Wow, expensive ticket.

[Duende]

Hey all,

I have a question for some of you LEOs if anyone can spare the time. What are the laws concerning a driver flicking a cigarette out the window? My situation has already been dealt with, so I'm really just curious as to other states.

If anyone is interested in what happened to me, I'll elaborate. A couple months ago my brother and I were driving home from the coast (it was about 11pm) and were pulled over along the highway. So we're sitting there, and the police officer comes up and ends up giving me a ticket for throwing burning material out the window. Ended up being about $160 total. Which is fine. My mistake, my fault. The police officer was NOT polite at all, but I think it was a pet peeve of his or he'd had a long night. Thank god I wasn't speeding, though. He came back to my truck at the end and was like, "Consider yourselves lucky, if it wasn't my Friday I'd be hauling your asses to jail."

:lol:

Kinda funny in the end, though. Honestly, I was a little pissed off at first (even though it was my fault for being lazy) since he made a parting crack about my personal plate, but it ended up my Dad knows him and says he pretty much always has a stick up his ass concerning military, as he used to be a cop next to Fort Benning in Georgia. I would hate being a cop around a military base, so I can see where he's coming from.

Take care,


Thomas

 

[jshen]

Pet Peave?

Well in my neck of the woods....discarded cigarette butts start a number of fires. Frankly, I don't understand why people get miffed when they throw trash out on the road and then get a ticket. I used to make offender go pick it up...and the ticket. $160.00 for littering is cheap here. I think our going rate is about $250 plus court costs. At the beach here it would cost you an easy $500.00 :dw:

We have several military bases in my area..and I don't mind dealing with them at all. Soldiers are among the NICEST, most polite respectful people I deal with. We have a Ranger unit here and I know how tough it is to get into that unit...and how easy it is to get kicked out by being arrested...If there is a group I will always go to bat for and help out, if I can, it's them. It's the damned civilian "wanna be bad" that typically starts an incident in a bar with the Rangers. They just finish what dude started...

 

[Duende]

Oh, it's definitely the same here. Very much a hazard when we're having a dry spell. It was pretty shitty of me really, cigarette butts are such a huge thing in the military I of course knew better. Just had an idiot moment, hah.

$500...sounds a little excessive. I thought $160 was a good slap on the nose and I keep an empty can in my truck now for that purpose.

Your post reminds me of a hilarious video I'm sure you all have seen on TV. Cop standing there patiently, giving a ticket and the guy tears it up and throws it on the ground, just SCREAMING and blubbering. Cop tells him to get out and pick it up or he's getting him for littering. Definition of self-control, that driver needed a smack.

Thanks for your reply. I thought my fine was fair, I hadn't realized it could be so expensive in other states.

Do you guys write alot of tickets for this? Impression I got from my father and his friends was that they DO, but only if it caught their eye somehow. Like bursting all over their windshield. Generally it's not really a priority, and almost... I'm not sure how to word this, but they said he was probably bored. Haha.

 

[Duende]

Oh, that's good. I get pissed when I see someone in the military making an ass out of themselves, especially with a police officer.

And as far as getting kicked out... I was pulled over on Fort Bragg (about 6 months into my time there) because I was involved in a race with my E-6. Anyway, they could have hung me. Terribly. Military career over, car gone, etc. They chewed my ass for a LONG time, and then let me off. To this day I cannot believe how generous they were and am grateful.

 

[jshen]

I'm not in the ticket writing business now but in the legal end. I don't see many in court because they typically get paid in advance. I see you been in GA, maybe you've heard of Tybee Island near Savannah? Police are nice guys and friends of mine...but the court there will take your checkbook if you get ticketed.........

 

[Duende]

Actually, I think one of my friends lived there. I was in Georgia for about a year with plenty of downtime.

And that's what I've seen... I've never had a problem with police officers, but court...another story. I go in feeling like I'm walking into a mugging.

 

[jshen]

In some small towns you are....One city in GA [40 years ago] had their ability to write tickets taken away by the Gov. The Gov posted a billboard on the state hwys entering the county and stationed it with GSP troopers 24/7. The billboard said ""Warning! You are entering Long County. Be on the alert for speed traps and clip joints. Signed Governor Lester Maddox".

 

[Duende]

Nice! That's hilarious.

 

[mswaim]

In California the officers cite for two different sections, littering on a state highway and the throwing a burning object from a vehicle - total fine = $1,000

 

[svtexcelr8]

I got a ticket for littering during a spring break campout one year. There were about 25 of us total and everyone had gone to get breakfast in town except save for a couple of us that stayed in bed late, one being me. Needless to say a wildlife officer/ranger came up and said that there was far too much beer bottles, etc on the ground and handed us some trash to pick it up. we picked it up without help from the others and when we were done he still wrote me a ticket since my vehicle was the only one sitting in the site at the time. ended up costing me $1000 in the end but i have never, NEVER littered again no matter what the circumstances!