So, you have a ticket and are ready, you hope, to defend yourself in court.
There are several things you should never do if you want to win your case.
First off, even if your ticket says that you don't need to show up for court, you do, if you want to fight your ticket.
The reason that is written on the ticket is if you want to just admit your guilt and pay the fine, it is the easiest solution for the court system.
Fight the Traffic Ticket and Not the Officer Remember, you are there to fight a traffic ticket and not the officer.
Regardless of how the officer treated you, what he said or did, the reason for the court appearance is for the ticket.
For instance, if you feel that you were harassed in some way, that would be heard in a completely different court after you press charges for that incident.
The only thing the judge wants to hear is testimony regarding the ticket.
Say it is Your Word against the Officer The officer has two things going for him that you don't.
He has his credibility as an officer and he has some type of proof that you committed an infraction, such as a radar measurement.
You can not go into court, wear your best clothes and hope the judge thinks you are a good person.
You need to prove to the court that there is more to the situation than what has been presented.
For instance, if you ask to see the radar detector that was used and its maintenance records and they cannot be produced or you notice that the detector was not serviced on time, this would be a great argument.
Or if the officer was not properly trained on the device, again, you would something to back up your claims.