Have you ever got a ticket looking for a cache.

June 23, 2009

Well i just started this addicting hobby, and after getting two caches this morning, both which where desent hikes through hill forest area, i decided to grab one quickie before on my way home. It was behind a guardrail , and i saw it as it was on a turn with sa pull off. About 100 yards before was a closed road sign, so i figured i can see where its at ill just go get it. I pull off, hop out and wham cop is yelling at me to get into my car. He was parked behind a sign across street. He didnt believe me at all when i tried to tell him what i was doing. And $110 ticket later wham...lol...I was just wondering if anyone else had any runins where they actually got ticketed.

4k · June 23, 2009

I have never done anything illegal while caching.

I'm sure some folks have some speeding tickets though.

1.4k · June 23, 2009

AYEP was out for a FTF in the Columbia River Gorge about 29 miles East and passed a cop he immediately hung a U Turn and I just pulled over to wait for him $95 FTF that day.

But the good news is I still got the FTF!!! WOO HOO

Scubasonic

Edited June 23, 2009 by Scubasonic

1.4k · June 23, 2009

I have never done anything illegal while caching.

I'm sure some folks have some speeding tickets though.

Boy a Real Model Citizen !!!

Scubasonic

4.8k · June 23, 2009

Well i just started this addicting hobby, and after getting two caches this morning, both which where desent hikes through hill forest area, i decided to grab one quickie before on my way home. It was behind a guardrail , and i saw it as it was on a turn with sa pull off. About 100 yards before was a closed road sign, so i figured i can see where its at ill just go get it. I pull off, hop out and wham cop is yelling at me to get into my car. He was parked behind a sign across street. He didnt believe me at all when i tried to tell him what i was doing. And $110 ticket later wham...lol...I was just wondering if anyone else had any runins where they actually got ticketed.

What on earth was the charge? Caching without a forest permit?

24.7k · June 23, 2009

Well i just started this addicting hobby, and after getting two caches this morning, both which where desent hikes through hill forest area, i decided to grab one quickie before on my way home. It was behind a guardrail , and i saw it as it was on a turn with sa pull off. About 100 yards before was a closed road sign, so i figured i can see where its at ill just go get it. I pull off, hop out and wham cop is yelling at me to get into my car. He was parked behind a sign across street. He didnt believe me at all when i tried to tell him what i was doing. And $110 ticket later wham...lol...I was just wondering if anyone else had any runins where they actually got ticketed.

What on earth was the charge? Caching without a forest permit?

I think he drove 100 yards beyond the Road Closed sign. Unless you live just off that road you can typically get a ticket.

4.8k · June 23, 2009

Well i just started this addicting hobby, and after getting two caches this morning, both which where desent hikes through hill forest area, i decided to grab one quickie before on my way home. It was behind a guardrail , and i saw it as it was on a turn with sa pull off. About 100 yards before was a closed road sign, so i figured i can see where its at ill just go get it. I pull off, hop out and wham cop is yelling at me to get into my car. He was parked behind a sign across street. He didnt believe me at all when i tried to tell him what i was doing. And $110 ticket later wham...lol...I was just wondering if anyone else had any runins where they actually got ticketed.

What on earth was the charge? Caching without a forest permit?

I think he drove 100 yards beyond the Road Closed sign. Unless you live just off that road you can typically get a ticket.

So he can argue that he had a legitimate purpose for being on the road.

Police officers are often so engaged in "doing their duty" that they forget that their primary duty is to serve the public and not write tickets. Yes, i know their superiors are telling them to write more tickets but, in reality, that is not their primary duty.

When revenue from infraction citations became part of the operating budget, the police force, in part, lost much of its credibility. IMHO.

No offense intended for officers of the law. I just wish the "system" hadn't gotten this far out of whack.

1.2k · June 23, 2009

I have been with another cacher when he received a speeding ticket while we were caching...

June 23, 2009

I was pulled over for speeding while out caching a few weeks ago. The officer came back to my truck a little quicker than I thought he should have. He then expressed in a not very happy way that it most be my lucky day because he had forgotten his ticket book in another car. I'm surprised he didn't make me follow him to the courthouse so he could retrieve his booklet.

I still laugh about it.

