few weeks ago i was pulled over for not stoping at a stop sign.. and i got a ticket for 1. stop sign, 2. tinted windows, and 3. no seat belt.. im pretty sure i stoped at the stop sign... and i was wearing my seatbelt but i took it off to see whats up.. my court dates next week... and i was thikning about getting it postponed.. this happend in chicago,Il.. whats a good strategy... postpone or not to post pone..

 

tinted windows is BS, although illegal i hate when cops make a big deal about it. The seat belt thing can easily be taken care of, with your arguement, or even if u r lying they have no proof that u aren't. The stop at the stop sign...i dont know what to say about that.

you can call the station sick or something but only thing u really need a fight for is the stop sign. i would just get it over with...

 

you're probably screwed on all of those tickets.


You can plead that you took the seatbelt off to see what's up but that is very unlikely to fly by the judge.. i bet he hears that one every day... and you can't prove it. it's your word against the officers.. who do you think they'll side with?

tinted windows thing is an equipment violation. you can only get it dismissed if you fix it.. get rid of your tints.. and still that may be too late now, usually, they give you 48 hours or something like that to fix it. (at least that's how it works in NY)

the stop sign is not going to be easy to fight.. you have no concrete evidence and once again, it's your word against the cops..

you need hard proof, physical evidence.. anything to get off...



you may as well postpone it..


there is a chance the officer will not show up to the hearing after some time has passed, or he may not have recollection or notes of the incident on him so you'll walk away free..

it's a small chance, but is worth taking..

i post poned my hearing about 10 months due to the large amount of court hearings.. i still had to face the cop and he did keep the notes.. but a lot of people there walked off because cops did not bring notes.

 

Hah...you think the law stops for illness? Here, you have to go down to the courthouse in person to get an extention. And you have to give a plausible reason.

I think the main hinging factor on those tickets would be the city prosecutor in the courtroom. For example, one prosecutor would not let a tint ticket go on me - even though someone at the law firm where I work knew him. I was like "I took the tint off...we can get an officer to go verify it. I can take pictures. Anything." "No, I would have to go see it in person. And I can't."

I tried again with him on my court date, same thing. Walked into the courtroom, told the prosecutor in there I had taken it off (which I had), she dismissed it immediately, no questions asked.

You could introduce yourself to the prosecutor before cases go in session and make a deal, like you'll take the stop sign if they dismiss the other two. As far as getting out of each individually, you may get out of the tint if you take it off, depending on local law. The seat belt and esp the stop sign, I dunno what it'd take to get off those.

 

If you want a postponement, you have to make a motion for a continuance. There is usually a form for that. Call the courthouse and ask for it.

Your best bet is definately to approach the prosecutor/DA before the actual appearance. Call ahead, show up early- anything to get 2 minutes of face-time. See if you can plead guilty to the seatbelt thing (even though you had it on), and if you can get the stop-sign ticket dropped, as well as trying to drop the tint ticket OR get the tint ticket turned into a fit-it ticket.

My $0.02...

 

This is Chicago we're talking about. Just go to court and hope that the cop doesn't show. I got a Class A Misdemeanor dismissed for speeding 37 MPH over the limit on Lake Shore Drive, so I'm pretty sure that your case will be fine. Just say that you were trying to get your wallet which was in your back pocket and you took the seat belt off to get to it. Second tell the judge that you were not aware of the tint law and that it's already removed. Third, Tell them that you did stop and than it's their word against yours. Chicago court is easy to win!

 

How about telling the truth?

 

Boring. Truth will get him to pay the fines.

 

Good man, provided you're serious and not being sarcastic.

When I got the photo ticket in DC not one person advised me to pay it. WTF we're talking about $75 for an offense that I committed. I manned up and paid. What's the difference between trying to get out of fines and hit-and-run, I mean figuratively, not literally?

 

i aggree with max7... thanks for the advice.. im going to take the front tint off and take pics of my car... and i did stop at the stop sign.. and i was wearing my seatbelt... i had my license in my glove departement.. so i had to take my seatbelt off to reach for it.. and she knows i had to look for it... i just hope she doesnt show up to court.. that would make my day.. im just 17 almost 18.. and i dont work... my parents have to pay for all my tickets... i hate this system...

 

 

Don't worry! You'll be fine.

 

"Fine" being the key word here.

I have had over 10 tickets in my life. I have only received breaks on the tickets I fessed up to and told the truth. The judge, or magistrate, will give breaks to polite and truthful young people that dont have a collection of tickets when they arrive.

Remove your tint? Why? Then you have to pay to have it put back on. How is that a cost savings?

Go in there, dressed nicely (not too nicely) speak to them respectfully, tell the truth, and ask for a break on the fines because you dont have a job (because you are in school, right?)

I garantee this will get you farther than making anything up, or peeling your tint and bringing pictures.

Let us know how it goes. Good luck!

 

I doubt you have been in Chicago Courts though. I've had more than ten tickets, and my record is clean. I always get out of a ticket. There is a way to solve your tint problem. I got my eye doctor to write me a note that sun bothers my eyes and now my tints are legal. Just go to Pearl or America's Best and get a note. Show the note in court. Case dismissed!

 

Max6856 is the one that is asking about his court date coming up.
max7 is the one saying he fought 10 tickets in Chicago court and won them all. Different people. You just answered to max7's post and he's not the one asking what to do. Max6856 is.

(Just clarifying).

 

Thanks for the heads up. I deleted the post.

 

thanks for clarifying that... wish me luck guys im going tommorw (tuesday)

 

No problem.

Personally, I would make sure to speak with the prosecutor and get a feel for him/her. If you can make a deal to reduce some of those fines and find it acceptable, go with it. If you find the prosecutor is a hard-as s and isn't willing to talk, I'd plead guilty with an explanation (if that exists in the USA). You'll still most likely get the fines but if you play your cards right being young and not having a prior record, you might be able to get some stuff reduced such as fines or entire tickets. In my experience, it's not worth fighting the system. Maybe max7 has been successful but that's rare.
Just my piece of advice. Take into account that I'm in Canada and things here could be very different.
Good luck!

 

Let us know how it went!

 

by the way... MAX7 what % is ur tint? and have u ever had problems with it? im thinking about going lighter on the front.

 

I have the lightest tint there is, but I live in DuPage county so I got stopped a lot. Until I went to my eye doctor and got the note, that says my eyes are sensitive to sunlight. My tints are actualy prescription. I BEAT THE SYSTEM!!!! Congrats you did too! I like the idea of bringing a witness. If you ever need any help beating tickets let me know. I think I've gotten them all except for DUI and I will never get one of those! Don't support drinking and driving!