Help with a traffic ticket issue

[kaytieeldr]

Several posters have indicated the officer likely waited until the girl was home primarily so she WAS home, and there wouldn't be any issued getting either her or the car there. Secondarily - remember, everybody in this town knows everyone else - he probably knew where she lived and wanted to talk go her parents if they were home.

As to the officer waiting until she was home to stop her, I don't know why he would do that and I probably wouldn't be too concerned about it but actually, it is kind of odd that he waited until she was back IN ROUTE and then stopped her. Maybe if she had gone to a different destination, it would have been a different ticket?

 

[mdsoccermom]

My dd is 15 and has a school permit. She turns 16 in August.

She was picked up for being off the route yesterday. She went to get gas and was going to a baseball game at the school. Her ignition key was stuck so she was going to drive to my sisters house (yes.. 2 blocks off the route) to get help. She saw a cop following her and she panicked and started turning (never went to my sisters).

A cop saw her and followed her until she got to our house. She had already pulled into the garage. He motioned for her to come to his car. He then told her to stand at the trunk of the cop car. She received a ticket and a big fine.

I want to know why he waited until she got home to give her the ticket. The cop told me today when I called that he knew she was 15 and had a school permit. So there is no excuse that he had to put the car plate in the computer, etc. She was not speeding, not drinking, not texting. He knew who she was.. No one will give me an answer.. I want to know why he did not stop her the minute she made a wrong turn. He followed her for over a mile.

He asked if the parents were home (we were not).

I just feel this whole process was handled wrong. Yes she did something wrong but I was told they are basing the reasoning of giving a ticket vs. a warning on hearsay. That is not admissable in court.

The bolded paragraph is what has really been bothering me. If he waited to pull her over because he was indeed running the plates - you have no right to determine if the officer needed to run the plates. Whether or not he knew your daughter, is irrelevant. Perhaps he was double checking. Procedure is procedure and it's not your place to decide if an officer should follow it.

Chances are he waited to pull her over because he determined it was safer to wait until she got to her destination; it was a situation that warranted ticketing but not a situation that warranted immediate action. But, it may be that he took the time to run the plates before ticketing and that was in his absolute right to do so.

I am just so disturbed by the fact that a 15 year old was out on the road, broke the terms of her permit, and her mother is more concerned about the timing of the ticket than the ticket itself. When it was issued just does not matter.

Also, panicking when an officer followed her is a sign that perhaps she is not mature enough to drive.

 

[luvsJack]

Several posters have indicated the officer likely waited until the girl was home primarily so she WAS home, and there wouldn't be any issued getting either her or the car there. Secondarily - remember, everybody in this town knows everyone else - he probably knew where she lived and wanted to talk go her parents if they were home.

I guess, but he could have stopped her out of route, given her the ticket and then told her he was going to follow her to make sure she got home safely. At least then she wouldn't have been so nervous the whole time.

If he wanted to talk to her parents, why not do that instead of the ticket?

The parents around here know 90% of the deputies that patrol in this area and they have followed some of the kids home to make sure they get here safely (they notice the car isn't running correctly, they almost have a flat tire, its late, whatever) but they always let them know what they are doing so the kid isn't scared to death the whole time they are behind them.

 

[mdsoccermom]

I guess, but he could have stopped her out of route, given her the ticket and then told her he was going to follow her to make sure she got home safely. At least then she wouldn't have been so nervous the whole time.

If he wanted to talk to her parents, why not do that instead of the ticket?The parents around here know 90% of the deputies that patrol in this area and they have followed some of the kids home to make sure they get here safely (they notice the car isn't running correctly, they almost have a flat tire, its late, whatever) but they always let them know what they are doing so the kid isn't scared to death the whole time they are behind them.

Because maybe going off route is a ticketable offense?

 

[luvsJack]

The bolded paragraph is what has really been bothering me. If he waited to pull her over because he was indeed running the plates - you have no right to determine if the officer needed to run the plates. Whether or not he knew your daughter, is irrelevant. Perhaps he was double checking. Procedure is procedure and it's not your place to decide if an officer should follow it.

Chances are he waited to pull her over because he determined it was safer to wait until she got to her destination; it was a situation that warranted ticketing but not a situation that warranted immediate action. But, it may be that he took the time to run the plates before ticketing and that was in his absolute right to do so.

