Can my Dashcam get me out of this speeding ticket?

[WilliamG]

This means the cop didn't show up.

Seems like a leap? How do you know?

 

[cpa]

Seems like a leap? How do you know?

Your lawyer should have explained what happened to you. That should be part of his/her fee for handling your defense.

The City needs to prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. This means witnesses (the cop) and evidence to prove the City's citation. This evidence must be able to be cross-examined by the defense. If the cop is a no-show, he cannot testify, nor can your lawyer cross-examine him.

Perhaps the rules of criminal procedure in Washington require motions to suppress if key percipient witnesses do not attend court to testify. Once the motion to suppress is granted, there is no evidence, and the case is dismissed.

Of course there could be other relevant evidence like the calibration records of the radar gun used to clock your speed. If the cop was fuzzy on the facts because of surrounding vehicles and the prolonged period of time that had elapsed between citation and trial, that might also weigh on the judge's decision to declare the witness incompetent and suppress all his testimony after a motion from your lawyer.

But the odds favor a no-show on the cop.

 

[WilliamG]

Your lawyer should have explained what happened to you. That should be part of his/her fee for handling your defense.

Well, that was the explanation I got, without going into too much detail. Curiosity did get the better of me, so I called the office and asked for more information, and they won't tell me, which was... interesting to say the least. The reasoning I got is because they don't want to give out the information "publicly" on how to fight a speeding ticket. Yeah, your initial response to reading that is my initial response. The lady did tell me the motion to suppress is usually the speed camera/RADAR thingy - how they get to suppress that is beyond me.

So.. yeah.

 

[whatthe2]

Well, that was the explanation I got, without going into too much detail. Curiosity did get the better of me, so I called the office and asked for more information, and they won't tell me, which was... interesting to say the least. The reasoning I got is because they don't want to give out the information "publicly" on how to fight a speeding ticket. Yeah, your initial response to reading that is my initial response. The lady did tell me the motion to suppress is usually the speed camera/RADAR thingy - how they get to suppress that is beyond me.

So.. yeah.

Congrats. Are you willing to share how much this cost you to fight it? Just curious, but if not I understand. Thx for the update.

 

[cpa]

Well, that was the explanation I got, without going into too much detail. Curiosity did get the better of me, so I called the office and asked for more information, and they won't tell me, which was... interesting to say the least. The reasoning I got is because they don't want to give out the information "publicly" on how to fight a speeding ticket. Yeah, your initial response to reading that is my initial response. The lady did tell me the motion to suppress is usually the speed camera/RADAR thingy - how they get to suppress that is beyond me.

So.. yeah.

This is so wrong. Speed limits and enforcement are for public safety. (At least that is what has been pounded into my head my entire life.) We have a City that is eager to promote public safety by apprehending scofflaws who do not comply with the speed limits in a congested location. Yet the City apparently does not wish to spend the money on maintaining or upgrading their speed detection devices to be able to prove that one was speeding through the airport. The City does not want to air its dirty laundry and dissembles information to the public in order to avoid reductions in traffic fine revenues.

I bet if you were to follow the money collected from these fines at the airport, you would see that a lot of those funds are diverted into other agencies or departments. Very little is reinvested at the source of the infraction, other than to pay some of the enforcing officer's wages. Typical bureaucratic and political hi jinks.

Glad you beat the rap!

 

[davewill]

Well, that was the explanation I got, without going into too much detail. Curiosity did get the better of me, so I called the office and asked for more information, and they won't tell me, which was... interesting to say the least. The reasoning I got is because they don't want to give out the information "publicly" on how to fight a speeding ticket. Yeah, your initial response to reading that is my initial response. The lady did tell me the motion to suppress is usually the speed camera/RADAR thingy - how they get to suppress that is beyond me.

So.. yeah.

You may be able to request a copy of the motion and the transcript of the trial from the court. It should be public record.

 

[DrDabbles]

Seems like a leap? How do you know?

Experience, and the fact that you're innocent until proven guilty and the burden of proof is on the state. Cops not showing up accounts for the overwhelming majority of dismissed tickets. Around me, there are a couple cops that make a point of showing up to 100% of their contested tickets and they never lose.

Well, that was the explanation I got, without going into too much detail. Curiosity did get the better of me, so I called the office and asked for more information, and they won't tell me, which was... interesting to say the least. The reasoning I got is because they don't want to give out the information "publicly" on how to fight a speeding ticket. Yeah, your initial response to reading that is my initial response. The lady did tell me the motion to suppress is usually the speed camera/RADAR thingy - how they get to suppress that is beyond me.

So.. yeah.

This is utter nonsense. You've paid them to represent you. Court proceedings are public matters, so it's not a secret in any way.

When they file a motion to suppress radar, they usually challenge the veracity of the radar result- How recently was the device calibrated, how recent is the operator's training, what other factors may have made the result invalid, and so on. Again, around me the cops that make it a point to show up to court have dotted their Is and crossed their Ts. They make sure they have calibration data available, training frequency documented, and so on. When that happens, there's zero chance of beating the ticket.