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Sadly, Illinois is broke and flipping over rocks in search of money. A law that was enacted to save lives is abused and utilized to create a revenue stream funded by an unsuspecting public.
Given your "out of state" status and the fact that he was just sitting idle, the officer could have used discretion and given you a pass after explaining the law.Instead, he became a toll collector.
Sorry, I don't have any recommendation on how to approach this. Hiring a lawyer may not help you and might just end up adding to the overall expense.
Last edited by allydriver; 12-01-2008 at 09:33 PM..
First, I am terribly sorry for your friend's senseless death. My son died in a similar vehicular accident. It is a terrible waste of life.
Now, I am going to plead ignorance; I don't know what the LEO is. IL is the sixth most populated state in the nation. I-55 and the corridor routes are always busy, but they are not any busier then the I-5 in LA or 1-35 in Dallas. This still comes down to the squad car with the flashing lights. I was taught at a very young age to proceed with caution under that circumstance and to avoid it if at all possible - unless doing so would kill me or others. Admittedly, I was not there at that time of the incident, but most of the new bars are halogen lights that can be plainly seen far enough away that most drivers should be able to safely merge into the outside lane under most conditions. You and I both know there are exceptions; this may be one such case. Unfortunately, ignorance of the law doesn't always hold water. The other side of the coin is we do not know why the lights were on, how long they were on, what the cops intent was,, nor what was incoming on the squawk.
Macks Creek, MO was a little town that survived on money from moving violations. The local cadre used agressive tactics and was finally charged with entrapment. But this practice did not come to light until a lot of angry motorists wrote and complained loudly to the governor and the newspapers. I tell you there was h*ll to pay and a big shake-up that was years overdue. Public outcry and negative press might be a good way to grease the squeeky wheels in Springfield.
Maybe this is what drivers in Illnois will have to do lf some of the police are running roughshod over the law. Let's not rush to judgement too quickly. It is possible that some of the tickets are deserved.
Last edited by linicx; 12-01-2008 at 10:23 PM..
Reason: edit
Location: Democratic Peoples Republic of Redneckistan
11,078 posts, read 15,095,649 times
Reputation: 3937
Quote:
Originally Posted by linicx
First, I am terribly sorry for your friend's senseless death. My son died in a similar vehicular accident. It is a terrible waste of life.
Now, I am going to plead ignorance; I don't know what the LEO is. IL is the sixth most populated state in the nation. I-55 and the corridor routes are always busy, but they are not any busier then the I-5 in LA or 1-35 in Dallas. This still comes down to the squad car with the flashing lights. I was taught at a very young age to proceed with caution under that circumstance and to avoid it if at all possible - unless doing so would kill me or others. Admittedly, I was not there at that time of the incident, but most of the new bars are halogen lights that can be plainly seen far enough away that most drivers should be able to safely merge into the outside lane under most conditions. You and I both know there are exceptions; this may be one such case. Unfortunately, ignorance of the law doesn't always hold water. The other side of the coin is we do not know why the lights were on, how long they were on, what the cops intent was,, nor what was incoming on the squawk.
Macks Creek, MO was a little town that survived on money from moving violations. The local cadre used agressive tactics and was finally charged with entrapment. But this practice did not come to light until a lot of angry motorists wrote and complained loudly to the governor and the newspapers. I tell you there was h*ll to pay and a big shake-up that was years overdue. Public outcry and negative press might be a good way to grease the squeeky wheels in Springfield.
Maybe this is what drivers in Illnois will have to do lf some of the police are running roughshod over the law. Let's not rush to judgement too quickly. It is possible that some of the tickets are deserved.
I am sorry for your loss too and I apologize for coming off so strong to you.MY fault entirely.LEO is Law Enforcement Officer.
I'm very disgusted with IL law enforcement and have been for some time now.Our area is torn up with meth heads,but we have idiots like the trooper that stopped the OP wasting our tax money while I'll guarantee you a meth lab was going within a few miles of him in any direction he pointed as he hassled this fellow.
I do agree with you on a vast majority of the tickets are deserved and more folks get a break than don't ,but you have your idiot cops out there too that play games like the one mentioned.If you happen to take a trip down I-57 from around the 30 mm marker south to the Mo border you can REALLY get a taste of what a pack of inbred officers are all about(cue the theme from Deliverance).Most jurisdictions have good cops with a couple of bad ones thrown in the mix,that outfit doesn't even have one good one from what I've heard from other officers for years now.Thieves and bandits with badges basically and no oversight.
Springfield HAS heard about our county AND the crew farther south many times because it's in the papers every so often that such and such is being investigated,but so far nothing has happened.Time will tell I guess.