I am just so disturbed by the fact that a 15 year old was out on the road, broke the terms of her permit, and her mother is more concerned about the timing of the ticket than the ticket itself. When it was issued just does not matter.

Also, panicking when an officer followed her is a sign that perhaps she is not mature enough to drive.

I know grown-ups that do that, they will find a place to turn anytime an officer gets behind them. It just makes them nervous that the officer is watching them. There is a little town close by that it will make me nervous when they get behind me, just because they are notorious for stopping anyone for any little thing.

Whether 15 or 18, if not driving for long, a police officer can make a person nervous. She sounds like she needs more experience but that is only going to come from actually driving a car.

 

[luvsJack]

Because maybe going off route is a ticketable offense?

Well, obviously it is! I just wonder if the girl's parents had been home would he have just talked to them about where she was and let if off as a warning. He does have the power to do that.

 

[mdsoccermom]

Well, obviously it is! I just wonder if the girl's parents had been home would he have just talked to them about where she was and let if off as a warning. He does have the power to do that.

Yes, he does have the power to do that (my husband is in law enforcement - I have a bit of an understanding of these things). But, you know something? When a kid is learning to drive, you need to be tough on them. Show them early when they are learning that there are consequences. Talking to the parents? For what? Meh. Give her a ticket and a fine, and let the parents have her pay off that fine. Maybe that will teach her a lesson about going off route.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Yes, he does have the power to do that (my husband is in law enforcement - I have a bit of an understanding of these things). But, you know something? When a kid is learning to drive, you need to be tough on them. Show them early when they are learning that there are consequences. Talking to the parents? For what? Meh. Give her a ticket and a fine, and let the parents have her pay off that fine. Maybe that will teach her a lesson about going off route.

I really agree with this. OP, my heart goes out to you. I have an adorable daughter (albeit, she is only 2) and I want to believe that she will never do anything wrong and I want to protect her from ever being hurt. However, your daughter did break the law which is punishable by a ticket and a fine. Why not use this as a teaching experience? Right now, at least on here, you are acting like she did absolutely nothing wrong and everyone else is to blame. The fact of the matter is, she broke the law. It sounds like the cop was wanting to make sure she was home, a place where she would likely feel safer, before pulling her over and giving her the ticket. There are going to be times when she is driving and a cop is behind her. You can use this to teach her to keep her head, continue about her business, and not get a ticket next time. Or, she could pull over, flag him down, and tell him the problem with her car. Either option would have been a better choice than the one she made. She can learn from it and it might help her be in a better state of mind the next time she finds herself in that situation.

 

[rgf207]

Your daughter broke the rules and got caught. Pay the fine and stop trying to weasel out of it

 

[SharonZ]

I'm still really bothered by the fact that, in some states, a 15 year old can be behind the wheel of a car without any adult supervision - going anywhere!

 

[cm8]

I really agree with this. OP, my heart goes out to you. I have an adorable daughter (albeit, she is only 2) and I want to believe that she will never do anything wrong and I want to protect her from ever being hurt. However, your daughter did break the law which is punishable by a ticket and a fine. Why not use this as a teaching experience? Right now, at least on here, you are acting like she did absolutely nothing wrong and everyone else is to blame. The fact of the matter is, she broke the law. It sounds like the cop was wanting to make sure she was home, a place where she would likely feel safer, before pulling her over and giving her the ticket. There are going to be times when she is driving and a cop is behind her. You can use this to teach her to keep her head, continue about her business, and not get a ticket next time. Or, she could pull over, flag him down, and tell him the problem with her car. Either option would have been a better choice than the one she made. She can learn from it and it might help her be in a better state of mind the next time she finds herself in that situation.

 

[ccgirl]

OP You need to be more concerned about your DD blatently breaking the rules and getting a ticket before she even has a legal license and less concerned with thinking the police did something wrong. If your DD was mine she'd be grounded, would have the car taken away and would not be driving for some time. I would also be horribly embarassed at myself for calling the Chief of Police because I wanted to know why an officer took their time to pull over my kid when they saw she broke the law.....

Your daughter is driving on the road with other people. Stop and think and teach her a lesson right now about being a responsible driver and respecting the rules of the road for her sake as well as for the other people driving around her.

