Ask Freerollin` about 10 years in Law Enforcement

[HDPM]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

is there a time limitation on speeding tickets? someone told me most states have like 7 years on this. i lived in ny for 7 months last year, and luckily was never pulled over, but was always scared shitless of being thrown in jail for a speeding ticket i got so long ago.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've never dealt with something like that, but I guarantee that all states are different. See Rule #1 in OP.

[/ QUOTE ]


In general the 7 year thing is a bunch of BS. I won't address your question either, but I will say I have seen some bummed out defendants who somehow thought felony cases fell off their record after 7 years. They might lie to a judge or their lawyer about their priors then lament "But that was a long time ago...." Well, you did a long time on it too.... [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[Dale Dough]

[ QUOTE ]
there are states that have both police departments and sheriff's offices

[/ QUOTE ]

OK I'm an idiot. I thought sherriff's offices WERE the police department. WTF is up? Someone care to elaborate?

[Freerollin`]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Law and Order, along with every other police/LE show (ESPECIALLY CSI) is so far from reality that I can't watch them.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm addicted to Law and Order. I've never watched more than a few minutes of CSI but it's obvious how over-the-top that is.

What general things do you think make Law and Order too unrealistic to watch? If you can't think of anything general, maybe a few things you specifically remember from an episode?

Note: I'm not necessarily implying that the show is an accurate reflection of reality, but to someone like me with no experience in LE, I can't really think of a time when it was unwatchable because it was too unrealistic... so I'm just curious as to what someone who was in LE thinks of it.

[/ QUOTE ]

In all legal shows, the evidence admitted at trial is almost always hearsay. Trials aren't conducted IRL the way they are on the show. Also, defendants do not go to trial a few weeks after the arrest. It takes a while. It's just completely unrealistic. Also, if you're a prosecutor and during closing argument say, "Put him in jail and send a message that this type of behavior isn't tolerated," you might as well get ready to try the case again: that's reversible error because of prosecutorial misconduct in most states. But it happens all the time on those shows.

I don't mean to say it isn't a good show, I'm sure it must be halfway decent to have lasted so long and to have so many spinoffs. But when you're in the profession, it just isn't interesting or compelling when you know it is so far removed from the way things happen.

By the way, I think most people know this, but if an attorney stood up during testimony and said, "Objection!!! Badgering the witness!!!" he'd be laughed out of court.

[NT!]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
there are states that have both police departments and sheriff's offices

[/ QUOTE ]

OK I'm an idiot. I thought sherriff's offices WERE the police department. WTF is up? Someone care to elaborate?

[/ QUOTE ]

sheriff is a county office, usually the sheriff is elected, this happens more in rural counties (esp the south) where some areas are unincorporated. but sheriffs still have jurisdictions in towns where there are town cops as well. does create some confusion.

NT

[Freerollin`]

[ QUOTE ]
In general the 7 year thing is a bunch of BS. I won't address your question either, but I will say I have seen some bummed out defendants who somehow thought felony cases fell off their record after 7 years. They might lie to a judge or their lawyer about their priors then lament "But that was a long time ago...." Well, you did a long time on it too.... [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

This is very funny and happens ALL the time.

[esad]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

is there a time limitation on speeding tickets? someone told me most states have like 7 years on this. i lived in ny for 7 months last year, and luckily was never pulled over, but was always scared shitless of being thrown in jail for a speeding ticket i got so long ago.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've never dealt with something like that, but I guarantee that all states are different. See Rule #1 in OP.

[/ QUOTE ]

Here's the deal from someone who does this that I know. Just talked to them.

- The ticket never expires. You were issued a ticket, which means charges were filed. If you do not pay or fail to appear a warrant will be issued.

- Warrants compound the longer they go without being resolved. It is possible to have a $100 speeding ticket turn into a $100k warrant. Most likely this will be knocked down once you are arrested and appear in court.

- Warrants for traffic tickets will expire. Time varies. The only problem is that they can suspend your DL once the warrant expires and you could get stopped and picked up for that.

- You can go to court and have them run a warrants check on you. (You won't get arrested....probably [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]). It will have to be the court that issued the warrant, most likely the court that handled the ticket.

- Most courts have an amensty day were you can appear and just pay the original fine (plus maybe a little more). This is usually on one day a year. You'll have to call the court to find out the details.

CAVEATS - YOUR LOCAL LAWS MAY VARY.

It's probably best to talk to a lawyer about this if you are really worried. Police usually just don't "forget" about crimes even if they are minor. It can came back and bite you. But, it's only a speeding ticket, you can get it resolved pretty easy if you are proactive about it instead of waiting for the police.

[Freerollin`]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
there are states that have both police departments and sheriff's offices

[/ QUOTE ]

OK I'm an idiot. I thought sherriff's offices WERE the police department. WTF is up? Someone care to elaborate?

[/ QUOTE ]

sheriff is a county office, usually the sheriff is elected, this happens more in rural counties (esp the south) where some areas are unincorporated. but sheriffs still have jurisdictions in towns where there are town cops as well. does create some confusion.

NT

[/ QUOTE ]

To add, in the northern US, sheriff's deputies are responsible for courtroom security, transporting prisoners across the state, serving warrants, and serving process papers.

As an officer, I worked with deputies serving warrants sometimes (my partner and I were backup, which deputies would request sometimes if police were available). That's when the dog story above happened.

[oddjob]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

is there a time limitation on speeding tickets? someone told me most states have like 7 years on this. i lived in ny for 7 months last year, and luckily was never pulled over, but was always scared shitless of being thrown in jail for a speeding ticket i got so long ago.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've never dealt with something like that, but I guarantee that all states are different. See Rule #1 in OP.

[/ QUOTE ]

Here's the deal from someone who does this that I know. Just talked to them.

- The ticket never expires. You were issued a ticket, which means charges were filed. If you do not pay or fail to appear a warrant will be issued.

- Warrants compound the longer they go without being resolved. It is possible to have a $100 speeding ticket turn into a $100k warrant. Most likely this will be knocked down once you are arrested and appear in court.

- Warrants for traffic tickets will expire. Time varies. The only problem is that they can suspend your DL once the warrant expires and you could get stopped and picked up for that.

- You can go to court and have them run a warrants check on you. (You won't get arrested....probably [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]). It will have to be the court that issued the warrant, most likely the court that handled the ticket.

- Most courts have an amensty day were you can appear and just pay the original fine (plus maybe a little more). This is usually on one day a year. You'll have to call the court to find out the details.

CAVEATS - YOUR LOCAL LAWS MAY VARY.

It's probably best to talk to a lawyer about this if you are really worried. Police usually just don't "forget" about crimes even if they are minor. It can came back and bite you. But, it's only a speeding ticket, you can get it resolved pretty easy if you are proactive about it instead of waiting for the police.

[/ QUOTE ]

is this possible to do from out of state?

[esad]

[ QUOTE ]
is this possible to do from out of state?

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe. If you still have the original ticket then look on it and call the court on that ticket. They can tell you what you need to do.

If you don't have the ticket but remember the PD then call and ask them. Most of the people that you will talk to who work in the offices and courts deal with this all day and can help you out.

[mattw]

did you ever let go someone who had a small amount of weed? if so, what was the cut-off point? isnt NY a decriminalized state?