4.1k · June 23, 2009

Back in the days when locationless caches were a fun part of this particular game, there used to be one for traffic tickets received on the way to a cache. I never qualified, and still do not. But I have gotten a warning for not buckling my seatbelt on my way from one cache to another (.15 away).

There are some things I have done that might have deserved more, but those are matters for other threads or a confessional.

6.7k · June 23, 2009

Never got a ticket. I did have six officers draw their guns on me. Seems a neighbor to the park I was caching in mistook my GPS for a gun. By the time all was said and done I had 'em all laughing. They even offered to help look for the cache.

14k · June 23, 2009

Well i just started this addicting hobby, and after getting two caches this morning, both which where desent hikes through hill forest area, i decided to grab one quickie before on my way home. It was behind a guardrail , and i saw it as it was on a turn with sa pull off. About 100 yards before was a closed road sign, so i figured i can see where its at ill just go get it. I pull off, hop out and wham cop is yelling at me to get into my car. He was parked behind a sign across street. He didnt believe me at all when i tried to tell him what i was doing. And $110 ticket later wham...lol...I was just wondering if anyone else had any runins where they actually got ticketed.

What on earth was the charge? Caching without a forest permit?

I think he drove 100 yards beyond the Road Closed sign. Unless you live just off that road you can typically get a ticket.

So he can argue that he had a legitimate purpose for being on the road.

Police officers are often so engaged in "doing their duty" that they forget that their primary duty is to serve the public and not write tickets. Yes, i know their superiors are telling them to write more tickets but, in reality, that is not their primary duty.

When revenue from infraction citations became part of the operating budget, the police force, in part, lost much of its credibility. IMHO.

No offense intended for officers of the law. I just wish the "system" hadn't gotten this far out of whack.

I"m not sure what you mean by out of whack, but law enforcement officers don't write tickets because they're superiors tell them to do so, but because they're job is to enforce that law. How are they supposed to enforce the law if they don't issue a summons (ticket) when a law is broken. They can't very well serve the public without enforcing laws either.

If the revenue from infraction violations doesn't become part of the operating budget where's it going to go? If you eliminate that portion of the operating budget, how are public servants going to be paid...wait, I already know the answer....higher property taxes. My property taxes are already high enough, thank you.

June 23, 2009

Once in Atlanta area and once in a small town just north of Raleigh . . . I was innocent in both cases, of course ! The more you drive, the greater the likihood of getting a ticket, fair, unfair, right or wrong - part of the game, I guess.

1.1k · June 23, 2009

People want the police to enforce the law but they just want it enforced on the other guy, not them. Afterall, they're good people, it's the other guy who is a jerk and deserves the ticket.

1.1k · June 24, 2009

If the revenue from infraction violations doesn't become part of the operating budget where's it going to go? If you eliminate that portion of the operating budget, how are public servants going to be paid...wait, I already know the answer....higher property taxes. My property taxes are already high enough, thank you.

In Sacramento county they are talking about cutting 600 officers. Apparently the "revenue generating departments" will have almost no cuts.

A part of me understands that... but another part of me repulsed by the very idea. It makes them more tax collectors then law enforcement.

Oh well.

2k · June 24, 2009

If the revenue from infraction violations doesn't become part of the operating budget where's it going to go? If you eliminate that portion of the operating budget, how are public servants going to be paid...wait, I already know the answer....higher property taxes. My property taxes are already high enough, thank you.

In Sacramento county they are talking about cutting 600 officers. Apparently the "revenue generating departments" will have almost no cuts.

A part of me understands that... but another part of me repulsed by the very idea. It makes them more tax collectors then law enforcement.

Oh well.

It is easy, and legal, to not pay these taxes. Don't break the law.

3.4k · June 24, 2009

Never got a ticket. I did have six officers draw their guns on me.

GOF: I'd assume you weren't

Geocaching in the Buff

1.1k · June 24, 2009

It is easy, and legal, to not pay these taxes. Don't break the law.

I don't think draconian enforcement of traffic code is positive for society. When it stops being about public safety and becomes about collecting (a form of) taxation then we have a problem in priorities.

4.8k · June 24, 2009

I"m not sure what you mean by out of whack, but law enforcement officers don't write tickets because they're superiors tell them to do so, but because they're job is to enforce that law. How are they supposed to enforce the law if they don't issue a summons (ticket) when a law is broken. They can't very well serve the public without enforcing laws either.

