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Lee-Lee

(6,324 posts)
10. While I can have sympathy sometimes
Sun May 3, 2015, 02:35 PM
May 2015

Let's be a bit more realistic.


You don't get a warrant just for traffic fines. You get a warrant for getting a ticket and not paying the fine or showing up to court to contest it. That's a choice- and it has repercussions. If you want traffic laws to exist, you have to have enforcement- that means fines, that means enforcement if someone blows off a fine.

It's a snowball effect I saw a lot. People would take a ticket- something minor that's not a big deal. They would blow it off and not pay it (or call the clerk and say they couldn't pay, in our area they would take 10% a month in a payment plan if you claimed hardship) and not show up for court. Then yes, they get a warrant for Failure to Appear. Then they don't make any arrangements (once again, just going by and paying would get the FTA warrant revoked) and go into the cycle of stupid decisions- like running the next time they went to get pulled over. Now they turned a couple misdemeanors into a felony or two.

But is that really the systems fault? Sure, if it's a case of municipalities using BS charges to raise money like Fergeson I can say the system has blame. But we didn't do that, we wrote few tickets. Causing a minor issue to get escalated was all the persons poor choices and stupid moves, or them just being irresponsible.

I also would not lump child support warrants into that- you have to be seriously behind on your support and making no effort to pay to get a warrant issued- and when a parent is being a deadbeat I can't have much sympathy. Once again, if you want these laws at some point breaking them has to have consequences.

Running from a cop? Stupid. Mega stupid. Your just making whatever bad situation worse. It's never good advice, never a good plan.

Yes, sometimes cops are out of line. You still are not going to win that battle in the street- ever. Fight it in courts, where you may win. On the street if you fight you just make it worse, and harm your case in court.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

I've seen enough episodes of COPS to agree with this. joshcryer May 2015 #1
A guy who sometimes works for me had this problem 7962 May 2015 #7
Thanks, good post. Why do I watch Cops? Enthusiast May 2015 #11
I take their side a lot. joshcryer May 2015 #16
This was one of the issues that came out in Ferguson BumRushDaShow May 2015 #2
Nightmare upon nightmare. Most, for additional profits for individuals, Joe Chi Minh May 2015 #3
Post removed Post removed May 2015 #4
is there a law against being black? noiretextatique May 2015 #5
No... but when someone is `in-between warrants'... Oktober May 2015 #6
It tickles me that you don't think that you are obvious as all hell Number23 May 2015 #12
Yeah, whatever. Gemini Cat May 2015 #8
That works if you're white and working. Gormy Cuss May 2015 #9
While I can have sympathy sometimes Lee-Lee May 2015 #10
Excellent post. romanic May 2015 #13
In cities where you're a threat because of your skin color meaning the cops can kill you because of uponit7771 May 2015 #18
The only problem is cops are showing you might not even survive to fight it in court strategery blunder May 2015 #14
WOW!! in a neighborhood where interaction with the police is safe running makes no sense... uponit7771 May 2015 #17
No- it still doesn't make sense Lee-Lee May 2015 #21
Let me state that I am white, but sadoldgirl May 2015 #15
You do realize of course... Lee-Lee May 2015 #23
I'm an old white woman and I'd avoid them gwheezie May 2015 #19
Don't forget the biggest reason: backscatter712 May 2015 #20
When I was a deputy we caught almost all runners Lee-Lee May 2015 #22
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