| Author | Message | ||
     Nd_xb |
Just when I thought I couldn't despise the vast endless nothingness of this place The Air Force sent me called "North Dakota", I find myself despising it a little more. I came over the top of small hill in the middle of nowhere *if you have been to ND,SD,MT or anywhere in the midwest US farm country you know what I'm talking about when I say middle of nowhere* and noticed a truck parked on the side of the road so I let off the throttle. For the last 20 minutes of riding there wasn't a soul to be seen so naturally I think something is wrong or somebody needs help. As I get closer I notice a man standing outside the truck with a giant camera lens in his hands.... or so I thought. With the assumption that the truck/man/4 ft camera lens is ok and needs no help I continue on my way past the jabroni on the side of the road. I go over another small hill and look in my rearview mirror and see flashing lights. I stop, and the truck pulls up behind me. The man that was standing on the side of the road taking pictures with his 4 ft camera lens was in fact a..................... National Wildlife Refuge Law Enforcement Officer. The giant piece of equipment in his hands was apparently some type of Radar and he told me I was speeding through a Wildlife Refuge. I said ok, gave him my info and papers and waited. He called me back to his truck and said "Happy Birthday Chris (yes today was my birthday) you've earned yourself a $170 speeding ticket for going 50 MPH on a National Wildlife Refuge. The speed limit on all wildlife refuges is 25 MPH unless otherwise posted" I took my ticket and rode away into the sunset - literally. So how about that???? On my Birthday of all days I get my first ever speeding ticket and its $170 at that. And now the best part of the story. After researching, turns out the "National Wildlife Refuge" that I was speeding on is only 300 Ft of road. Thats right 300 ft of road. I did notice a 25 MPH sign but within the same line of sight is a 65 MPH sign where the Refuge ends. 300 ft wildlife refuges. Does North Dakota get any worse???? | ||
| Rotzaruck |
Well, all I can think to say to someone who goes out and commits a FEDERAL OFFENSE on his birthday is HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! | ||
| Ezblast |
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| Tdiddy |
Talk about shooting fish in a barrel. | ||
| Crusty |
What a sweet income generator.  Take it to court and see if the judge will give you a break. | ||
| Ragnagwar |
Take it to court. In most of those inventive little revenue grabbing setups they are usually satisfied just to take your money and not knock your license. Good Luck and "Happy Birthday"!!!!!!!!!!!  | ||
| Kdan |
$170? Lightweight. No other offenses? What's wrong with you? And as a relatively new visitor to the Great Prairies and especially North Dakota I feel it necessary to warn you, whenever you see a hill in the road, there's a cop behind it. You already know about the "Don't Speed on Federal Land" one. Happy Birthday. I think if I recall correctly if you do fight it in court, that'd be federal court. Just pay it. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
That cop must be a real a-hole! Don't you have a DOD sticker on the left front fork? When I was on active duty and got pulled for speeding, once the cop saw the DOD sticker they would tell me to slow down and have a nice day. I'm not saying that being in the service should get you a get out of jail free card, but I think it should help. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!! | ||
| Bcordb3 |
I feel your pain. A ticket like that is a pain in the arse. You say "Could it be worse?" Yes, it could be. | ||
| Ryker77 |
Was there any signs posted that would have advised you that you were on wildlife lands? Since you get 30 days of leave a year- research that state or Federal court system. Find out what it takes to get a speedy jury trial. Also if you take it to court you have the ability to pull that officers arrest record. Chances are that he gets one speeding ticket per day - everyday he works and writes no other tickets. You could be able to show that he is not enforcing the law but using the "law" as a tool to increase revenue. Many states have laws againts local cops doing such crap. Feds might be different. | ||
| Bake |
And why do we have to go slower in a refuge anyways? | ||
| Kdan |
And why do we have to go slower in a refuge anyways? Cause the sign says so. | ||
| Cowboy |
If I lived close to that damn sign I would spray paint it every nite..( flat black is cheap @ the $ store). | ||
| Snowscum |
$170 is nothing compared to my "Participating in speed contest" ticket which cost me $1100 in lawyer fees and $200 in ticket fees. Judge almost stopped the whole "you got a bargain". Ended up with a 2 point "defective vehicle" and a 2 point "Defective headlight" resulting in $200. | ||
| Samiam |
And why do we have to go slower in a refuge anyways? So we don't hurt the wildlife refugees. Duh! Sam | ||
| Brumbear |
get a court date plead not guilty talk to the prosecuter also after you get a court date ask to have proof of calibration of the radar machine that got you and the last time that officer was certified on it Thats the only shythouse lawyer I know sorry cant be of any real help | ||
