I Started to write you a ticket ...

[james_bond_007]

Can any of the LEOs here comment on the infamous

"I started to write you a ticket. I can't tear it up, but I have to write you one for SOMETHING now that I've started filling it out..."

FACT of FICTION ?

IF an officer starts writing a ticket, does heHAVE to finish it? Can he 'tear it up' , 'void' it, or just not finish it ?

Or does he HAVE to finsih it, but not necessarily with the original charges ?

[cstone]

When I was in patrol and writing tickets, they could be voided and turned in, but it was a hassle. All summons' are serial numbered and they are tracked, so you may lose one a rare occasion, we could lose one, but it was best to avoid that becoming a habit.

If I were to write a ticket that I didn't want to void but didn't want adjudicated, I could "unintentionally" make an obvious mistake when filling it out that would cause the ticket to get voided before adjudication. Again, not something you would want to make a habit of as there a few layers of people reviewing these things.

Making a traffic stop without writing a citation is often a double edged blade. If you don't drop paper, people sometimes would file complaints that you did not have a legitimate reason to make the stop in the first place. Many departments have moved toward the "document the stop" with a citation philosophy. It may not seem right, but it is the system many citizens have asked for with their actions.

Be safe.

[james_bond_007]

CSTONE:

Thanks for that honest and understandable explanation.
I think I know what is going on, now.

The officer is sort of trying to do the right thing without getting in trouble.



When I was in patrol and writing tickets...

[Irving]

Just like any job, there are internal policies in place for the protection of the company that do not make sense, out of context, to the "customers" who experience them.

[Ranger353]

When I was in patrol and writing tickets, they could be voided and turned in, but it was a hassle. All summons' are serial numbered and they are tracked, so you may lose one a rare occasion, we could lose one, but it was best to avoid that becoming a habit.

If I were to write a ticket that I didn't want to void but didn't want adjudicated, I could "unintentionally" make an obvious mistake when filling it out that would cause the ticket to get voided before adjudication. Again, not something you would want to make a habit of as there a few layers of people reviewing these things.

Making a traffic stop without writing a citation is often a double edged blade. If you don't drop paper, people sometimes would file complaints that you did not have a legitimate reason to make the stop in the first place. Many departments have moved toward the "document the stop" with a citation philosophy. It may not seem right, but it is the system many citizens have asked for with their actions.

Be safe.

+1 Spot on. A voided ticket can lead to a real PITA for some officers. Some have had it come back an bite-em in the butt, "I think he was looking down my top at my boobs" or worse.

[Walker2970]

I had one in Golden the LEO never turned it in went to court to fight it, they said the had no record of it

[Bailey Guns]

No such thing as just tearing up a citation/summons.

[Irving]

You can get a cop to tear up a summons, but you have to approach the car and wrestle it out of his hands while he's seated in his cruiser. Good luck.

[OtterbatHellcat]

lmao

[TFOGGER]

You can get a cop to tear up a summons, but you have to approach the car and wrestle it out of his hands while he's seated in his cruiser. Good luck.

So, Mike Brown was trying to get out of a jaywalking ticket?

[Irving]

I'm not going there.

[Irving]

Contrary to popular belief, Denver's patrol division doesn't give a poop about tickets (traffic division not included).


Oh I believe it. Real Denver cops (traffic division not included) have better stuff to do and very cool about traffic issues when they have to be involved in them. At least in my experience. The best ticket I ever got was in Denver. I stopped, got my ticket, and was on my way again in something like 4 minutes stop to start. That's how you write a ticket, no dicking around at all. The one time I was in an accident in Denver I showed my CCW card to the officer and asked what he wanted me to do. He was like, "Nothing, I don't care."

[ben4372]

Oh I believe it. Real Denver cops (traffic division not included) have better stuff to do and very cool about traffic issues when they have to be involved in them. At least in my experience. The best ticket I ever got was in Denver. I stopped, got my ticket, and was on my way again in something like 4 minutes stop to start. That's how you write a ticket, no dicking around at all. The one time I was in an accident in Denver I showed my CCW card to the officer and asked what he wanted me to do. He was like, "Nothing, I don't care."
For sure Denver cops are a little more put together. I worked downtown Denver for ten years. Ran into cops on a daily basis, not one bad encounter. Just regular people, the over 45 guys were the coolest. Suburbs, that's entirely different.

[brutal]

Oh I believe it. Real Denver cops (traffic division not included) have better stuff to do and very cool about traffic issues when they have to be involved in them. At least in my experience. The best ticket I ever got was in Denver. I stopped, got my ticket, and was on my way again in something like 4 minutes stop to start. That's how you write a ticket, no dicking around at all. The one time I was in an accident in Denver I showed my CCW card to the officer and asked what he wanted me to do. He was like, "Nothing, I don't care."

The last time I got a DPD issued citation it was for 30MPH over at DIA this past summer. That stop only took 2 minutes. lolz. The mandatory court appearance because I decided (wrongly) to not pay an attorney this time, took much longer.

The DPD stop so many years before that took a bit longer. Seems the unmarked patrol ocifers don't like being passed in the rain doing like ~85MPH on a mousetrap ramp/exit. "I wasn't running my radar because I didn't expect anyone to be driving this fast in this weather." That one required an attorney.

[OneGuy67]

Usually the not served citation is turned in at end of shift with a sticky note indicating it wasn't issued due to whatever reason and the number is tracked as being not served. No big deal for most of the agencies I've worked at, but there may be some who are more "concerned".