If the revenue from infraction violations doesn't become part of the operating budget where's it going to go? If you eliminate that portion of the operating budget, how are public servants going to be paid...wait, I already know the answer....higher property taxes. My property taxes are already high enough, thank you.

The system censors wont allow me to properly reply to your statement. It would have started with the word "Bull".

Police officers ARE told to write more tickets. There isn't a "quota" per se but the officers ARE told to write more tickets.

We have a city nearby that HIRES police from the county 4 times a month to do nothing more than write tickets for anything they can. The officers aren't happy doing it but its their "job".

They also hire a judge once a month to process all of the tickets and he carries a rubber stamp.

Don't EVER think that the officers aren't told to write tickets. An officer isn't enforcing the law when he hassles someone for being 100yards down a "closed" road with a purpose for being there. A simple warning would have been fine but the officer was TOLD to generate revenue.

The juristictions that do it don't even hide it anymore.

It IS the same thing as the fabled tax collectors of Robin Hood and it IS extortion.

7.7k · June 24, 2009

Police officers ARE told to write more tickets. There isn't a "quota" per se but the officers ARE told to write more tickets.

It's probably different in different areas.

Over here, I recall reading a report in the newspaper. Traffic officers are not told to write more tickets, and do not have a quota. But those that write more tickets get promoted faster. To me, same difference, but whatever.

1.1k · June 24, 2009

The juristictions that do it don't even hide it anymore.

Need I mention red-light traffic cameras? (I had a rant here... but I think I'll stop now. A little bit outside the topic of geocaching. :mad: )

6.7k · June 24, 2009

Never got a ticket. I did have six officers draw their guns on me.

GOF: I'd assume you weren't

Geocaching in the Buff

Actually, I was. Shoshone park in Buffalo.

1.1k · June 24, 2009

An officer isn't enforcing the law when he hassles someone for being 100yards down a "closed" road with a purpose for being there. A simple warning would have been fine but the officer was TOLD to generate revenue.

So the sign at the end of the road saying "No trespassing" or "Road closed" isn't warning enough? Just how many warnings do you need before you get the idea that you don't belong in a certain place? Most intelligent people get the idea when they are told once that they don't belong in a certain area. Sounds like some kid who keeps asking mommy if he can do something even after being told no. Or maybe you think the signs only apply to the other guy and not you because you're "special". If you aren't smart enough to figure out the signs apply to you then maybe it does take a trip before the judge for you to understand the legal consequences. Some people take more than one trip before they understand. Others never understand and go thru their entire lives believing they don't have to obey the law, that the law only applies to the other person.

Edited June 24, 2009 by Wadcutter

1.9k · June 24, 2009

Never got a ticket. I did have six officers draw their guns on me. Seems a neighbor to the park I was caching in mistook my GPS for a gun. By the time all was said and done I had 'em all laughing. They even offered to help look for the cache.

So did you find it :mad:

4.8k · June 24, 2009

An officer isn't enforcing the law when he hassles someone for being 100yards down a "closed" road with a purpose for being there. A simple warning would have been fine but the officer was TOLD to generate revenue.

So the sign at the end of the road saying "No trespassing" or "Road closed" isn't warning enough? Just how many warnings do you need before you get the idea that you don't belong in a certain place? Most intelligent people get the idea when they are told once that they don't belong in a certain area. Sounds like some kid who keeps asking mommy if he can do something even after being told no. Or maybe you think the signs only apply to the other guy and not you because you're "special". If you aren't smart enough to figure out the signs apply to you then maybe it does take a trip before the judge for you to understand the legal consequences. Some people take more than one trip before they understand. Others never understand and go thru their entire lives believing they don't have to obey the law, that the law only applies to the other person.

There are exceptions to many laws. The bottom line is the cop was looking for the ticket.

Spin it however you want but your opinion is in the minority.

19k · June 24, 2009

Over here, I recall reading a report in the newspaper. Traffic officers are not told to write more tickets, and do not have a quota. But those that write more tickets get promoted faster. To me, same difference, but whatever.

A cop sitting in the doughnut shop is not a cop out there writing tickets (doing his job of enforcing the law). Sounds like that is the cop that should be promoted, doesn't it?

