Well long story short me and my wife went out tonight to see a friend of mine that just had a baby to take them a gift and to visit.I leave there about 11:30 ish tonight driving normal (for an old lady) cause it was raining and roads are very unsafe.Well i get about a half mile from his house (2 intersections) were i made full and complete stops making sure to use my signals as nessacery never exceeded the speed limit of 25 to 30 mph during this time.When i see blue lights in my rear view me and my wife both look over at each other and go WTF? why is he pulling us over.Come to find out he has us for "laying drag" he asked me why we were spinning the tires I replied I didnt know they were spinning that this car is a 3500 pnd 4 cyl. He got smart and said Dont you know when your spinning the tires? I replied no sir This car didnt spin the tires and if i was going to spin the tires I would do it in my Other car at the race track were such is legal and not on a public roadway. Well he gets my liscence and my insurance card and goes back to his car for about 20 mins detaining us for no reason whatso ever.He came back to the window and stated he was writing me a citation for laying drag and asked me to sign the ticket wich I done.And stated if I wanted to avoid loosing and having to pay court cost i could pay it at any time at their local courthouse.In wich I asked about the court date and he told me the day and time rudely.I Thanked him for telling us the date and asked him if he would be present.He was short in his reply and said he would be there. He told me to have a nice night and I exchanged the greeting and attempted to shake the mans hand.When he acted as he was to good to.
Needless to say I was harrassed tonight by a officer with nothing better to do then pic on a couple out to visit close friends and I feel degraded and upset over the officers actions.
Below is a copy of georgia's state law reguarding the citation he gave me tonight.
TITLE 40. MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC
CHAPTER 6. UNIFORM RULES OF THE ROAD
ARTICLE 11. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
O.C.G.A. § 40-6-251 (2006)
§ 40-6-251. Driving in circular or zigzag course; "laying drags."
(a) No driver of any motor vehicle shall operate the vehicle upon the public streets, highways, public or private driveways, airport runways, or parking lots in such a manner as to create a danger to persons or property by intentionally and unnecessarily causing the vehicle to move in a zigzag or circular course or to gyrate or spin around, except to avoid a collision or injury or damage.
(b) The offenses described in this Code section shall be sufficiently identified on any traffic ticket, warrant, accusation, or indictment when referred to as "laying drags."
(c) This Code section shall not apply to drivers operating vehicles in or on any raceway, drag strip, or similar place customarily and lawfully used for such purposes.
(d) Any person violating subsection (a) of this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
HISTORY: Ga. L. 1970, p. 549, §§ 1-4; Ga. L. 1990, p. 2048, § 5.
Whats your take on this fellows? Should I take this farther
I would but when I took a ticket further the lied in court and changed his story half way through it.
How's traffic court out where you are? Do they have a DA or do the Police have to do all their own testimony?
Im not sure, This happened in a smaller town about 20 mins outside were I live.
Not really worth it for a cop to lie in court.......ESPECIALLY traffic court. Sure he didn't have you confused with someone else? I've been to traffic court on tickets I wrote so long ago that when I had to testify I simply stated what I could remember....which was ABSOLUTELY NOTHING......Had it happen about 2 months ago on a ticket I wrote in 2003.
I was the only one on the road and I sure wasnt driving in anything other then 90 year old lady mode.
Find out. That "laying drag" term seems to also include cutting your way through traffic even if you are obeying the speed limit.
A convition or guilty plea will destroy your insurance rates.......think about that.
Im going to talk to the sherrif tommorow, This ticket will cause me to loose my job also as there insurance wont carry me once they pick up on it. therefore automatic termination
I feel like I was singled out because of my age and car even though I didnt break the law.
You should have asked for proof (maybe video, or him to point out where you were "laying drag"). And I definitely wouldn't have been polite. I am angry just thinking about it now...
by him being polite just pissed the ocifer oops i mean oficer off more bc he was looking for a fight or some action he didnt give it to him so the oficer did the next best thing wrote him a BS ticket. knowing hes the man that can. and whos this guy to say im wrong... sucks but thats the power these guys think they have to just ruin this guys life. i mean lose your job bc some cop was a J/O. it's one thing if your GUILTY but if not. man o man id be pissed.
I had a similiar event happen in my Friend's 67 Stang.He had an inline six at the time.I think they often go by the car's appearance.
