Advoce on a no seat belt ticket

[Guest]

First thing, I am a proud wife of a police
officer and Navy reservist. I understand the frustration of getting a ticket;
especially when you’ve really done nothing. But try and see the
situation from my side – my husband puts his life on the line everyday
for less than 50K a year (and we’re not in a little town – we’re
in Memphis, TN). His sole goal is to come home safely
to his family every night. The most dangerous calls he makes are domestic
violence and routine traffic stops. More officers are killed answering these
types than any other.

Quotas – they do not have them; they
are illegal. However, if you’ve been patrolling the streets for 8 hours
and not written one ticket they know you’re not doing your job. Anybody
that drives knows you can find multiple offenders within 8 hours.

I don’t necessarily agree with all
the laws either but that’s what they are – the law. He raised his
hand and took an oath to uphold the law – all of them, he doesn’t
get to pick and choose. If you don’t agree with or like the law, lobby
to have it changed. That is a right of all citizens.

“The cops don’t obey traffic
laws, why should I?” I’ve heard this one so many times! I know
for a fact that officers speed and run stop signs/traffic lights. Most people
wonder why they don’t have their lights and sirens on. For some calls,
that will actually do more harm than good. For instance, there are times when
you silently go to a call so as not to advertise your presence to the
offenders. This could save the officers life.

Now before I get blasted for sharing my
opinion, I know there are bad cops out there. They get the most press time!
But I would wager that 90% of them are great guys that only want to work their
shift, make a difference in their communities and get home to see their
families in one piece.

Go to court or not? This will strictly be
your choice. I know here in Memphis,
if you go to court and are found guilty you have to pay the ticket PLUS the
court fees. Do you have a witness? That might help your case. Don’t
bank on it that the officer might not show up. My hubby makes court every
month; it’s part of his job. Decide whether it will be worth your time
and money to take off and go down there or just to pay the fine. Believe it or
not, I’ve gotten tickets (yes, we’re not exempt) and I just paid
it. Of course, I knew I was guilty for speeding, too, LOL!!

Memphis seatbelt law – they can’t stop you for only not having
a seatbelt. There has to be a moving violation and then the seatbelt becomes a
secondary ticket. You might want to check out the laws in your state.

Another tip – (and I’m not
assuming anyone acts this way, it’s just what I’ve heard DH tell
others) always give the utmost respect for the officer. Use manners (ma’am
and sir) and answer honestly if they ask “do you know why I stopped you?”
if you really know why. He will usually let them go if they just say “I’m
sorry, sir, I know I was speeding”, etc. Of course, he will still run
the license for warrants but that just covers his behind.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday
season!

Yolonda
12.0pt;color:

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