June 24, 2009

At the ASP Geobash in New York, a friend was looking for her campsite entrance, and almost passed it. She braked hard, and turned in, but behind her ws a park policeman. He stopped her and began to question her, and she started to explain geocaching to him an they were tired from being out all day, almost missed the turn, and was really tired. He said "Right, breath into this!" Blowing a 0.0 didn't relax him any, so she did it again. Amazed, he sent her on her merry way!

1.1k · June 24, 2009

There are exceptions to many laws. The bottom line is the cop was looking for the ticket.

Spin it however you want but your opinion is in the minority.

It's hard to judge this situation based on just the OP's commentary. Waiting behind a road-closed sign is hardly the typical revenue generating tactics. I can easily see how the situation might have escalated from warning to ticket fairly quickly. I know I've avoided a few tickets just by saying "Oh, sorry officer - I'll turn around right now." :mad:

In any case - this is what traffic court is for. Look up the letter of the law - if you have a leg to stand on then fight it in court. If not, just pay the fine.

Edited June 24, 2009 by Arrow42

4.8k · June 24, 2009

There are exceptions to many laws. The bottom line is the cop was looking for the ticket.

Spin it however you want but your opinion is in the minority.

It's hard to judge this situation based on just the OP's commentary. Waiting behind a road-closed sign is hardly the typical revenue generating tactics. I can easily see how the situation might have escalated from warning to ticket fairly quickly. I know I've avoided a few tickets just by saying "Oh, sorry officer - I'll turn around right now."

In any case - this is what traffic court is for. Look up the letter of the law - if you have a leg to stand on then fight it in court. If not, just pay the fine.

The courts are there to generate revenue as well.

The bottom line is that the "law" doesn't make sense as a catch all. The "law" is supposed to be for public safety and not a tool to generate revenue.

I remember a time when officers would use discretion in handing out tickets. I remember a time when a judge could find you guilty and dismiss the fine. I remember a time when the people were in control of the laws and not the legislators. I remember better times.

The good question is why the road was closed? Would it have been OK to walk down the road? If you had property at the end of the road, could you drive on the road then? If you had a purpose for being on the road, would it be OK?

Most people don't even read the laws and the courts will say "ignorance of the law is no excuse". Well, I urger the OP to look at the statutes for that location and find the proper loophole. No worries though as they will close the loophole shortly thereafter.

Been there, done the dance. Won more than I lost.

14k · June 24, 2009

An officer isn't enforcing the law when he hassles someone for being 100yards down a "closed" road with a purpose for being there. A simple warning would have been fine but the officer was TOLD to generate revenue.

So the sign at the end of the road saying "No trespassing" or "Road closed" isn't warning enough? Just how many warnings do you need before you get the idea that you don't belong in a certain place? Most intelligent people get the idea when they are told once that they don't belong in a certain area. Sounds like some kid who keeps asking mommy if he can do something even after being told no. Or maybe you think the signs only apply to the other guy and not you because you're "special". If you aren't smart enough to figure out the signs apply to you then maybe it does take a trip before the judge for you to understand the legal consequences. Some people take more than one trip before they understand. Others never understand and go thru their entire lives believing they don't have to obey the law, that the law only applies to the other person.

There are exceptions to many laws. The bottom line is the cop was looking for the ticket.

Spin it however you want but your opinion is in the minority.

That isn't spin. The only one that would know whether or not the cop was just looking to write a ticket is the cop, and perhaps the OP.

Bottom line: There is a "Failure to obey a traffic signal" law on the books. According to the OP, a cop witnessed him "failing to obey a traffic signal". It's true that for minor infractions a LEO is given an amount of latitude in how they enforce the law. Since we don't all the circumstance in play we are not in a position to determine how the law should have been enforced, nor should we.

Sorry, but it just wouldn't work very well if those that broke laws determined what the penalty should be. A long time ago I was talking to a cop whose primary duty was traffic enforcement. He told me that when he clocks someone going over the speed limit he'll allow 5 mph over the speed limit for vehicle differences (size of tires, speedometer calibration), 5 additional mph for basically not paying attention; 15pmh over the limit and he's writing a ticket. That seemed like a reasonable approach to me and I imagine that there are a number of criteria that a LEO will use to make a determination to issue a warning or write a ticket.

I know that in my neck of the woods, a road closed sign often means that there is a bridge out, part of the road has been washed away, or there is some sort of construction going on. Whatever the reason, the failing to obey the sign, gives the power to the LEO to decide how to enforce the law. Sorry (no, I'm not, actually), you don't get to decided what laws apply to you, and that if you decide to break one, determine how you should be penalized.

