If the mods have a problem with any of the information contained herein, please edit or remove as necessary or let me know to do so. Although this is specifically for you guys in Los Angeles County who get tickets, some of this can be used if you are elsewhere, here is some advice that helped me beat quite a few tickets so far.
Websites that helped me fight tickets:
http://www.helpigotaticket.com
For Red Light Cameras and general info:
http://www.highwayrobbery.net
To pay someone to do it for you:
http://www.tickethelp.com/
http://www.tixnix.com
Most of what I say here is paraphrased from Geo McCalip's site (the first link), and he helped me via e-mail a whole bunch.
Getting the ticket:
Remain Calm and talk in a smooth manner, as the more polite you are, the more forgetful the officer tends to be. Officers remember idiots and dicks. Understand the charges, and sign the ticket, in most cases the officer's badge number and name will be on the ticket, so no real need to ask for those. If he doesn't write it, and say you want to lodge a complaint or something, you can always find out later on through the local DA, as by law they are required to provide you with all the details (including notes the officer wrote down) if requested by you to defend yourself.
Know the dates and options.
Imperative to know the due dates of all tickets. You may or may not receive a courtesy notice. Go online to www.lasuperiorcourt.org and check online to see if the ticket has been registered. I got a free re-trial once 2 months after the extension due date for my moms ticket because the clerk input the WRONG address, thereby she never received a notice or a conviction. Plus the ticket listed her as MALE. At first the clerk tried to pin it on me, but after I showed them the certified mail receipt, and the fact that the address on the ticket itself was correct and the one in their system was not, they let me resubmit it.
Get an Extension:
In LA County, you are entitled to one 60 day extension. This can be done online.
Get a Trial By Declaration:
You must pay the bail amount in full if you do this, but I would recommend that you do it if you can afford it.
File your Trial By Declaration:
All you have to do is write up that you are not guilty and you stand by it. If you have a story or evidence and think you can win, go ahead, but remember the judge can use it against you even if the officer does not submit a declaration. File the Declaration using the CORRECT address (Attention: Clerk of the Court, Traffic Division usually works well) with Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested. If you have time, go down to the court and do it in person. Once you turn it in, the officer is subpoenaed for his statement and is given the same amount of time (30 days) to submit it. If he does not, you should win by default.
If you Lose:
If you lose the trial by Declaration, in LA county you are entitled to a Trial De Novo, literally meaning all new trial. Anything in the Trial By declaration is Thrown out and cannot be used against you. Basically, by getting a Trial by Declaration first, you get 2 trials for the price of one! If you file for a trial de novo, you MUST show up in person on the day of the trial. I have never personally had to go this far, but I should say that you should be prepared!
Prepare your case:
Call the local DA who will be prosecuting your case and request the information (a motion of discovery I think). If the DA ignores your motion, it is grounds for dismissal. You can make it a big deal to you and try to plea with the officer, as they are human too. If that doesn't help, plea with the DA. Be careful if attempting this though, as you can do more harm than good if you approach it wrong. If you make it a big deal (which for me it is, even a small ticket) they might be more inclined to take pity on you or reduce the charge. If you decide not to do this, then go about preparing your case against the officer.
The rest can be found in detail on helpigotaticket.com. The guy who runs the website (Geo McCalip) generally replies within a reasonable amount of time. I tend to believe the fact of the matter is that the court system is so backlogged, things tend to fall through the cracks and since most people take a "fuck it" attitude, they give the government their hard earned money for essentially running a fleecing operation.
I've also got some case law studies I once bought from one of those defend your own ticket websites a long time ago. If you want it, I can make a copy of what I have on disc (you pay for postage), or try to send it to you, it's a fairly large pdf file with a bunch of case law studies, includes some of the most popular defense strategies (most likely what most internet e-book sellers are peddling right now), although it might be a bit outdated by now. This guy: http://fight-the-speeding-ticket.com/, his is $20, and he guarantees it will work. He's got a bunch of flashy advertising, but what tells me its more close to a scam is the fact he uses a simple timer, and a lot of flash ads to instill a sense of urgency. Only 9 copies? Pfft. Don't e-mail me if they're sold out? Double Pfft. You can make infinite copies, and if you could, why would you limit yourself? I might buy one just to see what it contains.
The last few tickets I faced:
My last ticket I never faced in court, I got it "running" from a cop. I got a bit hotheaded and cocky on another forum about it because I was angry at him, but in retrospect it was interesting, since the cop never filed the ticket, I went as far as to go to the Sheriff's station to see if they had the ticket on file, and nope. Maybe he lost it, maybe he was a nice guy and never filed it, who knows?
I just beat a ticket for my mom for not stopping at a stop sign. Cost: $381.
I beat another ticket (Over a year ago now) with paper violations (no insurance, no regs, modded exhaust, and a moving violation) by delaying it and delaying it and beating with a trial by dec. Cost: $1059.