| Nd_xb |
The wildlife refuge officer called me today and told me that the ticket wont show on my drivers license. Thats a relief I guess. I asked him about their calculations for tallying the speeding ticket and he referenced me to some code of federal regulations. Fighting it wouldnt be an option. The officer is considered a "federal Agent" and any ticket he issues for violations on Federal Land goes to Federal Court. The District court that I would have to appear in is 140 miles away in Bismarck and I think I would have to go at least twice. Thats 500 miles of travel. In my truck 500 miles of travel cost me $120 in gas alone so I'm just gonna "bite the bullet" I guess. As for the officer noticing I was Military..... I gave him my D/L and Mil ID along with my insurance and registration. He knew. He asked what I did in the Air Force, I told him I was a K9 Cop and we talked about military vs. civilian K9 careers for about 5 minutes. I thought for sure that he was going to give me a beak, at least on the speed so that I wouldnt have to pay so much. No dice. He also explained that the refuge is only 300 ft of road because of the small ponds on either side of the road are home to a protected water fowl????????? Damn the water fowl!!!!! | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
THAT SUCKS!! | ||
| Damnut |
WOW that's just FOWL!!! sorry I just had to | ||
| Swampy |
Don't plead "Not Guilty" That implies guilt, instead plead "Innocent" Two things might happen, you will be let off, or the judge will ask you again (tell you again) you can plead guilty, not guilty, or no contest. Again tell the judge, innocent, then he will say I am entering a plea of "Not Guilty" Then you ask the judge, sir are you making a judicial decision or are you practicing law from the bench? Works most of the time..... Then go for the jury trial because they will plea bargain to keep a jury trial from happening. Happy Birthday, good luck whatever direction you decide to take. | ||
| Bads1 |
That Sucks!!! But Happy B-Day. Its my B-Day today as well. | ||
| Ryker77 |
Fighting it wouldnt be an option. The officer is considered a "federal Agent" and any ticket he issues for violations on Federal Land goes to Federal Court. The District court that I would have to appear in is 140 miles away in Bismarck and I think I would have to go at least twice. Thats 500 miles of travel. In my truck 500 miles of travel cost me $120 in gas alone so I'm just gonna "bite the bullet" I guess. Thats called Blackmail. Which is why I have a disregard for some laws and some cops. Not all but some. They need to understand what a bullsh1t ticket really cost a person. They know that nobody will "fight" a ticket and they can write them at will and without concern. It took me three trips to a county court to fight my bogus ticket. Didn't care one bit that I now lived three states away. But I truely was not guilty and I had to fight it... Got myself a fancy young Atlanta lawyer and he ate up that dumb cop. Took almost 4 hours of Jury trial for my bogus ticket!!!! Still not sure what my militray hair cut or number of bags of groceries I had in the car -- had anything to do with a traffic violation. ??? If your guilty then - lesson learned. But if you know your not then fight it. | ||
| Jlnance |
The wildlife refuge officer called me today and told me that the ticket wont show on my drivers license. Thats the plus of getting a ticket on federal land. | ||
| Cruisin |
I remember back in 2003 during the Carving the NorthEast ride...we were riding in New Hampshire and several of us had just passed a ton of bikes. The last one to pass (and get caught by the Federal Wildlife Officer) was none other than Peggy Sue, the then head of BRAG. She had a fun time explaining Wisconsin manufacturer plates in New Hampshire. We all (including Peggy) had a great laugh at that one. I think it ended up being a $150 ticket or something. | ||
| Swampy |
Funny there was a story on AOL homepage yesterday about traffic tickets. In essence, "All they want is your money" Land Pirates! Don't ask for your rights, as you will soon find out, You Have None! | ||
| Paint_shaker |
TO answer the question, yes the Feds are pricks... The Feds have no sense of humor... As for a going before a judge and playing on words saying innocent vs. not guilty, be aware that you tick the judge off and he can impose the max penalty and fine! Not saying don't go to court, just be aware that ticking the judge off can cost you more! | ||
| Rick_a |
That isn't bad at all. I've had two $400 tickets. | ||
| Interceptor |
that sux. Talk to the DA. In my case, I spoke with him and the general way things work was that if you dont immediately plead guilty and talk to the DA, then they see that you are upset and knock the ticket down some. | ||
| Johnnymceldoo |
Tickets dont normally piss me off. For one I dont normally speed and the other reason is Ive never been ticketed when I didnt deserve it. I dont speed because its too expensive to have my insurance costs go up. Now what does piss me off is the industrial section I have to drive through to get to work. Its 25 MPH which I think is bogus as Ive seen similar areas and layouts have 35 mph limits. This area is constantly patrolled by LE and I never go over 30 to avoid getting a ticket but 9 times out of ten there is someone behind me riding my ass and probably cussing me out because they want to do 35 or 40. | ||
