7 ms·

>Maintaining machines is up to police departments that sometimes have shoddy standards and lack expertise. So in court is this where you request calibration re

>Maintaining machines is up to police departments that sometimes have shoddy standards and lack expertise. So in court is this where you request calibration records and have your case thrown out? This was a tactic to also have speeding tickets thrown out- radar gun calibration records not kept or not done correctly.

giarc 7y ago
I knew a Justice of the Peace and asked him about the radar gun calibration tactic. He said that it's bogus and in his 40 year career had never seen it work.
- CydeWeys 7y ago
  Can confirm, I tried it, didn't work at all. The courts aren't stupid.
  - hanniabu 7y ago
    I'd argue that this means they are stupid. If the machines weren't properly calibrated then they can't be relied on to be accurate.
    - CydeWeys 7y ago
      It turns out that radar guns are pretty accurate and don't really lose much calibration over time. They simply don't see widespread problems with misbehaving radar guns. So when the court hears someone complaining about calibration or whatever, >99% of the time it's just trying to weasel out of a ticket on some technicality, and the person was legitimately speeding. The court would have to be stupid to fall for this ploy. Remember, the standard for traffic court violations is not "beyond a reasonable doubt", it's simple preponderance of evidence.
- i_am_proteus 7y ago
  I have received dozens of speed camera tickets (a "work zone" trap that was active even when the work zone was de-posted, 100% of them were thrown out) and the cal info for the radar was included with the ticket, probably to save everyone time for trying to argue up that alley.
- adrr 7y ago
  Winning in traffic court is like winning forced arbitration. There is no neutral jury, you have judge that is being payed by the same government who benefits from the fines. Speed traps are illegal in California yet i still see cops hiding in alleys or shooting lidar off overpasses. It’s worse in small cities where city cops sit at the transition of highway speeds to city speeds and catch inattentive drivers.
  - gowld 7y ago
    Judges aren't particularly motivated by fines. Unlike police officer, they don't get a cut or a bonus for collecting fines.
    - adrr 7y ago
      That’s what they say about forced arbitration. They are still appointed or hired by the municipal or county government. It beneficial for these governments to hire judges who will benefit them just like forced arbitration and companies.
    - marcoseliziario 7y ago
      You have a position of power in a system. A position that gives you a good salary, power over your fellow citizens, recognition and social status. You're probably going to identify yourself with the system, and thus, some level of bias pro-system is very, very likely.
      - kortilla 7y ago
        Judges that process traffic tickets don’t really have any of those things.
  - diminoten 7y ago
    Have Californians tried not speeding?
    - maxaf 7y ago
robk 7y ago
Worked for me in Virginia. Cop unable to produce current calibration led to discarding the citation

giarc 7y ago

I knew a Justice of the Peace and asked him about the radar gun calibration tactic. He said that it's bogus and in his 40 year career had never seen it work.

CydeWeys 7y ago
Can confirm, I tried it, didn't work at all. The courts aren't stupid.
- hanniabu 7y ago
  I'd argue that this means they are stupid. If the machines weren't properly calibrated then they can't be relied on to be accurate.
  - CydeWeys 7y ago
    It turns out that radar guns are pretty accurate and don't really lose much calibration over time. They simply don't see widespread problems with misbehaving radar guns. So when the court hears someone complaining about calibration or whatever, >99% of the time it's just trying to weasel out of a ticket on some technicality, and the person was legitimately speeding. The court would have to be stupid to fall for this ploy. Remember, the standard for traffic court violations is not "beyond a reasonable doubt", it's simple preponderance of evidence.
i_am_proteus 7y ago
I have received dozens of speed camera tickets (a "work zone" trap that was active even when the work zone was de-posted, 100% of them were thrown out) and the cal info for the radar was included with the ticket, probably to save everyone time for trying to argue up that alley.
adrr 7y ago
Winning in traffic court is like winning forced arbitration. There is no neutral jury, you have judge that is being payed by the same government who benefits from the fines. Speed traps are illegal in California yet i still see cops hiding in alleys or shooting lidar off overpasses. It’s worse in small cities where city cops sit at the transition of highway speeds to city speeds and catch inattentive drivers.
- gowld 7y ago
  Judges aren't particularly motivated by fines. Unlike police officer, they don't get a cut or a bonus for collecting fines.
  - adrr 7y ago
    That’s what they say about forced arbitration. They are still appointed or hired by the municipal or county government. It beneficial for these governments to hire judges who will benefit them just like forced arbitration and companies.
  - marcoseliziario 7y ago
    You have a position of power in a system. A position that gives you a good salary, power over your fellow citizens, recognition and social status. You're probably going to identify yourself with the system, and thus, some level of bias pro-system is very, very likely.
    - kortilla 7y ago
      Judges that process traffic tickets don’t really have any of those things.
- diminoten 7y ago
  Have Californians tried not speeding?
  - maxaf 7y ago

robk 7y ago

Worked for me in Virginia. Cop unable to produce current calibration led to discarding the citation