A little police citation/DMV story...
Woke up yesterday, went out to the car to leave and found a ticket on my windshield. Curious about what in hell I could possibly have done wrong overnight, while the car was PARKED (and I was asleep!), I grabbed the citation and read it.
Said I had no "year" decal on my license plate. Well, I was a bit blown away, because I had indeed paid my registration fee, got my little orange "2003" sticker and stuck in on my car back in April!
So I go around to the back of the car, kneel down and sure enough: my orange decal wasn't there, and what was showing was the blue "2002" decal, which combined with my "April" decal on the other side, looks like my car is about 5 months or so out of registration.
Okay, that's the background. Here's the pisser:
On TOP of the blue 2002 decal, was a neat little trimmed frame of orange, a couple of millimeters wide, one part even crossing over to the plastic license plate frame. IN OTHER WORDS, it's obvious some shithead took a razor or knife or whatever and purposely trimmed out my orange 2003 sticker for his own usage.
What makes me mad (besides the shitheaded action of someone swiping my decal) is that it's OBVIOUS the thing was stolen. And the cop, instead of leaving me a warning or notice to that effect, elects to, instead, give ME a $35 ticket for it. Like I cut it out. Like I wasn't registered properly. Like I have any control over what some idiot does.
Let me guess: if some prick kicks out my taillights at 3am while I'm inside sleeping and minding my own business, do I get cited for that as well?
Anyway, I go and waste 90 of my life at the DMV yesterday to get a replacement orange 2003 sticker (so I won't get ticketed, pulled over, hassled, etc.). Cost me $7 and 90 minutes of standing in the most overcrowded, confusing and chaotic room I've ever witnessed.
I'm just venting, so no particular point to this thread. Unless you want to share stories like this that have happened to you.
I'm going to call the ticket/citation place and plead my case, show them that I got it replace IMMEDIATELY and hope that somehow I can get the $35 fine waived.
It just burns me up that, through no fault of my own, I'm out $42 and 90 minutes. The cop didn't have to write me a ticket/fine. He had that choice, especially when he should've have noticed the orange "frame" left behind, making it obvious I'd be the victim of a "decal-snatching".
Idiot.
Here's the other thing I'm wondering. HOW did this cop even SEE this? I live on a little dark sidestreet, park on the street in front of my apartment. My neighbor was parked right behind me, barely 2-3 feet from my back bumper. In other words, from the street, there's no way - while simply driving by - you can even SEE the back, lower part of my car...much less my license plate...and WAY MUCH LESS the little year decal.
Sometime late in the evening, did the cop just park his car and - because he had nothing else to do - just walk down the street with his flashlight, squeezing in between cars, kneeling down and checking each neighbor's decals...just in case?
<img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" />
I swear to God, part of me honestly wonders if that cop carries a pocketknife. I think I'm going to bring that up when I talk to these people.
Okay, I'm done. Sorry.
Said I had no "year" decal on my license plate. Well, I was a bit blown away, because I had indeed paid my registration fee, got my little orange "2003" sticker and stuck in on my car back in April!
So I go around to the back of the car, kneel down and sure enough: my orange decal wasn't there, and what was showing was the blue "2002" decal, which combined with my "April" decal on the other side, looks like my car is about 5 months or so out of registration.
Okay, that's the background. Here's the pisser:
On TOP of the blue 2002 decal, was a neat little trimmed frame of orange, a couple of millimeters wide, one part even crossing over to the plastic license plate frame. IN OTHER WORDS, it's obvious some shithead took a razor or knife or whatever and purposely trimmed out my orange 2003 sticker for his own usage.
What makes me mad (besides the shitheaded action of someone swiping my decal) is that it's OBVIOUS the thing was stolen. And the cop, instead of leaving me a warning or notice to that effect, elects to, instead, give ME a $35 ticket for it. Like I cut it out. Like I wasn't registered properly. Like I have any control over what some idiot does.
Let me guess: if some prick kicks out my taillights at 3am while I'm inside sleeping and minding my own business, do I get cited for that as well?
