5 ms·

I once got pulled over for speeding in the middle of Kansas. The cop who was giving me my ticket told me that they had a program for avoiding having the ticket

by kemayo 6y ago

I once got pulled over for speeding in the middle of Kansas. The cop who was giving me my ticket told me that they had a program for avoiding having the ticket reported so your insurance rates won't rise. So I went along with it, and mailed the cost of the ticket plus a hundred dollars to that city's police department, care of the "sheriff's benevolent association" (or similar -- it's been a decade, the name is fuzzy to me). ...it remains one of the more blatantly shady-feeling things I remember encountering in the US.

bathtub365 6y ago
I'd rather give my money to an insurance company than corrupt cops.
- throwaway0a5e 6y ago
  I'd pick a lawyer over either. At least he has to make a living delivering results. The other two have their existence perpetuated by law.
  - ksm1717 6y ago
    I mean you could argue that LAWyers literally exist because of law. Or at least perpetuated by the other two options which are perpetuated by law.
    - Yetanfou 6y ago
      Doesn't that work the other way around as well, as in LAWs come to life or stay in place because of LAWyers? Both due to the rather large percentage of lawyers who end up in politics as well as due to lawyers using their powers of persuasion - monetary or otherwise - to influence law makers?
  - kelnos 6y ago
    The prevalence and prestige of the law profession only started (in the US) in the late 1800s because of the rise of complicated, business-friendly contract law that made highly-trained lawyers a necessity for getting things done. The laws were used primarily to enforce burdensome contracts against workers and individuals, and protect businesses from holding up their end of the bargain. I'd say that period was likely the birth of the American tendency toward litigiousness. The legal profession exists and is so lucrative specifically because of the shape of government and the law.
- rurp 6y ago
  I've used a random traffic lawyer a couple times for stupid speed trap tickets. The process was really fast and they got the fine knocked down quite a bit. I'd much rather pay $100 each to a lawyer and the city, than pay the city $250. The only reason cities and towns abuse speed traps is that it's profitable. If the costs exceed the money they bring in they might shift those resources to real crimes and fix the artificially low speed limits.
cmckn 6y ago
I think this sort of "we'll give you a pass on this one if you just pay the ticket" is a super gross practice. I recently got a camera citation for not stopping completely behind the line before turning right on red. Fine was $125. If I paid the fine, it would be treated as a parking ticket. If not, it would be a moving violation and points would hit my license, if I lost the case. I feel like, if a cop thinks I broke the law, they should stand behind that. If $125 convinces the cop that I didn't really break the law, that sounds like corruption to me.
- luckylion 6y ago
  If you're paying a ticket, you're not paying the cop though, that's not corruption. They're saying "we've got you, but here's an offer because we don't think we can convict you of the big thing, or because you've been doing this for the first time". You can take it and pay your dues, or you can fight. But then they might fight as well. There's no reason why the state should go to court over every infraction. You hopefully learned a lesson about stopping the car, why should the state spend thousands of dollars on a court case and make you spend a lot as well? That would be very different if they said "you can get a ticket or you can donate the money to my wife's charity."
  - cmckn 6y ago
    I'm not handing the cop the money, sure; but I'm handing his employer the money (the city, the county, whatever). They're essentially saying "you can get a ticket or you can donate money to the city". The way this applies to someone who can't afford the ticket is a bigger problem, similar to cash bail. If you can't throw them some money, you get shafted 10x worse.
- bobby_bob 6y ago
  This was codified in my state's public transport fines. Pay on-the-spot (assuming you have a CC and funds) and it's $75, wait or contest it an it's $223. It was a system blatantly established to prevent people exercising their right to contest a fine. New government abolished this arrangement as it was blatantly unfair and illogical, and also reduced compliance. They also removed on-the-spot warnings and fines, having all interactions reported and justified-to and reviewed by a separate governing body before an infringement or warning is issued. Taking a great deal of power away from the transport officers. These all seem like pretty straightforward measures to avoid corrupt or even just unfair practices.
mNovak 6y ago
In the same category of the "Unhooking fee" a tow truck will charge--you can pick up your car from impound for $200, or you can pay the tow driver $200 on the spot and save the hassle. Though obviously lesser significance than the same behaviors from your police force.
- sokoloff 6y ago
  To be honest, it seems like if a tow truck had to be called out to tow you, the tow company has earned something even if they didn’t tow you to impound.
  - mNovak 6y ago
    Depends, there's plenty of cases in some cities where the tow trucks aren't called, they just prowl around for any minor infraction. I remember Columbus OH being particularly bad about this--things that in a normal world might warrant a parking ticket, you're towed in minutes.
- RandomBacon 6y ago
  If you get in the vehicle, their power over you grearly diminishes as they can't tow a vehicle with a person in it.

