Shameless fine for missing front plate.
11-22-2012, 07:27 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Shameless fine for missing front plate.
Disclaimer: Running without a front plate, for aesthetic reasons, is a violation of law in 2 plate states, and I acknowledge the legal risk of doing this.
Since I purchased the Vette in ‘09, I’ve passed staties, county police, big city po-po, sheriffs, all without incident. Last week, I received my first missing license plate ticket.
Oh, I always knew it could happen, but it was the circumstances of the ticket that got me steamed.
There is a podunk little town in my metro area well known for 60% of the municipal budget coming from traffic citations. The city has been ranked in the top 2 or 3 highest top traffic ticket towns in Missouri. They are known for hiring LEOs that are shiny new, or LEOs that have employment problems with larger, more professional departments. The last police chief was a controversial figure, acquitted in civil cases of sexual misconduct and tried on a misdemeanor charge of employing an unqualified officer.
Last week I was in a hurry to get to a client, and took the shortest route - forgetting I was passing through traffic revenue enhancement central. So when I was pulled over I was perplexed at first. I was doing 34 in a 35mph, good driving habits, etc.
So this baby LEO walks up. He told me why I was being stopped. Ok, got that. But he returns with an electronic ticket with a fine schedule. “Unsecured load” $112.00!! WTF?!!
Then I lost my temper, and without swearing, I told him that he was nothing more than a uniformed tax collector. Having recently read in the local paper an article about another of their officers that lost his license, I pointed asked baby LEO how long he thought he was going to keep his license!
! I could tell that last comment hit the mark! What could he say but a terse “Have a nice day” and stomp off!
The rest of the day I was
as I thought about a missing front plate citation being written for a more expensive “Unsecured load” violation. (About a 40% increase in fine $$) After the 2-day waiting period, I called the court clerk to find out what the court costs were for fighting a ticket. Yes I was polite - the court clerks have a thankless job.
Guess what? When I mentioned I was planning to contest a expensive “Unsecured load” charge on a Corvette, she “checked on something” and said the charge was now a “Missing license plate”! Now you all know that was not because of my sterling performance. You all KNOW that court challenges are not handled over the phone - by clerks! Someone in the office may have figured that they were not going to get a fine for an idiotic violation.
In conclusion, I paid the proper fine for a missing plate the next day, and will not drive the Vette through that municipal revenue trap again. But it was what the first egregious violation the officer tried to charge me with, and the general unprofessional conduct of the entire municipality that is a sad issue.
Since I purchased the Vette in ‘09, I’ve passed staties, county police, big city po-po, sheriffs, all without incident. Last week, I received my first missing license plate ticket.
Oh, I always knew it could happen, but it was the circumstances of the ticket that got me steamed.
There is a podunk little town in my metro area well known for 60% of the municipal budget coming from traffic citations. The city has been ranked in the top 2 or 3 highest top traffic ticket towns in Missouri. They are known for hiring LEOs that are shiny new, or LEOs that have employment problems with larger, more professional departments. The last police chief was a controversial figure, acquitted in civil cases of sexual misconduct and tried on a misdemeanor charge of employing an unqualified officer.
Last week I was in a hurry to get to a client, and took the shortest route - forgetting I was passing through traffic revenue enhancement central. So when I was pulled over I was perplexed at first. I was doing 34 in a 35mph, good driving habits, etc.
So this baby LEO walks up. He told me why I was being stopped. Ok, got that. But he returns with an electronic ticket with a fine schedule. “Unsecured load” $112.00!! WTF?!!
Then I lost my temper, and without swearing, I told him that he was nothing more than a uniformed tax collector. Having recently read in the local paper an article about another of their officers that lost his license, I pointed asked baby LEO how long he thought he was going to keep his license!
! I could tell that last comment hit the mark! What could he say but a terse “Have a nice day” and stomp off!The rest of the day I was
as I thought about a missing front plate citation being written for a more expensive “Unsecured load” violation. (About a 40% increase in fine $$) After the 2-day waiting period, I called the court clerk to find out what the court costs were for fighting a ticket. Yes I was polite - the court clerks have a thankless job.Guess what? When I mentioned I was planning to contest a expensive “Unsecured load” charge on a Corvette, she “checked on something” and said the charge was now a “Missing license plate”! Now you all know that was not because of my sterling performance. You all KNOW that court challenges are not handled over the phone - by clerks! Someone in the office may have figured that they were not going to get a fine for an idiotic violation.
