asked several times and he continued to decline. Puke.

 

Makes you wonder when they won't let you see the radar, because if they have nothing to hide, why not let you see it? I would venture to guess that the initial tone suggested you were speeding more than it locked in at, so they were trying to hit you for the higher speed. Most encounters I have had, they take you back to the car while they write the ticket, only the once have I not seen the radar...

 

I have only had one refuse to let me see the radar, clocked me at 73 in a 55 I was speeding but more like 65 in a 55 so I fought it or should I say I went to court to plead not guilty, while I was sitting there I began to notice that a lot of people were in the court room for duing 73 in a 55 (like 12 before me) well so did the lawyer of one of the other people and brought it up to the judge who then proceeded to go through the tickest 28 tickets for 73 in a 55 withing 3hr time frame all within a 5 mile stretch of the same road by the same officer. while we were sitting there he had the clerk pull up another days worth of files 20 some tickets for doing something like 68 in a 55 all by the same officer all in the same stretch of road, and all within 3hr time frame our tickets were dismissed at the time I heard later that the multnoma county had to go back and dismiss and reimburss on some 300+ tickets within 30 day time frame, and have them removed from the drivers records, the officer was then dismissed from the force, and charged with multiple felony counts (I don't remember off hand what they were) and was sentenced to 25 yrs in prison I am sure he is out by now (been 18yrs) but I bet he had a fun time at the state penitentary.