Shameless fine for missing front plate.
11-22-2012, 10:36 PM
#41
Le Mans Master
One thing I know for sure, it is foolish to make a legal challenge on the side of the road. As I saw it was a computer generated ticket, I knew immediately it was electronically transmitted. Any explanation from the cop was of no consequence. I was going to have to make a court challenge, or so I thought.
11-22-2012, 10:39 PM
#42
Drifting
I got a No front plate ticket a few years ago from a local police officer, he actually turned around and followed me before pulling me over and giving me the ticket, He too, was not courteous or polite but rather rude and unprofessional. Now the good part, My next door neighbor is a CHP Sergeant and a long time friend, so I took the ticket over and asked him if he would sign it off for me since then it was just a fix it ticket & a ($ 10.00 court fee). My buddy looks over at the car and says " Are you really going to put the front plate on?" laughing just a bit, I said "hell no" followed by More laughing, He signed the ticket and said don't turn it in for a few weeks, Its good to have friends !!! 
11-22-2012, 11:22 PM
#43
Drifting
everyone thinks they know others peoples jobs and how it works, then they post on a forum and all the peanut gallery chimes in with their GED turned law degree facts and the next thing you know they are gathering in a park in NYC crying about how it's greedy for the 1% to want to keep the money they earned but it's not greedy to want handouts for free.... It was a computer generated ticket that was probably typed in wrong and was corrected and dealt with. Maybe an amendment was filed and when the clerk looked it up on the computer it was there for her to see. Who the hell knows, but one sided threads bashing someone on their job and patting yourself on the back for talking back to a cop (when you probably **** your pants instead) is so cool to do on a forum... When theres no way of proving what really happened it's meaningless to argue about it... you got away with no ticket hundreds of times and got caught once, be happy it was corrected and move on... Irony will be when you call 911 cause something happened and it's this cop that responds and saves your ***, I've seen it before and it's hysterical when it happens.
11-22-2012, 11:59 PM
#44
Le Mans Master
Well, I don't know about your state, but technically, you don't have to sign the ticket for it to be in force.
But you've hit on a very important point that I detailed in my original post. If I've got normal municipal law correct, only the prosecutor can amend a ticket, or the judge can make a ruling in court. But violation amendments are not done due to a simple phone call. So true, someone in the city seems to be able to change violations out of court, and after the fact.
This is the crux of my narrative. That apparently in Bella Villa, a motorist can be stopped for for one violation, be charged for another, and anything can happen before the court date. It's all very arbitrary.
But you've hit on a very important point that I detailed in my original post. If I've got normal municipal law correct, only the prosecutor can amend a ticket, or the judge can make a ruling in court. But violation amendments are not done due to a simple phone call. So true, someone in the city seems to be able to change violations out of court, and after the fact.
This is the crux of my narrative. That apparently in Bella Villa, a motorist can be stopped for for one violation, be charged for another, and anything can happen before the court date. It's all very arbitrary.
As far as changing the citation, my guess it the officer that wrote it made a mistake when he entered it into the computer and realized it at some point. The officer that wrote the citation is the ONLY person that can change it. All he has to do is amend it before the court date, give the reason and submit it along with the citation. Court clerks nor judges change things on a citation.
And as far as using a front tag to catch speeders with a radar, the radar uses the car, not the tag. It emits a laser beam to the car and back to the radar and calculates the speed based on time and distance.
To the OP, I am glad it worked out for you. I am an LEO and I don't run a front plate either.