In conclusion, I paid the proper fine for a missing plate the next day, and will not drive the Vette through that municipal revenue trap again. But it was what the first egregious violation the officer tried to charge me with, and the general unprofessional conduct of the entire municipality that is a sad issue.
11-22-2012, 07:36 PM
#2
Retired & lovin' it!
Happens all the time (ticketing for "no front plate") but in your case, I might have been tempted to plead not guilty & have the LEO justify "unsecured load" in traffic court. I know, I know....sometimes it's just not worth the hassle & that's what a lot of the local traffic courts count on. 
11-22-2012, 07:45 PM
#5
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St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
yes, I know what you mean...
11-22-2012, 07:58 PM
#6
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St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15- '16-'17-‘18-‘19-'20-'21
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"Unsecured load" .............. Priceless. That has to rate as the worst piece of paper written. Talk about abuse of power. 
11-22-2012, 07:59 PM
#7
Racer
I've owned my Vette for a year now. I've gotten 3 speeding tickets already, all of at least 20mph over posted speed.
You pay to play indeed, and all I do is go to the DAs office prior to the court date and plead to a non-moving just to avoid the insurance increase.
However, in your case I would have considered that jack-*** cop's unsecured load ticket a gift and would have definitely fought it. I would have been pissed as well.
And for those on here that are always like "blah blah blah pay the fine..." it's a freaking discussion forum. Let the folks vent for Chrissakes.
Good Driving to all...
You pay to play indeed, and all I do is go to the DAs office prior to the court date and plead to a non-moving just to avoid the insurance increase.
However, in your case I would have considered that jack-*** cop's unsecured load ticket a gift and would have definitely fought it. I would have been pissed as well.
And for those on here that are always like "blah blah blah pay the fine..." it's a freaking discussion forum. Let the folks vent for Chrissakes.
Good Driving to all...
Disclaimer: Running without a front plate, for aesthetic reasons, is a violation of law in 2 plate states, and I acknowledge the legal risk of doing this.
Since I purchased the Vette in ‘09, I’ve passed staties, county police, big city po-po, sheriffs, all without incident. Last week, I received my first missing license plate ticket.
Oh, I always knew it could happen, but it was the circumstances of the ticket that got me steamed.
There is a podunk little town in my metro area well known for 60% of the municipal budget coming from traffic citations. The city has been ranked in the top 2 or 3 highest top traffic ticket towns in Missouri. They are known for hiring LEOs that are shiny new, or LEOs that have employment problems with larger, more professional departments. The last police chief was a controversial figure, acquitted in civil cases of sexual misconduct and tried on a misdemeanor charge of employing an unqualified officer.
Last week I was in a hurry to get to a client, and took the shortest route - forgetting I was passing through traffic revenue enhancement central. So when I was pulled over I was perplexed at first. I was doing 34 in a 35mph, good driving habits, etc.
So this baby LEO walks up. He told me why I was being stopped. Ok, got that. But he returns with an electronic ticket with a fine schedule. “Unsecured load” $112.00!! WTF?!!
Then I lost my temper, and without swearing, I told him that he was nothing more than a uniformed tax collector. Having recently read in the local paper an article about another of their officers that lost his license, I pointed asked baby LEO how long he thought he was going to keep his license!! I could tell that last comment hit the mark! What could he say but a terse “Have a nice day” and stomp off!
The rest of the day I was as I thought about a missing front plate citation being written for a more expensive “Unsecured load” violation. (About a 40% increase in fine $$) After the 2-day waiting period, I called the court clerk to find out what the court costs were for fighting a ticket. Yes I was polite - the court clerks have a thankless job.
Guess what? When I mentioned I was planning to contest a expensive “Unsecured load” charge on a Corvette, she “checked on something” and said the charge was now a “Missing license plate”! Now you all know that was not because of my sterling performance. You all KNOW that court challenges are not handled over the phone - by clerks! Someone in the office may have figured that they were not going to get a fine for an idiotic violation.