4.8k · June 24, 2009

That isn't spin. The only one that would know whether or not the cop was just looking to write a ticket is the cop, and perhaps the OP.

Bottom line: There is a "Failure to obey a traffic signal" law on the books. According to the OP, a cop witnessed him "failing to obey a traffic signal". It's true that for minor infractions a LEO is given an amount of latitude in how they enforce the law. Since we don't all the circumstance in play we are not in a position to determine how the law should have been enforced, nor should we.

Sorry, but it just wouldn't work very well if those that broke laws determined what the penalty should be. A long time ago I was talking to a cop whose primary duty was traffic enforcement. He told me that when he clocks someone going over the speed limit he'll allow 5 mph over the speed limit for vehicle differences (size of tires, speedometer calibration), 5 additional mph for basically not paying attention; 15pmh over the limit and he's writing a ticket. That seemed like a reasonable approach to me and I imagine that there are a number of criteria that a LEO will use to make a determination to issue a warning or write a ticket.

I know that in my neck of the woods, a road closed sign often means that there is a bridge out, part of the road has been washed away, or there is some sort of construction going on. Whatever the reason, the failing to obey the sign, gives the power to the LEO to decide how to enforce the law. Sorry (no, I'm not, actually), you don't get to decided what laws apply to you, and that if you decide to break one, determine how you should be penalized.

I know someone, personally, who got a ticket for "careless driving" after his truck had to be towed out of the trees after his steering coupler broke causing him to leave the road (no steering ability)

The law clearly states that you are guilty of "careless driving if your car ends up someplace other than a road, driveway, etc.

The ticket was written for revenue generation. But, as you contend, the law is the law, right?

June 24, 2009

There is a show called "Parking Wars" on A&E that follows meter maids/ parking enforcement officers who travel around Phillidelphia, PA handing out tickes and booting/ towing cars. Most every person who gets a ticket is pissed off and curses and swears and says it is bull***t that they are receiving a ticket. Lets be honest. When you double park or park at a meter with out putting money in or park at a fire hydrant because "I am only going to be a quick minute in the store", you know full well what you are doing it wrong. Pulling over on the side of a road and parking so you can make a quick dash into the woods for a cache is wrong (shoulder of the road should only be used for emergency purposes). A sign that says the road is closed means exactly that . The person who pulls down that road anyway should know that they shouldn't be going down there. The sign is there for a reason. Telling the cop that there is a geocache down this road that you have to grab is not a valid reason. If anyone receives a ticket for any of the above offenses then they don't have a foot to stand on. I am no saint, I break the rules all of the time (park in a no parking zone, speeding, etc.) But I know full well that if I get caught it is my own fault and I can't blame anyone but myself.

Edited June 24, 2009 by slukster

June 24, 2009

I know someone, personally, who got a ticket for "careless driving" after his truck had to be towed out of the trees after his steering coupler broke causing him to leave the road (no steering ability)

The law clearly states that you are guilty of "careless driving if your car ends up someplace other than a road, driveway, etc.

The ticket was written for revenue generation. But, as you contend, the law is the law, right?

In this case I would say that if the driver went to court with paperwork from the auto repair shop stating that the faulty coupler was the cause of the accident I would hope that the judge would throw it out. I don't believe that at the scene of the accident anyone would have been able to determine that the coupler was broken. It probably was found after it was towed back to the shop.

4.8k · June 24, 2009

In this case I would say that if the driver went to court with paperwork from the auto repair shop stating that the faulty coupler was the cause of the accident I would hope that the judge would throw it out. I don't believe that at the scene of the accident anyone would have been able to determine that the coupler was broken. It probably was found after it was towed back to the shop.

Nope. The officer looked under the hood as part of his "investigation".

It was clear that the officer wrote the ticket because he could, not because it was the right thing to do.

19k · June 24, 2009

I was curious to see what an interet search would reveal regarding Bittsen's claims, and frankly, I was surprised at the results.

Study: When local revenue falls, traffic citations go up

State Patrols Collect Billions From Speeding Tickets

Dallas County looks to traffic ticket revenue for budget shortfall

As state deficits begin to grow, many states are using traffic ticket revenue as their means of making money

Michigan Police Chiefs Admit Speeding Tickets Are About Money

June 24, 2009

So he can argue that he had a legitimate purpose for being on the road.