Bolded mine. Exactly.

You called e chief of police about this???? Seriously, it's time to get a grip on the message you are sending your daughter. By focusing the blame on the officer who waited until she was home to give her a ticket and demanding to see videos, and calling the chief of police - you are not allowing your daughter to take responsibility for her own actions.part of growing up is taking responsibility - not a good thing. The cop didn't entrap her, he didn't rough her up, he didn't plant evidence on he he wasn't doing any of the bad cop things you might hear about - he waited until she got home before pulling her over. How far is it from her aunts house until your house? Was he following her for an hour? Half hour? 15 minutes? 5 minutes? Maybe he was running the plate to see what address the car was attached to, before he could figure out if she was even off her allowed route.

I totally agree.

OP - why does it matter why he followed her home? Personally, I would be more concerned with my DD did not find it important enough to stick to the rules of the road and she would no longer be driving. But, I'm big on teaching self accountability and responsibility. She new the Aunt's house was not on the approved route. She could/should have asked at the gas station about the key in her car.

 

[sbell111]

I'm still really bothered by the fact that, in some states, a 15 year old can be behind the wheel of a car without any adult supervision - going anywhere!

About a dozen states have some version of a hardship license. Most allow the driver to be as young as 14.

 

[mickeyboat]

I agree with the masses, here. She needs to face the music. She committed a ticketable offense, and was ticketed.

As for why he followed her home, here is my guess. If she was off route when he saw her, and he pulled her over right there and issued the ticket, he couldn't very well let her get back into the car and continue to drive off route - even if it was to just get home. So he allowed her to get the car into her driveway to save the OP's family from having to retrieve her and the car at another location.

 

[luvsJack]

Yes, he does have the power to do that (my husband is in law enforcement - I have a bit of an understanding of these things). But, you know something? When a kid is learning to drive, you need to be tough on them. Show them early when they are learning that there are consequences. Talking to the parents? For what? Meh. Give her a ticket and a fine, and let the parents have her pay off that fine. Maybe that will teach her a lesson about going off route.

Well, if her parents were the kind that talking to them wouldn't do any good, chances are they aren't going to make her pay off the fine either

I don't necessarily agree that you have to be tough on them. If she was speeding, driving recklessly, driving under the influence, running stop signs, or any thing that was a danger to herself or others--then yes, being tough is the way to go.

To me, it would really depend on how many times she had driven out of route. If this was the first time, then talking to her parents would have been enough.




OP (if you are still here), don't let everyone here decide if she should pay the fine or "face the consequences". Go to the court date, let her explain things to the judge and see what happens.

Listen to her and to the officer (assuming he is also in court) and then decide yourself what consequences she will have at home. Truthfully, we don't have every detail of the story and there are those here that are going to assume that your dd is telling "half truths". Only you know your dd and know if she would do that to get out of trouble. If you can hear both sides of what happened, then you can decide for yourself if she should be in bigger trouble at home or if you can just let it slide.

 

[KingK12]

what is the hearsay?

I am confused.
how did he know who she was without running the plate?

Hearsay is pretty much he said she said and can't really be proven and as long as she was being super suspicious and panicked behind the wheel that's probable cause to pull here over at his discretion. I would recommend going to traffic school and paying the fine and putting it all in the past.

 

[lillygator]

I can't believe you called the Chief over this...wow!

Your daughter broke the rules, who cares where and when she was pulled over...what difference does it make if he knew her or not?

 

[rgf207]

I can't believe you called the Chief over this...wow!

Your daughter broke the rules, who cares where and when she was pulled over...what difference does it make if he knew her or not?

I agree. Calling the chief was way out of line. They have much bigger things to worry about than some mother thinking her kid is above the law.

I'm glad he laughed at her

 

[mrsklamc]

I'm surprised you're surprised. If you stop and think, just the fact that the majority of posters never heard of a 'school permit' would indicate that the majority of states don't offer this option for drivers.

The fact that the majority of posters had never heard of it was what surprised me. You're saying I should have stopped and thought about the thing that surprised me, and therefore have it not surprise me?

 

[Princess Dolly]

Actually you all would be amazed at what people call a police chief over. It's really sad how entitled people feel.