| Irideabuell |
I've always been very respectful of all law enforcement officers. Unfortunately, that respect is beginning to wane thanks to a "reckless driving" ticket I received in Virginia last year (that cost me nearly $1000 in legal fees and fines)and my experience with the examples set by the local municipalities in the greater Orlando, FL area. Just this morning, as an example, I was driving to work (in my car for the first time this week) and found a Kissimmee officer riding right up on my a$$ through a construction zone on the Beachline Expressway. The speed limit was clearly posted at a very generous 55 and this individual clearly disregarded the safety of the workers present. I would assume this KPD officer was late for work as they were miles out of their jurisdiction. I always try to be a good ambassador of motorcycling. Perhaps that's an effort in vain. I was so angry this morning that I pulled in behind this cruiser after we passed through the toll plaza where the construction was being done and followed him all the way to the next exit where we both exited with my high beams on so they could (or perhaps not) understand what a poor example they were setting. I honestly thought about calling the KPD about this individual, but once I got a cup of coffee and calmed down I realized they were all "thick as thieves" and I would simply be stroked and laughed at once I hung up. I know it's a thankless job, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be doing the right thing. Many don't. | ||
| Rick_a |
The only reason to fight a ticket is if your license is in jeopardy, and you'll want a good attorney. Fight it yourself, you'll surely lose and pay more $$. Orlando/Kissimmee cops are horrible, in general. I got pulled over in Kissimmee after blatantly speeding over a few miles distance. I honestly never saw where the cop came from. Three cars ended up coming to the scene and I thought for sure I'd be going to jail. They harassed me for what seemed like an eternity as I sweat bullets and my heart sank to the ground. To add more drama to the situation a female officer pointed out what she felt were several equipment violations. To make matters even worse my wife ended up passing by and stopped to find out what the heck happened. In the end the officer who originally pulled me over says that he just wanted to see what I was riding and that I need to slow the hell down in the future. It was cruel, but I appreciated coming away with nothing more than a hard time! | ||
| Rick_a |
Do not plea "not guilty" or "innocent" unless you plan on fighting the ticket/charge! Plea no contest! Unless you are a habitual offender you generally pay the minimum fine and get adjudication withheld (I.E. no charge on your record). | ||
| Interceptor |
I got a funny ticket one time called "unsafe start". -thats what its called when you spin tires on takeoff....in a Z28 | ||
| Metalstorm |
As I was approaching and slowing down for a 25 zone (was currently in a 40 mph zone) a cop comes flying up on me with his lights flashing. I'm watching him in my rear view trying to figure out if he was after me for some reason or if it was an expidite call. No siren so I figure it's an expidite call. The nearest place to pull over is about 40 ft past the 25 mph sign, roughly 100 ft before you get to any house or areas where there are people or animals and ironicly 250 ft before my house. I maintain my current speed of 30-35 mph to get out of the man's way ASAP and pull over. Instead of flying by me like I thought he would he pulls behind me & says he's writing me up for 10 over in a 25. When I get home I look at the ticket & it says 45 in a 25!!! The fine is $259! fortunately I'm charged with "unsafe speed" and not with "exceeding posted limit" so I am going to fight this tooth and nail since I would not have been going over 25 there in the first place if the cop hadn't of mislead me. All I have to do is prove that I wasn't at any time a danger to any one or any thing. Oh yeah,.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (Message edited by metalstorm on May 04, 2007) | ||
| Rams |
I've got my only ticket with my X1, I was getting out of I95 in Miami , at the exit there is a sign for speed 40mph, then maybe 1/2mile later goes back to 55mph, I was at 60, my ticket showed 60@40mph zone, but the streets he wrote to describe where it was were just passing the 55 sign, went to court and got it cleared, paid 120 for not having proper endorsement at time, I was using my foreign license with the motorcycle endorsement but he idn't accept. | ||
| The_bob |
a couple of weeks ago I got a ticket similar to Metalstorm's. There was a group of cars in the right lane, going half the speed limit, and all turning right. I moved into the left lane and accelerated up to the speed limit to pass them. Since I was going twice their speed I was given a "driving too fast for the circumstances". The cop even said "you probably weren't exceeding the speed limit", he did not have radar on me. |
