Smart Phone Gets Driver Out of a Speeding Ticket

Hugh Pickens writes writes "Sahas Katta writes in Skattertech that a traffic cop pulled him over while driving home and gave him a speeding ticket but thanks to his Android, he ended up walking out of traffic court without having to pay a fine or adding a single point to his record. "I fortunately happened to have Google Tracks running when an officer cited me for speeding while heading back home from a friend's place," writes Katta. "The speed limit in the area was a mere 25 miles per hour and the cop's radar gun shockingly clocked me driving over 40 miles per hour." Once in court Katta asked the officer the last time he attended radar gun training, when the device was last calibrated, or the unit's model number — none of which the officer could answer. "I then presented my time stamped GPS data with details about my average moving speed and maximum speed during my short drive home. Both numbers were well within the posted speed limits," says Katta. "The judge took a moment and declared that I was not guilty, but he had an unusual statement that followed. To avoid any misinterpretations about his ruling, he chose to clarify his decision by citing the lack of evidence on the officer's part. He mentioned that he was not familiar enough with GPS technology to make a decision based on my evidence, but I can't help but imagine that it was an important factor.""

Comments

The smart phone got him off?

[BrowserCapsGuy]

Guy gets a ticket, goes to court dressed respectfully, treats the judge with deference, geeks out to a clueless judge about his nifty new GPS toy, asks the cop something he heard a previous defendant's lawyer ask about lack of evidence that worked, and is found not guilty. The judge goes out of his way to note the GPS evidence played no part in the decision. How is this a story about a smart phone getting someone out of a ticket?

Re:The smart phone got him off?

[im_thatoneguy]

Its a story about how no judge is going to establish a precedent wherein evidence not under the court's or police department's control will be admitted. Its the same sort of hissy fit they throw when you video some cop doing dirt [slashdot.org].

Or it's a story about a judge who is presented evidence that could very well be fabricated but didn't need it so ruled as he would have ruled anyway and ignored the piece of information which would then have to be vetted, analyzed and contested by expert witnesses.

"Your honor I wasn't speeding because I had the particular Radar Gun re-calibrated by a certified repair facility and it was 15mph fast. Also I have tinfoil underwear which gives me the illusion of looking like I'm moving faster than I am."
"I dismiss the speeding ticket against you... but I do so ignoring the claim about your underwear."
"OMG IT WAS THE UNDERWEAR!"

Re:The smart phone got him off?

[shaitand]

The GPS is irrelevant. There are legal requirements for radar training and gun calibration. This is the standard way to get out of a speeding ticket. You know the whole innocent until proven guilty and the burden of proof is on the state thing.

Re:The smart phone got him off?

[LVWolfman]

I went through a similar thing here in Las Vegas about ten years ago when I was working a paper route. I was driving a '92 Buick, sitting in the left turn lane of a major intersection at about 4AM. I sat through three complete cycles of the traffic lights without ever getting a left turn green light.

I had four choices:
1. Wait until the intersection was clear and safe and then carefully make my left turn.
2. Go straight on the green light for straight, but doing so from the wrong lane.
3. Back up to where I could get in the proper lane, but breaking the laws regarding reversing more than 150 feet on a public roadway or breaking the law regarding changing lanes within 150 feet of an intersection.
4. Abandon my vehicle and find a pay phone to call 311 (non-emergency police number) for advice and to report the malfunctioning signal.

I chose option one. Cross traffic was stopped as my direction had a green light for straight ahead.

Of course, there was a police office sitting in traffic to my right, who promptly hit the lights and sirens as I turned and pulled me over.

"I can't believe that you did that in front of me!" he yelled.
I explained what happened, he handed me a ticket for making an illegal turn and failing to obey a traffic control device, telling me to "Tell it to the judge."

It took me three appearances at the courthouse before I could see a judge just for the arraignment AND I had to pay bail BEFORE the arraignment because I was pleading not guilty.

When I gave the judge my plea, he called me to the bench and offered to convert it to a no point parking ticket. I refused and told him "I'm not guilty your honor, taking the deal would be admitting guilt."

He sighed and said "Ok, I'm not supposed to hear testimony at an arraignment but tell me your story".
I did.
He then said "And you want me to make a ruling regarding which was the proper choice? You're not getting from me. CASE DISMISSED!"

He then told me quietly, "I'd have done the same thing in your situation."

Yes, it cost me more in time off than the fine would have been, but it was the principle of the thing. Plus I really wanted a judge to rule on the situation.

Clocked at 40? KM/hr perhaps...

[Anonymous Coward]

25 MPH happens to be approximately 40KMH.

Me thinks the cop was incompetent or malicious and had the setting on Metric....

Do police radar allow you to choose units?

(Imperial police should not use metric units)