Police officers are often so engaged in "doing their duty" that they forget that their primary duty is to serve the public and not write tickets. Yes, i know their superiors are telling them to write more tickets but, in reality, that is not their primary duty.

When revenue from infraction citations became part of the operating budget, the police force, in part, lost much of its credibility. IMHO.

No offense intended for officers of the law. I just wish the "system" hadn't gotten this far out of whack.

You might think writing a ticket for double parking, parking at a fire hydrant, driving down a closed road is not serving the public but it absolutely is! The road is closed because the bridge is out or the road has been chopped up for repaving so driving down the road is a hazard to the driver and the workers working on the closed road. Double parked cars turn a two lane road into a one lane road which slows down traffic and pisses everyone off. Double parked cars can be rearended when a driver does not see them. I don't think I need to go into the possible problems with parking in front of a fire hydrant. While all of these offenses seem minor they absolutely influence the quality of life in the area and the safety of the offender and those around him.

7.7k · June 24, 2009

A cop sitting in the doughnut shop is not a cop out there writing tickets (doing his job of enforcing the law). Sounds like that is the cop that should be promoted, doesn't it?

A cop who's out assisting in a traffic accident is also not out writing tickets. Neither is a cop out directing traffic. Or giving a warning. I guess it all comes down to easily measurable metrics.

19k · June 24, 2009

A cop sitting in the doughnut shop is not a cop out there writing tickets (doing his job of enforcing the law). Sounds like that is the cop that should be promoted, doesn't it?

A cop who's out assisting in a traffic accident is also not out writing tickets. Neither is a cop out directing traffic. Or giving a warning. I guess it all comes down to easily measurable metrics.

Agreed.

4.8k · June 24, 2009

A cop sitting in the doughnut shop is not a cop out there writing tickets (doing his job of enforcing the law). Sounds like that is the cop that should be promoted, doesn't it?

A cop who's out assisting in a traffic accident is also not out writing tickets. Neither is a cop out directing traffic. Or giving a warning. I guess it all comes down to easily measurable metrics.

You forgot to add "protecting the public" to your list.

Yeah, some traffic tickets are deserved but many are not.

They write tickets because they are told to. Not because they want to.

I would love to hear a LEO chime in without the BS they are told to say.

14k · June 24, 2009

In this case I would say that if the driver went to court with paperwork from the auto repair shop stating that the faulty coupler was the cause of the accident I would hope that the judge would throw it out. I don't believe that at the scene of the accident anyone would have been able to determine that the coupler was broken. It probably was found after it was towed back to the shop.

Nope. The officer looked under the hood as part of his "investigation".

It was clear that the officer wrote the ticket because he could, not because it was the right thing to do.

What part of "if the driver went to court with paperwork from the auto repair shop" did you fail to understand. A traffic citation is merely an agreement to appear in court, or *optionally* pay an indicated fine amount. It would seem to me that presenting evidence that the vehicle had a mechanical failure from a auto repair would trump a LEO looking under the hood. That should get the "Careless Driving" (isn't that reckless driving?) charge dismissed.

What the cop *should* have done was cite him for operating an unsafe vehicle. In the two states were I live there are mandatory vehicle inspections that are supposed to catch things like loose steering couplings. How was the cop supposed to know whether or not operator knew about the loose coupling and chose to drive the vehicle anyway?

In your first response in this thread you wrote that an LEOs job was to serve the public. Suppose, the cop didn't give your "friend" a ticket, and just gave him a warning instead. Since all your "friend" got was a warning the first time, perhaps he might ignore that squealing sound where the break pads used to be, and go out anyway because there was a geocache to be found. Suppose that he was driving down the road, hit the breaks to avoid a deer, and the vehicle turned into the oncoming lane and had a head on collision with another vehicle, killing a family of four. How is the LEO serving the public by not enforcing the law?

4.8k · June 24, 2009

What part of "if the driver went to court with paperwork from the auto repair shop" did you fail to understand. A traffic citation is merely an agreement to appear in court, or *optionally* pay an indicated fine amount. It would seem to me that presenting evidence that the vehicle had a mechanical failure from a auto repair would trump a LEO looking under the hood. That should get the "Careless Driving" (isn't that reckless driving?) charge dismissed.

