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- Do cops have a ticket quota?
Strictly speaking, no they do not. However, as with some jobs, a cop's performance is evaluated
on a regular basis. If a cop issued 50 tickets every month for the past year, he is expected to issue
at least 50 for the following evaluation period. If he issues less, his evaluation will suffer. Like all human beings, cops want to get promoted at their job, so it is in their best interest to match or
exceed their own ticket "quota". However, it is fair to say that at the end of the month (or
evaluation period), many cops feel forced to hand out more tickets so they can get a favorable
evaluation.
- What is ticket-fixing?
A ticket is not written in stone. Changing the ticket so it is less serious is known as "fixing" a
ticket. If you know someone in court, or have a friend who is a cop, or a relative who works in
the criminal justice system, you can ask them to "fix" a ticket. There are a lot of tickets fixed
behind the scenes in courts all over the country.
- Why do they have to give tickets?
First of all it's the law. And secondly, it's economics. Traffic tickets bring in a lot of money for
the government. It is estimated that the revenue from tickets is one billion dollars every year. And
cops know they are protecting their own salaries when they write tickets.
- Why do cops always ask, "Do you know why I stopped you?"
The cop's general purpose is to get you to admit your guilt. Once you admit you're guilty, your
goose is cooked. That's why it's important that you never admit to anything, and you do not
discuss the details of your charge with the cop. His purpose is: To get you to state that you were
speeding.
- What is traffic school?
Most states have a Driver Safety Class that minor violators can attend. If you agree to go to
traffic school, the court will dismiss your ticket and the DMV will not use the ticket as a point
count, nor will they release the information to your insurance company. If a ticket will mean a loss of your license, then you should immediately agree to enroll in traffic school. The single clear advantage of traffic school is that it offers guaranteed dismissal of your ticket. But it's not free. You will have to pay a fee, and you will have to spend eight hours in a class room. It's better than losing your license, however.
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