11-23-2012, 01:31 AM
#46
Race Director
everyone thinks they know others peoples jobs and how it works, then they post on a forum and all the peanut gallery chimes in with their GED turned law degree facts and the next thing you know they are gathering in a park in NYC crying about how it's greedy for the 1% to want to keep the money they earned but it's not greedy to want handouts for free.... It was a computer generated ticket that was probably typed in wrong and was corrected and dealt with. Maybe an amendment was filed and when the clerk looked it up on the computer it was there for her to see. Who the hell knows, but one sided threads bashing someone on their job and patting yourself on the back for talking back to a cop (when you probably **** your pants instead) is so cool to do on a forum... When theres no way of proving what really happened it's meaningless to argue about it... you got away with no ticket hundreds of times and got caught once, be happy it was corrected and move on... Irony will be when you call 911 cause something happened and it's this cop that responds and saves your ***, I've seen it before and it's hysterical when it happens
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Ive learned a long time ago-any opportunity for leo haters to jump in and bash the entire le community would be a wasted 1 if they didnt.
11-23-2012, 01:39 AM
#47
Le Mans Master
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.
Unsecured load? In a Corvette? That's a good one, I'm in the trucking business and that's a haulage related ticket. Guess he realized that wouldn't go too far in Court. NY is a 2 plate state also, and I have no plans on putting a front plate on my GS, if I get a ticket, I'll have to decide, but for now it resides behind the seat.
11-23-2012, 02:46 AM
#48
Cruising
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Got cited a while back by a county mountie who was sitting in the highway median that's under the jurisdiction of the state patrol. I was headed to a larger city about two hours from my residence, driving with my top down in beautiful weather five mph below the maximum speed limit. The parked LEO pulled out and immediately pulled me over. His demeanor was quite curt and unfriendly but since I'm a retired LEO I refused to let my feelings get the best of me. Fine was $149 for not having a mounted front plate displayed, which in Washington is a moving violation. Washington also requires two plates, and also requires new plates be purchased every seven years because "the reflective coating fades and hinders law enforcement visual observation of the registration number." I went to court and didn't contest the ticket but asked for a reduction in the fine. Pared it down to $50, but the insurance rate increase for such a serious violation was significant.
11-23-2012, 05:24 AM
#49
^I got pulled over 3 times in WA for no front plate in one week. Didn't get a ticket, but decided to build my own front bracket to keep from pushing my luck. This was after driving for 2 years with no front plate. I've heard of judges reducing the fine for no front plate to allow you to purchase the required aftermarket bracket since vette's don't come with one from the factory. ( I realize it's an option)
11-23-2012, 06:54 AM
#50
Race Director
No pleasure here but at the same time no sympathy either. Knowing the laws,you chose to drive without the front plate,so you have been"driving illegally". Then you get stopped for it and instead of owning up to it,you rant like a baby to the cop. Then come here and whine about it.
Regardless,of the mistake the cop may have made on the ticket. Maybe you will get off because of the mistake he made,I could care less because.....
11-23-2012, 08:36 AM
#52
Pro
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Was the fine for the unsecured load higher than the no front plate??
I got pulled over in Virginia for speeding. LEO did me a favor and charged me with a faulty speedometer....
That fine was $175.00.........................Ed
I got pulled over in Virginia for speeding. LEO did me a favor and charged me with a faulty speedometer....
That fine was $175.00.........................Ed
11-23-2012, 09:53 AM
#53
Team Owner
Can not blame you for being pissed as that was nothing more than BS crap on the Cops end. If I get a ticket for no front plate I will pay the fine, but giving a ticket for unsecured load is bogus.
He must have been thinking of his unsecured load of crap.
He must have been thinking of his unsecured load of crap.
11-23-2012, 10:12 AM
#54
Race Director<br><img src="/forums/images/ranks/7k-10k.gif" border="0">
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St. Jude Donor '13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20-'21-'22-'23-'24
Our group of friends who have ridden Harley's together for a great many years have a pre trip philosophy of when we get a ticket for anything on a trip it's called a "Fun Tax" and we laugh about it. A few years ago on our yearly jaunt to Laconia we were riding in VT on the canadian border in a 1 horse town called Island Pond. We had been pre warned about a local constable who parks in the town's 1 intersection and gives out tickets all day long. We never even knew we were in this town as we approached a stop sign in the middle of nowhere. We stopped and turned right to head back to the highway and a mile down the road we were pulled over by this local constable and each given a $200 ticket for not putting both feet down for 3 seconds at the stop sign. My good friend who got one also had just retired as a special forces Colonel and he went nuts over it. He was going to fight it tooth and nail but once he calmed down he realized it was not worth the effort. Come to find out this LEO has given out thousands of tickets at this 1 stop sign for years and it is quite the joke in VT circles but he keeps getting reelected as it pays his salary and provides income for the poor town. I paid the fun tax but it still bothers me to this day. I know how you feel.