Anyway, I go and waste 90 of my life at the DMV yesterday to get a replacement orange 2003 sticker (so I won't get ticketed, pulled over, hassled, etc.). Cost me $7 and 90 minutes of standing in the most overcrowded, confusing and chaotic room I've ever witnessed.
I'm just venting, so no particular point to this thread. Unless you want to share stories like this that have happened to you.
I'm going to call the ticket/citation place and plead my case, show them that I got it replace IMMEDIATELY and hope that somehow I can get the $35 fine waived.
It just burns me up that, through no fault of my own, I'm out $42 and 90 minutes. The cop didn't have to write me a ticket/fine. He had that choice, especially when he should've have noticed the orange "frame" left behind, making it obvious I'd be the victim of a "decal-snatching".
Idiot.
Here's the other thing I'm wondering. HOW did this cop even SEE this? I live on a little dark sidestreet, park on the street in front of my apartment. My neighbor was parked right behind me, barely 2-3 feet from my back bumper. In other words, from the street, there's no way - while simply driving by - you can even SEE the back, lower part of my car...much less my license plate...and WAY MUCH LESS the little year decal.
Sometime late in the evening, did the cop just park his car and - because he had nothing else to do - just walk down the street with his flashlight, squeezing in between cars, kneeling down and checking each neighbor's decals...just in case?
<img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" />
I swear to God, part of me honestly wonders if that cop carries a pocketknife. I think I'm going to bring that up when I talk to these people.
Okay, I'm done. Sorry.
Comments
Sucks for j00.
Deth too Amerikkka!!1!
Something similar happened to me. I was parked in my school parking lot. I have my routine. Pull into "my" space, get my bag out of the back, take out my parking permit and put it on the window (it is a sticker), and lock my car.
Well one hot day the sticker fell off because of the heat. I was in class at the time but when I returned to my car, I found a ticket under my windshield wiper. The thing is, IT FELL FROM THE WINDOW TO THE DASH BOARD. I immediately went to the campus police and they stalled for time. Finally they redirected me to someone, who redirected me to someone who, redirected me to someone who couldn't help me, but redirected me to a PO BOX. Well, I finally got a reply from the letter I sent 4 months ago that said I still had to pay the fine.
Here is the kicker: In order to make a court date, I have to pay the fine and ask for the money BACK! In other words, I AM PAYING THEY TO IGNORE ME!
[ 09-18-2002: Message edited by: Ebby ]</p>
FINALLY get someone on the phone who actually has a clue and seems willing to help and be reasonable.
The person I talked to yesterday was a robot. And jerk robot, at that.
And no, I didn't bring up any mention of "I think the cop did this!". I'm not THAT stupid. I was making good progress with this lady on the phone, so I wasn't about to blow it by saying something like that!
[ 09-18-2002: Message edited by: pscates ]</p>
<strong>I bet the cop took he sicker. Seriously.</strong><hr></blockquote>
In the same way he took your 't' key from right under your nose, while you were typing this response.
"I bet the cop took. He sicker. Seriously."
Just go a few blocks down and cut yourself a new one, pscates. Then der Kopf wouldn't have to try doing it every day.
<strong>Then der Kopf wouldn't have to try doing it every day.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
lol <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" /> I just knew someone was going to be clever enough... <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
<strong>you should have driven over to the police station and shown them that someone obviously cut the sticker with a razorblade and stole it. or maybe taken pictures of it</strong><hr></blockquote>
Yeah, or an iMovie with the theme song of "Cops" playing in the background. <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" /> <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
-Mike
<SNAP>
[cuffs snapped on pscates and he's hauled away, threatening to have the cop's badge and suing the city for $78 billion dollars]
<strong>
The person I talked to yesterday was a robot. And jerk robot, at that.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
I didn't know Al Gore works at the DMV...
It would seem to me that you have a fairly strong case against your local law enforcement. It sounds to me like this cop was trying to fill a quota or something. Heck, he might have even removed the sticker him/herself.
But before you jump tghe gun by accusing the police, you should try to get some records from your local DMV and stick to the fact that you did put that sticker on your license plate.
Not sure which system is better, but based on this story, it appears that the card-on-windshield is better.
-Mike
Of course it still sucks and I think they charge like $10 to sign it off, but still is better than $35.
Nick