by kemayo 6y ago

bathtub365 6y ago

I'd rather give my money to an insurance company than corrupt cops.

throwaway0a5e 6y ago
I'd pick a lawyer over either. At least he has to make a living delivering results. The other two have their existence perpetuated by law.
- ksm1717 6y ago
  I mean you could argue that LAWyers literally exist because of law. Or at least perpetuated by the other two options which are perpetuated by law.
  - Yetanfou 6y ago
    Doesn't that work the other way around as well, as in LAWs come to life or stay in place because of LAWyers? Both due to the rather large percentage of lawyers who end up in politics as well as due to lawyers using their powers of persuasion - monetary or otherwise - to influence law makers?
- kelnos 6y ago
  The prevalence and prestige of the law profession only started (in the US) in the late 1800s because of the rise of complicated, business-friendly contract law that made highly-trained lawyers a necessity for getting things done. The laws were used primarily to enforce burdensome contracts against workers and individuals, and protect businesses from holding up their end of the bargain. I'd say that period was likely the birth of the American tendency toward litigiousness. The legal profession exists and is so lucrative specifically because of the shape of government and the law.
rurp 6y ago
I've used a random traffic lawyer a couple times for stupid speed trap tickets. The process was really fast and they got the fine knocked down quite a bit. I'd much rather pay $100 each to a lawyer and the city, than pay the city $250. The only reason cities and towns abuse speed traps is that it's profitable. If the costs exceed the money they bring in they might shift those resources to real crimes and fix the artificially low speed limits.

cmckn 6y ago

I think this sort of "we'll give you a pass on this one if you just pay the ticket" is a super gross practice. I recently got a camera citation for not stopping completely behind the line before turning right on red. Fine was $125. If I paid the fine, it would be treated as a parking ticket. If not, it would be a moving violation and points would hit my license, if I lost the case. I feel like, if a cop thinks I broke the law, they should stand behind that. If $125 convinces the cop that I didn't really break the law, that sounds like corruption to me.

luckylion 6y ago
If you're paying a ticket, you're not paying the cop though, that's not corruption. They're saying "we've got you, but here's an offer because we don't think we can convict you of the big thing, or because you've been doing this for the first time". You can take it and pay your dues, or you can fight. But then they might fight as well. There's no reason why the state should go to court over every infraction. You hopefully learned a lesson about stopping the car, why should the state spend thousands of dollars on a court case and make you spend a lot as well? That would be very different if they said "you can get a ticket or you can donate the money to my wife's charity."
- cmckn 6y ago
  I'm not handing the cop the money, sure; but I'm handing his employer the money (the city, the county, whatever). They're essentially saying "you can get a ticket or you can donate money to the city". The way this applies to someone who can't afford the ticket is a bigger problem, similar to cash bail. If you can't throw them some money, you get shafted 10x worse.
bobby_bob 6y ago
This was codified in my state's public transport fines. Pay on-the-spot (assuming you have a CC and funds) and it's $75, wait or contest it an it's $223. It was a system blatantly established to prevent people exercising their right to contest a fine. New government abolished this arrangement as it was blatantly unfair and illogical, and also reduced compliance. They also removed on-the-spot warnings and fines, having all interactions reported and justified-to and reviewed by a separate governing body before an infringement or warning is issued. Taking a great deal of power away from the transport officers. These all seem like pretty straightforward measures to avoid corrupt or even just unfair practices.

mNovak 6y ago

In the same category of the "Unhooking fee" a tow truck will charge--you can pick up your car from impound for $200, or you can pay the tow driver $200 on the spot and save the hassle. Though obviously lesser significance than the same behaviors from your police force.

sokoloff 6y ago
To be honest, it seems like if a tow truck had to be called out to tow you, the tow company has earned something even if they didn’t tow you to impound.
- mNovak 6y ago
  Depends, there's plenty of cases in some cities where the tow trucks aren't called, they just prowl around for any minor infraction. I remember Columbus OH being particularly bad about this--things that in a normal world might warrant a parking ticket, you're towed in minutes.
RandomBacon 6y ago
If you get in the vehicle, their power over you grearly diminishes as they can't tow a vehicle with a person in it.