Traffic Court. Any city, any state, USA. Here is how they do it. They give you a ticket, then when you come to court an say not guilty, you have to wait while they process the people who admit guilt. Then after all that waiting, they give you a continuance.
They mail you a date. Mail, good as it is, does not always go where it is supposed to. All of us have received someone else's mail at one time or another, but it is legal for them to bet your freedom on the accuracy of the mail.
So if the mail does come, (in fairness to the post office, it usually does... USUALLY..) you have to return and wait again. Then get another continuance. Sometimes 3, or 4 and over periods as long as several months. Here is the kicker. You can come 4 times, but if you miss once, contempt of court, $250-$500 fee, plus guilty on the other charge. A $15 seat belt charge cost me $600 in fines
If you have the money, you will just pay it because it cost you too much time to keep coming back, or you might lose you job. They know that.
Recently, the economy forced people to stick to their guns and fight. But, eventually we miss the date and they send you to FTA (failure to appear) court.
They have so many people in this court they have to give extension to allow for payment of the fines. I was given until 2012 to pay my fines. Guess how much they were. It is a legal ripoff. And the courts use it to increase revenue.
I know people in Chicago, Indianapolis, New York and several cities around here in the Metro Atlanta area that this has happened to. Maybe not as bad as mine, but the rip process is the same.
0 comments