Salaries vary by region. Along the coast, salaries tend to be higher as they are in major metropolitan areas that demand higher wages in order to be competitive. But, most those salaries are not high enough to allow those officers a good living within those communities, so many of them commute and hour or more from other locales further inland as the cost of living tends to be lower. This is also why most major cities do not have a police force that is comprised of residents.
When you get away from the coast, salaries plummet. That $73,000 figure is 50%+ higher than the top step of many of the agencies in the north state, and 25%+ higher than many in the central valley. So, while officers tend to get paid a decent wage, it's not always sufficient to live on in the more metropolitan communities. In fact, in my part of the state, officers with three or more children can and often are eligible for public assistance (as a note, as the second highest paid police officer in my agency, I was eligible for public assistance for my first three years here ... we didn't use it, but, we were eligible).
Though, when mentioning wages for what law enforcement does, how much would you want in order to do what we are called upon to do? Some say we get paid too much, others say, too little. I say we often don't get paid enough, but, I knew the wages going in and still chose to do it. But, given the current political climate and changes to wages and benefits that are being imposed, I will likely be retired in the next year (or sooner). Net wages have actually gone down in recent years as taxes have gone up, benefits and retirements costs have risen, public employees have been asked to take pay cuts to balance budgets, etc. My net base income has dropped about 11% over the past three years and will likely drop another 5-10% in two years when our contract expires (or more if pending legislation at the state level passes) ... so, when you take that into account, no, we don't get paid enough. ... But, I digress ...
As for a TBWD, there is a time limit on that so you might want to apply for that ASAP - and it may mean having to pony up the fines ahead of time. As for delaying the trial, the officer will get subpoeaned no matter the date you choose. He is no more or less likely to attend later in the year than he sooner. Keep in mind that the nature of shift work is such that we don't tend to get away for Holidays.
You should also consider seeking the officer's notes in discovery so that you have some idea of what the officer might testify to. What did HE see? You may well be delaying the inevitable. But, if all you have is a shot in the dark, what the heck? But, if you lose at trial, you might also lose the traffic school option and also have to pay an increase in auto insurance. That's a consideration as well.