BTW I am not a LEO hater. My son in law is a city police officer and I see first hand what these guys go through everyday.
BTW I am not a LEO hater. My son in law is a city police officer and I see first hand what these guys go through everyday.
Last edited by Flh Den; 11-23-2012 at 11:27 AM. Reason: sp
11-23-2012, 11:21 AM
#55
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Procedurally that doesn't sound right....I'm sure they can issue you a second, subsequent citation (even after the stop) for the offense of no front plate but wouldn't they have to officially drop the first "unsecured load" charge in court instead of simply changing the alleged offense stated on the citation? Did you actually receive a citation for the no front plate charge? Hypothetically, how would you possibly prepare a defense against an unsecured load charge and then go to court and find it's now an entirely different charge. Also, I trust you made sure there were no 'material' errors on the citation which could have been grounds for dismissal. If I do something wrong or screw-up I'll admit it, pay the fine and move-on but I'm not above looking for a legal way out. I might have consulted an attorney about their "changing" the alleged offense on the citation. Regarding the no front plate charge you're an admitted scofflaw....if everything about the citation was done correctly and as you did, I would also simply pay the fine and be done with it. I'm curious though....do you now have a front plate on your car? 
BTW although my opinion of LEO's and the courts were forever tainted a couple years ago by what I've personally seen, I don't see anything to be gained by giving the cop a hard time when he's writing you up. IMO that could only be detrimental. Save the 'arguments' for later in court. You and/or your attorney can give the cop a hard time then.
BTW although my opinion of LEO's and the courts were forever tainted a couple years ago by what I've personally seen, I don't see anything to be gained by giving the cop a hard time when he's writing you up. IMO that could only be detrimental. Save the 'arguments' for later in court. You and/or your attorney can give the cop a hard time then.
11-23-2012, 11:38 AM
#57
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Got cited a while back by a county mountie who was sitting in the highway median that's under the jurisdiction of the state patrol. I was headed to a larger city about two hours from my residence, driving with my top down in beautiful weather five mph below the maximum speed limit. The parked LEO pulled out and immediately pulled me over. His demeanor was quite curt and unfriendly but since I'm a retired LEO I refused to let my feelings get the best of me. Fine was $149 for not having a mounted front plate displayed, which in Washington is a moving violation. Washington also requires two plates, and also requires new plates be purchased every seven years because "the reflective coating fades and hinders law enforcement visual observation of the registration number." I went to court and didn't contest the ticket but asked for a reduction in the fine. Pared it down to $50, but the insurance rate increase for such a serious violation was significant.
11-23-2012, 11:56 AM
#58
Melting Slicks
1. Ticket was BS
2. You running your mouth to a LEO was BS
Take it to court and/or call his Chief.
2. You running your mouth to a LEO was BS
Take it to court and/or call his Chief.
11-23-2012, 12:15 PM
#59
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They can amend the charge. The signature is a promise to appear or have the fine paid before the court date.
11-23-2012, 01:41 PM
#60
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^I got pulled over 3 times in WA for no front plate in one week. Didn't get a ticket, but decided to build my own front bracket to keep from pushing my luck. This was after driving for 2 years with no front plate. I've heard of judges reducing the fine for no front plate to allow you to purchase the required aftermarket bracket since vette's don't come with one from the factory. ( I realize it's an option)
C'est la vie! I'll just leave my plate mounted in the cavity Chevy designed and built into my model 'Vette rather than spend money to purchase an additional mounting assembly.