If you want to ask me personally for help, I don't know as much as Geo, but I am willing to help you if I can. You can reach me via e-mail at DetroitIron@gmail.com.
Websites that helped me fight tickets:
http://www.helpigotaticket.com
For Red Light Cameras and general info:
http://www.highwayrobbery.net
To pay someone to do it for you:
http://www.tickethelp.com/
http://www.tixnix.com
Most of what I say here is paraphrased from Geo McCalip's site (the first link), and he helped me via e-mail a whole bunch.
Getting the ticket:
Remain Calm and talk in a smooth manner, as the more polite you are, the more forgetful the officer tends to be. Officers remember idiots and dicks. Understand the charges, and sign the ticket, in most cases the officer's badge number and name will be on the ticket, so no real need to ask for those. If he doesn't write it, and say you want to lodge a complaint or something, you can always find out later on through the local DA, as by law they are required to provide you with all the details (including notes the officer wrote down) if requested by you to defend yourself.
Know the dates and options.
Imperative to know the due dates of all tickets. You may or may not receive a courtesy notice. Go online to www.lasuperiorcourt.org and check online to see if the ticket has been registered. I got a free re-trial once 2 months after the extension due date for my moms ticket because the clerk input the WRONG address, thereby she never received a notice or a conviction. Plus the ticket listed her as MALE. At first the clerk tried to pin it on me, but after I showed them the certified mail receipt, and the fact that the address on the ticket itself was correct and the one in their system was not, they let me resubmit it.
Get an Extension:
In LA County, you are entitled to one 60 day extension. This can be done online.
Get a Trial By Declaration:
You must pay the bail amount in full if you do this, but I would recommend that you do it if you can afford it.
File your Trial By Declaration:
All you have to do is write up that you are not guilty and you stand by it. If you have a story or evidence and think you can win, go ahead, but remember the judge can use it against you even if the officer does not submit a declaration. File the Declaration using the CORRECT address (Attention: Clerk of the Court, Traffic Division usually works well) with Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested. If you have time, go down to the court and do it in person. Once you turn it in, the officer is subpoenaed for his statement and is given the same amount of time (30 days) to submit it. If he does not, you should win by default.
If you Lose:
If you lose the trial by Declaration, in LA county you are entitled to a Trial De Novo, literally meaning all new trial. Anything in the Trial By declaration is Thrown out and cannot be used against you. Basically, by getting a Trial by Declaration first, you get 2 trials for the price of one! If you file for a trial de novo, you MUST show up in person on the day of the trial. I have never personally had to go this far, but I should say that you should be prepared!
Prepare your case:
Call the local DA who will be prosecuting your case and request the information (a motion of discovery I think). If the DA ignores your motion, it is grounds for dismissal. You can make it a big deal to you and try to plea with the officer, as they are human too. If that doesn't help, plea with the DA. Be careful if attempting this though, as you can do more harm than good if you approach it wrong. If you make it a big deal (which for me it is, even a small ticket) they might be more inclined to take pity on you or reduce the charge. If you decide not to do this, then go about preparing your case against the officer.
The rest can be found in detail on helpigotaticket.com. The guy who runs the website (Geo McCalip) generally replies within a reasonable amount of time. I tend to believe the fact of the matter is that the court system is so backlogged, things tend to fall through the cracks and since most people take a "fuck it" attitude, they give the government their hard earned money for essentially running a fleecing operation.
I've also got some case law studies I once bought from one of those defend your own ticket websites a long time ago. If you want it, I can make a copy of what I have on disc (you pay for postage), or try to send it to you, it's a fairly large pdf file with a bunch of case law studies, includes some of the most popular defense strategies (most likely what most internet e-book sellers are peddling right now), although it might be a bit outdated by now. This guy: http://fight-the-speeding-ticket.com/, his is $20, and he guarantees it will work. He's got a bunch of flashy advertising, but what tells me its more close to a scam is the fact he uses a simple timer, and a lot of flash ads to instill a sense of urgency. Only 9 copies? Pfft. Don't e-mail me if they're sold out? Double Pfft. You can make infinite copies, and if you could, why would you limit yourself? I might buy one just to see what it contains.
The last few tickets I faced:
My last ticket I never faced in court, I got it "running" from a cop. I got a bit hotheaded and cocky on another forum about it because I was angry at him, but in retrospect it was interesting, since the cop never filed the ticket, I went as far as to go to the Sheriff's station to see if they had the ticket on file, and nope. Maybe he lost it, maybe he was a nice guy and never filed it, who knows?
I just beat a ticket for my mom for not stopping at a stop sign. Cost: $381.
I beat another ticket (Over a year ago now) with paper violations (no insurance, no regs, modded exhaust, and a moving violation) by delaying it and delaying it and beating with a trial by dec. Cost: $1059.
If you want to ask me personally for help, I don't know as much as Geo, but I am willing to help you if I can. You can reach me via e-mail at DetroitIron@gmail.com.