I received a parking ticket while I was staying over at my boyfriend's house a few Saturdays ago. The ticket stated that I was being fined for parking overnight (2AM-6AM). I will be meeting the officer who gave me the ticket this Friday to contest the ticket based on the street sign which states that parking is prohibited for more than 4 hours at a time EXCEPT on weekends and holidays. Apparently my boyfriend's village has this weird (to me) law that people who don't live there aren't aware of, namely no overnight parking on the street. (The city I live in has no such rule, I park my car outside of my house all the time.)
How do I properly reason with the officer so he waives the ticket? I don't want to go into a wordy discourse, which I am prone to doing, and don't want to do anything to tick him off. Help?
2007-07-11 05:44:57 · 5 answers · asked by Kit K 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
Once the officer has written the ticket, the issue is out of his hands. You need to contest the ticket with the court. Take a picture of the sign and show it to the judge. Tell him why you were parked there. Tell him you complied with the posted limits of parking. Hopefully he will see it your way.
I see posting one parking rule while another exists to be the same as posting a speed limit of 55 and then charging people with speeding for violation an un-seen and un-posted lower speed limit.
2007-07-11 05:51:55 · answer #1 · answered by davidmi711 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A strong word of advice: don't dispute it with the officer.
Your place to make such a dispute is in traffic court. Go to court. Don't be afraid. The judge is no doubt used to hearing from average citizens who wish to dispute the charge. That's what the court is for.
Take a picture of the sign and make sure that the ticket shows the day/date and time of the violation. I did this once and got the fine cut in half because (they argued that I should have known even though the posted sign didn't specify the restriction I was ticketed for. But that was the reason the fine was reduced...It's a long story.)
If you try to argue with the officer, you might be buying yourself a whole other kind of trouble.
2007-07-11 05:51:13 · answer #2 · answered by Mister J 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Unless the fine is prohibitively high, I do not usually contest parking tickets. However, if your statement here is accurate, and there is no sign stating the law that you should have seen, you have a good case. You should explain it just as you did and ask him how you could have known that law? Are there any other secret laws you should know about in this town?
I don't know if you can talk him out of a ticket but you certainly may challenge it in court. If you do, bring plenty of proof such as phonographs or video that proves there is no sign.
.
2007-07-11 05:53:14 · answer #3 · answered by Jacob W 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
All you can do is ask him nicely. Ignorance of a law is not a defense - even in parking tickets. If you were in violation he doesn't have to waive it.
Good Luck.
2007-07-11 05:50:34 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Refuse to pay it, it is a bogus charge, and demand a trial, even if you lose you had your day in court!
2007-07-11 05:52:48 · answer #5 · answered by samhillesq 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