I had a similar situation last winter (or possibly 2 winters ago) where I was driving down a back road that hadn't been plowed in a while. I had parked where I could back off of the road onto a plowed one to drive on, but some dummy parked over a sidewalk and blocked me so I had to drive forward. Needless to say I could get very little traction and the neighbors had to give me a push to start. Once going I feathered the throttle but still was a bit sideways down the road. This was a suburban area with huge blocks and I was nearing a plowed road when amazingly a cop saw me. He pulled me over and cited me with exhibition driving. I told the officer there was nothing more I could do given my traction difficulties and the state of the road, but it made no difference. It wasn't until the officer had to give me a push to get going that he finally ripped up the ticket, lol.
Yeah, See if you cant get a copy of the weather report fromn that night. Traction problems are not "laying Drag" and with the weather the way it was, You should be able to fight this ticket with a reasonable degree of success.
Get pics of the intersection you were at and show them,no marks.
Remember, you are INNOCENT until PROVEN guilty. If the officer doesn't have video of you doing it, it didn't happen. Right now you will win, 2 witnesses to 1. I fought every ticket I didn't deserve, and I won them all.
yeah,I spent all my free time at work trying to call the police cheif with no luck so i could file a formal complaint against the officer.
Fight it through, sometimes you can win even if you ARE guilty. I've done that countless times when I was younger. I Suppose I shouldn't try and sound too proud of that.
i've been on both sides of this coin, both guilty and not guilty. first of all, i know how being polite to a cop can set them off. when i was about 18 i'd say i was driving my bird down a back road and i had lights in my rearview. at this time i was high as a kite from smokin weed (the things i used to do, i swear - no worries, i drive like 120yr old grandma when i was stoned - but the event im talking about i had already lost my buzz after eating out - but technically high) the lights looked normal to me, so when i came to a 4 way stop, i stopped, then kinda gunned it, i didnt exceed the speedlimit nor did i "lay drag" or burn out or squeel tires or anything. what i had done, was the road accross from me was at about a 35 degree angle to the 3 square other roads. so i CLIPPED the yellow line crossing the intersection. i get to the end of the road (not very far) and the road lights lit up the cops light bar. i look over at my friend who still was high and said "oh shiznit thats a cop behind us." he starts freaking out. im not ganna say much more about him untill i need to b/c thats pretty embarrasing (the shape he was in). so i proceeded to cross the intersection when the light turned green, get half way across, and he lights em up. i pull into the gas station at the corner and he pulls in behind me. then back up was called even before i was pulled over b/c a cop pulled infront of me. he asks for my licence and insurence and i politely greeted him and handed him my particulars, and he explained how i had clipped the yellow line back 2 intersections ago. then his back up see's my friend shaking like a leaf in fear of the police and proclaims there is a weed stem on his shirt. ok first of all the friend that was with me, is a freakin priss. theres no way in the darkest hottest hell he would even let something like a weed stem or anything similar be on his person like that. so the cop that was behind me originally OPENED MY DOOR FOR ME, which is illegal, tells me to walk and stand infront of the police car. he then tells the other officer to search my car. legally in ga all the cop can do is search between the seats, under the seats, or anywhere that is in plain view. this means he cannot enter the glovebox or arm rest ect. well he searched my car for 5 streight minutes, tearing through my car like a tornado throwing my service papers and everything else in my car around like a kid's bedroom. i keep my car clean as possible. i may not vaccume the floorboard b/c thats so high traffic, but the rest of my car remains spotless. the other cop didnt even stick his head in my car, he just used his maglight to look around. but the original cop, fat short was on his knees even, and told the other officer to "look under the door sills." i mean this cop was acting like a rabid bull for no ****in reason. and when he threw shiznit around in my car like an asshole i started to get impatient with him and this esceladed his POLICE RAGE. he ended up telling me to never let him catch me in newnan again (i live in newnan for christ sake) and he left my car a ****ing mess. right before they let me go, i looked at the nice cop and offered to open my trunk (which is spotless) which he then got the joke that i felt offended and he agreed that the other cop had harrassed me, and i went about my way, but i'll always remember that shiznit, and i know why he pulled me over. it was the bird. its like a crown vic, and cops must automaticly assume its either a drug dealers car like a caprice, or im some sort of hot rodder. i get hard looks from all cops. and i swear its the freakin car. i bet your rear tires slipped 1 inch at most of tred and he got you for it. if i were you, being that you have a witness (your wife) and he has no proof, get a lawyer and have the cop pay the lawyer with a counter suit. btw, dont do drugs or drink and drive. its stupid. it could cost your ride, or your life.
