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Friend in high school got pulled over with me in the car for speeding. The officer said he was doing 79km/hr in a 50 zone. (He was going a little fast but not

by mattm 12y ago

Friend in high school got pulled over with me in the car for speeding. The officer said he was doing 79km/hr in a 50 zone. (He was going a little fast but not that fast). My friend, having been pulled over before, asked to see the radar gun reading and the cop told him "I deleted it." Fortunately, my friend contested it in court and won because the police are supposed to show you the evidence if you ask for it.

XorNot 12y ago
This is where body cams change things - the police can lose footage all they want. The fact they did will be hugely prejudicial to court case outcomes. It means good cops get the results, and to boot some immunity to complaints from people just looking to avoid a legitimate ticket. Its a net gain for everyone.
- Cthulhu_ 12y ago
  Yeah this - unless an officer can prove he was right by showing the camera footage, unfair cases can go right out the window. A lot of evidence in smaller cases (like speeding tickets) are based on 'because the officer saw it', which IMO is no longer valid - since a lot of police officers are falsely handing out tickets and whatnot.
johnlong 12y ago
"He was going a little fast but not that fast" Ok, so he was only a "little" bit selfishly endangering everyone else on the road. Your friend is an asshole, and the cop is doing me a favour by doing whatever he can to your friend. Good on him.
- BorgHunter 12y ago
  The legal system in the United States (and most first world nations) is built around the idea that it is far better to let an illegal act go unpunished than it is to take away the rights of an innocent person. Is it really worth throwing away that fundamental principle for something as petty as a speeding ticket?
  - johnlong 12y ago
    Speeding isn't petty. It's entirely grotesquely selfish and arrogant. Our democratic system of elected representatives of our society has made it clear to you that you are expected to drive no faster than a limit. You have decided you're better than that and you can drive faster, and fuck everyone else, no matter what the consequences. I say ban for life anyone who speeds.
    - tim333 12y ago
      I think pretty much 100% of drivers have broken some speed limit at some time. So you are suggesting banning all drivers for ever?
    - biafra 12y ago
      I always wonder why the traffic lights in Germany (and other countries I guess) are operated in a way that you have green all the way when you drive 10-15km/h above the speed limit. Depending on the time of day. You can get a ticket for being 1km/h above the limit but you only get (permanent record) points in Flensburg if you're 21km/h above the limit within city limits. I guess everybody is fine if drivers go above the limit up to 20km/h. It seems to me the speed limit in Germany are always set with that buffer (10%) in mind.
      - johnlong 12y ago
        This is the problem. People know the law, but they justify their ignoring it with some vague ideas of "seems to me".
    - DannyBee 12y ago
      "Our democratic system of elected representatives of our society has made it clear to you that you are expected to drive no faster than a limit. " Actually, society has made clear exactly the opposite. Speeding is the classic example of illegal but not abhorrent behavior.
      - tptacek 12y ago
- jmulho 12y ago
  Ah yes, and you have never exceeded the speed limit yourself. We all believe that. Add yourself to your list of assholes.
- mgleason_3 12y ago
  You're joking right? Anyone who's watched the lowering of speed limits knows they're set 10MPH too slow so that the cops can say you were definitively speeding. So, no, his friend isn't "an asshole". He was merely approaching the speed he should be driving. The US has far too many laws. Many exist to simply ensure a consistent stream of income and people for the growing police/court/incarceration complex and their public employee unions. The laws are enforced inequitably - on some portions of the population far more than others (what happened to "EQUAL JUSTICE"?) We could remove 80% of them tomorrow and see no change.

by mattm 12y ago

XorNot 12y ago

This is where body cams change things - the police can lose footage all they want. The fact they did will be hugely prejudicial to court case outcomes. It means good cops get the results, and to boot some immunity to complaints from people just looking to avoid a legitimate ticket. Its a net gain for everyone.

Cthulhu_ 12y ago
Yeah this - unless an officer can prove he was right by showing the camera footage, unfair cases can go right out the window. A lot of evidence in smaller cases (like speeding tickets) are based on 'because the officer saw it', which IMO is no longer valid - since a lot of police officers are falsely handing out tickets and whatnot.

johnlong 12y ago

"He was going a little fast but not that fast" Ok, so he was only a "little" bit selfishly endangering everyone else on the road. Your friend is an asshole, and the cop is doing me a favour by doing whatever he can to your friend. Good on him.

BorgHunter 12y ago
The legal system in the United States (and most first world nations) is built around the idea that it is far better to let an illegal act go unpunished than it is to take away the rights of an innocent person. Is it really worth throwing away that fundamental principle for something as petty as a speeding ticket?
- johnlong 12y ago
  Speeding isn't petty. It's entirely grotesquely selfish and arrogant. Our democratic system of elected representatives of our society has made it clear to you that you are expected to drive no faster than a limit. You have decided you're better than that and you can drive faster, and fuck everyone else, no matter what the consequences. I say ban for life anyone who speeds.
  - tim333 12y ago
    I think pretty much 100% of drivers have broken some speed limit at some time. So you are suggesting banning all drivers for ever?
  - biafra 12y ago
    I always wonder why the traffic lights in Germany (and other countries I guess) are operated in a way that you have green all the way when you drive 10-15km/h above the speed limit. Depending on the time of day. You can get a ticket for being 1km/h above the limit but you only get (permanent record) points in Flensburg if you're 21km/h above the limit within city limits. I guess everybody is fine if drivers go above the limit up to 20km/h. It seems to me the speed limit in Germany are always set with that buffer (10%) in mind.
    - johnlong 12y ago
      This is the problem. People know the law, but they justify their ignoring it with some vague ideas of "seems to me".
  - DannyBee 12y ago
    "Our democratic system of elected representatives of our society has made it clear to you that you are expected to drive no faster than a limit. " Actually, society has made clear exactly the opposite. Speeding is the classic example of illegal but not abhorrent behavior.
    - tptacek 12y ago
jmulho 12y ago
Ah yes, and you have never exceeded the speed limit yourself. We all believe that. Add yourself to your list of assholes.
mgleason_3 12y ago
You're joking right? Anyone who's watched the lowering of speed limits knows they're set 10MPH too slow so that the cops can say you were definitively speeding. So, no, his friend isn't "an asshole". He was merely approaching the speed he should be driving. The US has far too many laws. Many exist to simply ensure a consistent stream of income and people for the growing police/court/incarceration complex and their public employee unions. The laws are enforced inequitably - on some portions of the population far more than others (what happened to "EQUAL JUSTICE"?) We could remove 80% of them tomorrow and see no change.