In conclusion, I paid the proper fine for a missing plate the next day, and will not drive the Vette through that municipal revenue trap again. But it was what the first egregious violation the officer tried to charge me with, and the general unprofessional conduct of the entire municipality that is a sad issue.
Since I purchased the Vette in ‘09, I’ve passed staties, county police, big city po-po, sheriffs, all without incident. Last week, I received my first missing license plate ticket.
Oh, I always knew it could happen, but it was the circumstances of the ticket that got me steamed.
There is a podunk little town in my metro area well known for 60% of the municipal budget coming from traffic citations. The city has been ranked in the top 2 or 3 highest top traffic ticket towns in Missouri. They are known for hiring LEOs that are shiny new, or LEOs that have employment problems with larger, more professional departments. The last police chief was a controversial figure, acquitted in civil cases of sexual misconduct and tried on a misdemeanor charge of employing an unqualified officer.
Last week I was in a hurry to get to a client, and took the shortest route - forgetting I was passing through traffic revenue enhancement central. So when I was pulled over I was perplexed at first. I was doing 34 in a 35mph, good driving habits, etc.
So this baby LEO walks up. He told me why I was being stopped. Ok, got that. But he returns with an electronic ticket with a fine schedule. “Unsecured load” $112.00!! WTF?!!
Then I lost my temper, and without swearing, I told him that he was nothing more than a uniformed tax collector. Having recently read in the local paper an article about another of their officers that lost his license, I pointed asked baby LEO how long he thought he was going to keep his license!
! I could tell that last comment hit the mark! What could he say but a terse “Have a nice day” and stomp off!The rest of the day I was
as I thought about a missing front plate citation being written for a more expensive “Unsecured load” violation. (About a 40% increase in fine $$) After the 2-day waiting period, I called the court clerk to find out what the court costs were for fighting a ticket. Yes I was polite - the court clerks have a thankless job.Guess what? When I mentioned I was planning to contest a expensive “Unsecured load” charge on a Corvette, she “checked on something” and said the charge was now a “Missing license plate”! Now you all know that was not because of my sterling performance. You all KNOW that court challenges are not handled over the phone - by clerks! Someone in the office may have figured that they were not going to get a fine for an idiotic violation.
In conclusion, I paid the proper fine for a missing plate the next day, and will not drive the Vette through that municipal revenue trap again. But it was what the first egregious violation the officer tried to charge me with, and the general unprofessional conduct of the entire municipality that is a sad issue.
11-22-2012, 08:23 PM
#12
Pro
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You have just given an example of a small town that cannot raise enough money by taxing the few people that live there so they find other ways to do it such as traffic tickets on people passing through. They may be ticketing people legally (pehaps borderline legally), but they are not giving anyone a break.
You would have also probably gotten a ticket if you were one mile over the speed limit, didn't use a turn signal or any number of minor things. From what you said, I am also guessing that they have an area on the main road where where the posted speed limit drops very quickly (speed trap) and they just sit and wait for unsuspecting people.
I know it is frustrating, but it was a relatively inexpensive lesson learned.
You would have also probably gotten a ticket if you were one mile over the speed limit, didn't use a turn signal or any number of minor things. From what you said, I am also guessing that they have an area on the main road where where the posted speed limit drops very quickly (speed trap) and they just sit and wait for unsuspecting people.
I know it is frustrating, but it was a relatively inexpensive lesson learned.
11-22-2012, 08:24 PM
#13
Racer
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Have a great day.
11-22-2012, 08:31 PM
#15
Instructor
I don't see how the OP is ignorant of the law being he gave the disclaimer before his story. If anyone is ignorant (based on the definition of the word) it is the LEO.
11-22-2012, 08:33 PM
#17
Racer
And you wonder why voters are cutting your pensions?
11-22-2012, 08:35 PM
#18
Race Director
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No matter what ticket he got, you wanna play you gotta pay..
This is how I run my car so as to not see if I have a plate or not.. Its worked so far and I Was just pulled over a fe weeks ago by Barney Fife and no ticket
This is how I run my car so as to not see if I have a plate or not.. Its worked so far and I Was just pulled over a fe weeks ago by Barney Fife and no ticket