No harm. :-) I read a lot of your posts because I like what you say. I'm sure we'll cross swords again because we are who we are. It should not stop us from being kind to each other. I've driven in 3 countries and many of the mega-metro areas in the US, lived in six states, many of which have the worst drivers inthe world, got lost in the wrong part of LA at 4am and did it accident free because I practice defensive, courteous driving. I learned how, of all places, on the Outer Drive in Chicago in Monday morning rush hour traffic. Those lessons, and the grace pf G_d saved my life more than once. I understand you anger. I've seen some terrible accidents and Kops that should be desk jocks.
I have an idea. Let's nomininate your 'friends' for Gene Pool Rejects of the year awards and give them the publicity they so richly deserve.
Good luck and I hope it works out for you.I hope you beat it because I have seen them pulling this same stunt on rural highways and imo it is VERY dangerous.Maybe if enough tickets get thrown out they'll move on to something else equally as assinine.They have REALLY cracked down on pickup trucks that have a trailer ball on their bumper saying that it obstructs the view of the plate numbers.ANY excuse to get your money without them having to work for it is becoming their motto.
Do you think I should get a lawyer? thanks for your help!
Do you think I should get a lawyer? thanks for your help!
You must be a good citizen if this concerns you so much. i wish most citizens of the chicago area were like you. many would just say screw it and not even show up or even care in the first place. look at the lengths that you are going to, that's impressive and i commend you for that.
i am pretty confident that Illinois would have the option of the person who received the ticket paying the full and entire fine amount by pleading guilty. This way the state gets their much needed money plus they don't waste valuable court time when Illinois' courts are already filled to the brim and backed up beyond belief. And if they don't have that option, it's beyond idiotic and borderline harassment because what is the point of mandatory court if the person who gets the ticket pays in full? a traffic infraction such as this, that resulted in zero injuries, should not require a court date at all. what a waste of time and tax dollars for everyone involved. especially, for that cop to go and waste half a day in a courtroom for something as minor as this. but hey, it gets him out of the cold and he can see all of his buddies at court.
You must be a good citizen if this concerns you so much. i wish most citizens of the chicago area were like you. many would just say screw it and not even show up or even care in the first place. look at the lengths that you are going to, that's impressive and i commend you for that.
i am pretty confident that Illinois would have the option of the person who received the ticket paying the full and entire fine amount by pleading guilty. This way the state gets their much needed money plus they don't waste valuable court time when Illinois' courts are already filled to the brim and backed up beyond belief. And if they don't have that option, it's beyond idiotic and borderline harassment because what is the point of mandatory court if the person who gets the ticket pays in full? a traffic infraction such as this, that resulted in zero injuries, should not require a court date at all. what a waste of time and tax dollars for everyone involved. especially, for that cop to go and waste half a day in a courtroom.
This whole thing disgusts me which is why I putting so much effort into this. In fact I am now on a mission. I have sent letters to the governor and other state officials indicating that I am planning to publicize this abusive practice far and wide to further the negative image of Illinois law enforcement. This story will be on 60 minutes before I get done.
This whole thing disgusts me which is why I putting so much effort into this. In fact I am now on a mission. I have sent letters to the governor and other state officials indicating that I am planning to publicize this abusive practice far and wide to further the negative image of Illinois law enforcement. This story will be on 60 minutes before I get done.
Thanks for your comments and suggestions.
That is excellent and impressive. I wish all american citizens had the fire in their belly that you do, our country would be in a better state than it is today if that were the case.
just remember who you are dealing with...you have probably heard about "Chicago" politics and illinois politics. they are crooked as can be. and remember, Illinois' previous Governor is in Prison and has been for years...that should tell you all you need to know about Illinois' politicians. Good Luck though! and that shouldn't discourage you, just recognize the ineptitude that you are up against.
Just an FYI...i work in the loop for the state and am typing this on a government computer as we speak! so i know first hand...
[1] I would talk to the District Attorney's office first because they can dismiss. [2] Pay your fine because it is cheaper than returning to IL to appear, or, hiring an attorney. .
Location: Democratic Peoples Republic of Redneckistan
11,078 posts, read 15,095,649 times
Reputation: 3937
Quote:
Originally Posted by linicx
[1] I would talk to the District Attorney's office first because they can dismiss. [2] Pay your fine because it is cheaper than returning to IL to appear, or, hiring an attorney. .
Linicx is right on the money Bob...I would speak with the SA's office first and there's a slim chance (but still a chance is better than no chance at all) that you MAY be able to get it dropped...IF that happens,get it sent to you in writing to avoid possible future trouble....UNFORTUNATELY Lin is also right about paying the fine being cheaper and that's the unfair part of the scam they ran on you,they KNOW that it's cheaper to pay than to fight it for an out of stater....If you were here with time to kill you could aggrevate the heck out of them by pleading not guilty,asking for a trial by jury and dragging it out.It's getting harder all the time for cops to get a jury to side with them and especially with all the traffic harrassment going on right now in this area.
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