Yeah, even my parents have encountered a cop making judgements by looking at the car being driven. This was several years ago and we were all coming home in a 94 Lincoln Mark VIII. We were behind another car as we came up to a 4 way stop light that is near the house. The car ahead of us didnt stop until he was already in the middle of the intersection, then drove off. We did a full stop and got to the house. Right when we got in the driveway, a cop turned his lights on and proceeded to accuse my parents of not obeying the stop sign, and also thoroughly checked to see that the car wasnt stolen! After about 45mins to an hour of them standing in our driveway, the cop 'decided to let them go with a warning.' Good one, genius.
I think you should fight it; you shouldnt be penalized because someone hasnt gotten laid in 8 years.
paul mentioned insurance which is good advice.
Since you risk loosing your job due to company provided insurance, the last place you want your future hanging in the balance would be public traffic court. You have no choice but to file for an actual hearing of the next higher level,, whatever thats called.
If you stand to loose your job, you gonna have to take it as far as you can to make sure he provides evidence and then you provide your whitness and evidence as well. Water and oil dont mix so id doubt there would be any marks on the road to prove you did spin.
I was under the impression that all cops were equal to the jury as well and no matter what you say, the judge will lean on thier professional advice and statements.
this will be tuff. perhaps the court will find it more cost effective to drop or dismiss the case than to go through the expense of taking this to the next level.
I would think they would simply drop the case when you provide a weather report.
if u guys get that much shiznit in ur t birds, im gonna be screwed in my 66 lol, id fight it, i mean if u don't, its still gonna have the same repercussions right? so what do u have to lose
Talked with the police cheif today and explaind the issue to him and he is going to pull the officers tape from the night and review it then give me a call so i can come view the tape.
thats good hope u get off
Im trying to give them a chance to make things right.
I just mapquested the area
he put the location at the first stop sign that this occured. We stopped at 2 more stop signs (total of 3) with no sign of a officer, and then made a left hand turn and went about a 1/4 mile at 25-30 ish mph before he showed up.
sounds like bs. its like my mom got a ticket for passing a school bus, when there wasn't one anywere in sight, shes still got court on that one.
By any chance that the chief does pull the ticket w/I doubt but if he does just thank him don’t ad your 2cents or how you want to make a complaint just let it drop right there.
That was what i had planned.I didnt recieve a call from him as he said he would so i will call again tommorow to see if he has had time to look into this.
took some pics of the intersection tonight
LyKe OmGaSh ThErEs An OrB In That PiCtUrE. SoMeOnE MuSt HaVe DiEd ThErE :hick: (wow, why do people type like that, it takes 3 times as long)
My dad had a run in with the police chief of senoia ga. got him kicked out of there. see my dad took over my mom's hair buisness (she was a hairdresser) after thier devorce and he ran a used car dealership so he hired 2 women to run it and he would close up at the end of the day. well they ended up stealing shampoos and money out of the register. he reported it to the police and they didnt do anything. so he pulled some strings with his cousin that works for the GBI and the police chief was kicked out indefinatly of coweta county for not doing his job and such.
perhaps this is like when you bring your car in to the shop and the tech says "it needs about 1500 dollars of work, no matter what" and all you need is an oil change tire rotation and new serpintine belt.
as in, thats how corrupt that jurisdiction is i mean. not living up to his words? he said he would call you back and hasnt. thats saying a lot about his character. LAWYER.
ive noticed about 1 out of 50 pics i take have some wierd light in them.:punchballs:
I love this , the cheif called back today and said he seen nothing on the video (started after he hit the blue lights at the redlight and said he didnt see anything that wasnt right. And also proceeded to telll me that I now had been sideways since i left the driveway that night :rofl: So far we are at 3 differant stories by the officer.
[SIZE="7"]LAWYER[/SIZE]
:deal: :rules: :nkhk:
These guys must be A+ top tier cops....