analyzerlx
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Massachusetts
I allegedly was tailgating someone around noon on Wednesday, 2/16/2011 (summary below). That same day a police officer showed up at my home two hours after the supposed incident (around 2:50 p.m.). The police officer is from the Groton Police Department, where I live, and said that another police department (Acton Police Department) called him to investigate. The police officer said that the person that reported me to the Acton Police Department was adamant I get a ticket.I told the policeman that I did not tailgate and if anything the person accusing me is the one that was following me too closely! The policeman talked to me for maybe ten minutes and then left. The officer said that the Acton Police Department called his department because I supposedly tailgated in Groton. The officer told me I would be hearing from him soon, which turned out to be false.
I did receive a citation in the mail that Saturday, 2/19/2011. The citing officer was a detective from the Acton Police Department. I was cited for two offenses: cmr 720 9.06 following too close tailgating $20 and 89-4A marked lane violation $100. that supposedly happened in Acton, by that time my accuser was actually behind me, tailgating me! Needless to say I am fighting that ticket, to add insult to injury I had to pay $25 to the registry of motor vehicles (rmv=dmv) in order to get a hearing!
I have never heard of paying to appear to fight a ticket. Either way I thought it was bad enough getting a ticket from a department that didn't even talk to me or see me allegedly break the law and took the opinion of another police officer in another jurisdiction that also did not personally see me allegedly break the law. My daughter comes home today, Tuesday- 3/22/2011, with the mail, to my horror I received something from Groton Police Department. I opened the envelop and there was a ticket from the Groton Police Department for following too closely, this time in Groton. The police officer that interviewed me that fateful day apparently decided to write me a ticket, too. this time it just took a while. The incident date is the same as the Acton ticket, but the date of the citation issuance is 3/19/2011, over a month after the alleged incident.
I have a few questions, first one is, "Can a police offer start an investigation on hearsay and write a citation. I can understand that an officer does not need to be present in order to write a ticket whenever there is a physical accident, but when a person reports of tailgating and then that alleged wrongdoer gets not just one, but two tickets, that seems doubly wrong!
The next question is, "Is it wrong for one department to issue a ticket based on the information provided by another department's report?" Mind you, my accuser apparently went to the Acton Police Department and reported that I had tailgated her in another town, Groton. Also, why did Acton issue a ticket the next day and the interviewing department waited over a month?
Lastly, "Is it legal and/or ethical to charge someone to have a hearing versus paying a ticket?" I can understand paying court fees if found guilty, but to charge $25 to schedule a hearing seems wrong, especially for poor people. After paying $25 for the Acton ticket, I can't imagine spending another $25 for a separate ticket. I know unethical doesn't always equate to illegal.
Summary: I was spending the day with my two younger kids (3 and 5) going to the Registry of Motor Vehicles getting my car registered. I had to get a safety inspection, so I was going down the main road looking for any station that could help me. When I was in Groton, I approached an intersection. I was in the left lane and my accuser was in the right lane, after going through the intersection a merge left sign tells people to merge. Both vehicles in the right lane floored it through the light and passed me up, I then followed those two speedsters on the two-lane road and unsurprisingly the two eventually were held back by slower traffic ahead. Well, I kept going and eventually another intersection came up where it opened to four-lanes again. I stayed in the left lane and my accuser for some reason chose the right lane. We both went through the intersection and I ended up in front, that apparently ticked my accuser off, she tailgated me and after a half-mile or so I pulled off and let her get in front of me, I have two kids in the minivan and you just can't tell what other people are capable of. I knew that the person in the other car was crazy after I pulled out into the side road, she waved her cell phone at me with a big smile. I didn't know how to take it at the time, but I was just happy to not be around her.
I allegedly was tailgating someone around noon on Wednesday, 2/16/2011 (summary below). That same day a police officer showed up at my home two hours after the supposed incident (around 2:50 p.m.). The police officer is from the Groton Police Department, where I live, and said that another police department (Acton Police Department) called him to investigate. The police officer said that the person that reported me to the Acton Police Department was adamant I get a ticket.I told the policeman that I did not tailgate and if anything the person accusing me is the one that was following me too closely! The policeman talked to me for maybe ten minutes and then left. The officer said that the Acton Police Department called his department because I supposedly tailgated in Groton. The officer told me I would be hearing from him soon, which turned out to be false.
I did receive a citation in the mail that Saturday, 2/19/2011. The citing officer was a detective from the Acton Police Department. I was cited for two offenses: cmr 720 9.06 following too close tailgating $20 and 89-4A marked lane violation $100. that supposedly happened in Acton, by that time my accuser was actually behind me, tailgating me! Needless to say I am fighting that ticket, to add insult to injury I had to pay $25 to the registry of motor vehicles (rmv=dmv) in order to get a hearing!
I have never heard of paying to appear to fight a ticket. Either way I thought it was bad enough getting a ticket from a department that didn't even talk to me or see me allegedly break the law and took the opinion of another police officer in another jurisdiction that also did not personally see me allegedly break the law. My daughter comes home today, Tuesday- 3/22/2011, with the mail, to my horror I received something from Groton Police Department. I opened the envelop and there was a ticket from the Groton Police Department for following too closely, this time in Groton. The police officer that interviewed me that fateful day apparently decided to write me a ticket, too. this time it just took a while. The incident date is the same as the Acton ticket, but the date of the citation issuance is 3/19/2011, over a month after the alleged incident.
I have a few questions, first one is, "Can a police offer start an investigation on hearsay and write a citation. I can understand that an officer does not need to be present in order to write a ticket whenever there is a physical accident, but when a person reports of tailgating and then that alleged wrongdoer gets not just one, but two tickets, that seems doubly wrong!
The next question is, "Is it wrong for one department to issue a ticket based on the information provided by another department's report?" Mind you, my accuser apparently went to the Acton Police Department and reported that I had tailgated her in another town, Groton. Also, why did Acton issue a ticket the next day and the interviewing department waited over a month?
Lastly, "Is it legal and/or ethical to charge someone to have a hearing versus paying a ticket?" I can understand paying court fees if found guilty, but to charge $25 to schedule a hearing seems wrong, especially for poor people. After paying $25 for the Acton ticket, I can't imagine spending another $25 for a separate ticket. I know unethical doesn't always equate to illegal.
Summary: I was spending the day with my two younger kids (3 and 5) going to the Registry of Motor Vehicles getting my car registered. I had to get a safety inspection, so I was going down the main road looking for any station that could help me. When I was in Groton, I approached an intersection. I was in the left lane and my accuser was in the right lane, after going through the intersection a merge left sign tells people to merge. Both vehicles in the right lane floored it through the light and passed me up, I then followed those two speedsters on the two-lane road and unsurprisingly the two eventually were held back by slower traffic ahead. Well, I kept going and eventually another intersection came up where it opened to four-lanes again. I stayed in the left lane and my accuser for some reason chose the right lane. We both went through the intersection and I ended up in front, that apparently ticked my accuser off, she tailgated me and after a half-mile or so I pulled off and let her get in front of me, I have two kids in the minivan and you just can't tell what other people are capable of. I knew that the person in the other car was crazy after I pulled out into the side road, she waved her cell phone at me with a big smile. I didn't know how to take it at the time, but I was just happy to not be around her.