What the cop *should* have done was cite him for operating an unsafe vehicle. In the two states were I live there are mandatory vehicle inspections that are supposed to catch things like loose steering couplings. How was the cop supposed to know whether or not operator knew about the loose coupling and chose to drive the vehicle anyway?

In your first response in this thread you wrote that an LEOs job was to serve the public. Suppose, the cop didn't give your "friend" a ticket, and just gave him a warning instead. Since all your "friend" got was a warning the first time, perhaps he might ignore that squealing sound where the break pads used to be, and go out anyway because there was a geocache to be found. Suppose that he was driving down the road, hit the breaks to avoid a deer, and the vehicle turned into the oncoming lane and had a head on collision with another vehicle, killing a family of four. How is the LEO serving the public by not enforcing the law?

I got the part about going to court. The officer wrote the ticket assuming the young man would feel he should just pay the ticket. Most people pay rather than ask for a trial because they don't know any better.

Here there are no mandatory inspections.

Careless driving carries a similar penalty to wreckless driving but it's a catch all for any accident. Many here will get a careless driving citation whether or not they are at fault.

It's not a "friend" its a relative.

I see which side you are on but if it wasn't for the revenue generation, many tickets wouldn't be issued. What really sucks about all this is it doesn't stop at the cost of the ticket but goes towards jacking your insurance rates as well.

6.7k · June 24, 2009

Seems to me this thread has stopped being even remotely about geocaching.

1.2k · June 24, 2009

Never got a ticket. I did have six officers draw their guns on me.

GOF: I'd assume you weren't

Geocaching in the Buff

NO WAY fer sure, that wud NOT be a perty sight.

6.7k · June 24, 2009

Can they cite me for being ugly in public?

7.7k · June 24, 2009

Can they cite me for being ugly in public?

Only if you're Geocaching in the Buff...

...and I agree that the thread has stopped being about geocaching.

1.1k · June 24, 2009

Nope. The officer looked under the hood as part of his "investigation".

It was clear that the officer wrote the ticket because he could, not because it was the right thing to do.

I can't argue that that doesn't happen... I'm sure it happens everywhere and all the time. In fact, I've spoken to cops who have told me that when official quotes are done away with there were simply moved to "unofficial" status. I've gotten pulled over 3 time. Each single time it was because I was doing something wrong. Once I was let off with a warning and the next two I was ticketed. Then again, I'm not the kind of person to try to excape responsibility for my action.

Anyway, in this case, it's impossible to tell if the cop was simply ticketing for revenue or if there was a real problem. We can't argue if this was right or not, and red-herrings are not usefull. In this case we only have part of the story and no supporting facts either way.

June 24, 2009

I got one illegal parking ticket and two speeding tickets both in 30 mph zones. Could buy a nice GPSr with the fines. I suppose if I divided 6000 finds by the fine total it doesn't sound too expensive per cache.

19k · June 24, 2009

Ticket for using a Permit Only parking spot in an almost empty parking lot (I failed to notice the sign when I parked there). DNF'd that cache, as well.

6.7k · June 24, 2009

When I was a teen I got a ticket for parking in a no parking zone at the Washington Monument in DC. Then two hours latter the same officer wrote me for overtime parking...in a no parking area. :mad:

June 25, 2009

There are several Native American pueblos on the road between here and Santa Fe for whom a huge source of income is the speeding tickets they issue. The silver lining in their tickets is that they are not reported to the DMV or insurance companies. It's a purely "you were speeding, you pay us" thing. I don't want to say shakedown but sometimes it feels that way.

I got my only speeding ticket on the way to cache in Santa Fe. I was going 57 in a 55 (according to both his gun and my GPS which I have noticed is amazingly accurate) and then came to the place where it drops down to 45mph. I was slowing down to 45 but the cop was sitting hidden and got me right at the sign. I was definitely speeding at that point (which was about 1/8 mi after the end of a safety corridor). The cop came up and said I was in the safety corridor where the fine was double. I was very polite and when he came back to the car he said "I'm cutting you a break and not citing you on the safety corridor infraction and only fining you the normal amount." Such a break! Anyway I took my ticket, paid it and think of things like that as "stupid tax" for myself. I paid my stupid tax that day :mad:

Have you ever got a ticket looking for a cache.

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