Either believe me or write the ticket.” He wrote the ticket. Annoyed, yes, I was annoyed, it’s an Irish/Serbian thing, I told him, “Officer, you have two choices. Herb Johnson of the San Diego Rescue Mission – and was practicing what I hoped to say on that Holy occasion. I then told him I was speaking that afternoon at the ordination into the Christian ministry of a dear and beloved friend – So I told him I had indeed been talking, that while driving I often use the time to practice my remarks for speeches or sermons. He looked at it, seeing no record of a recent call, told me that obviously I had deleted the call. He asked, was I using my cell phone? “No.” “Do you mind if I look at your cell phone?” I wasn’t required to comply, but knowing I had not been talking and driving, I handed it over. Yes, that is not a misprint, not one black and white, but two (did you know Kensington is a high crime area, I live there and didn’t.) I will end this by disclosing that I was stopped on a Saturday morning in Kensington, not by one, but two black and white police cars. It claims to have helped more than 300,000 Californians alone. (There is a Web site devoted to helping citizens fight traffic courts. If I find I’m wrong, that the ratio isn’t 99-1, that it’s only 90-1 or 80-1, because fair is fair, and I’m nothing if not fair, I will duly report same – and apologize. Thus I am weighing whether to file, as allowed by California Law, a public records request with the Traffic Court to investigate the ratio of citizens’ success in having their cases dismissed – and specifically to file for the records of the hearing commissioner in the case described, and other cases that commissioner has heard. In this case there is cause to believe the police officer was not wholly forthcoming in his testimony a polite way of saying he probably lied about where his black and white was when he decided a traffic violation occurred – a red light infraction on a right hand turn signal, mind you. The individual who dared to contest the citation was in court for nearly three hours before being heard and dismissed in minutes, guilty as charged. If police officers are to be paid time and a half, let them be paid time and a half while on active duty, not sitting around Traffic Court waiting for their case to be called there is sufficient danger for police on the streets – but not likely in Traffic Court.Īnd no, this isn’t about me, but someone I know who carefully prepared their defense on a traffic violation a defense with video evidence against the issuing officer, quickly dismissed by the hearing officer at Traffic Court. In a city with budget issues, $29.3 million, even if only 2.5 percent of the city’s total budget, is hardly insignificant.Īnd, there are additional benefits derived, specifically by police officers who are paid time and a half while in court – and to me police are always, “officers”, never “cops”, which I deem derogatory. Income derived by the city from fines and penalties in fiscal year 2014 was projected at $29.3 million. The Traffic Court is the gift that keeps on giving to San Diego. But let’s say I am slightly wrong, that the odds of a citizen winning in Traffic Court are 90-1 or even 80-1, does that change the inherent inequity? No. In conversations with attorneys, I have yet to find one who thinks my 99-1 odds are wrong. And, as systems go, this one is virtually fail safe.Ībsent seeing an in-depth study of cases that come before Traffic Court, which I doubt exists, because it’s not a media thing, the odds of you winning are 99-1. Have you been to Traffic Court? Let me presume you haven’t. George Mitrovich is having none of San Diego traffic court:
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