Massachusetts Page

First thing I do is to fire off a letter to the town's Engineering Department:

Department of Public Works
Needham, MA 02492

Dear Mr. (the town engineer)

Given the fact the character of Charles River Street changes between 'rural' and 'thickly settled' at least four times in the short distance between South Street and the Natick line, I would like to request that speed limit signs be clearly posted along this road.

I would also like to request the speed limit along the straight and sparsely populated section of Charles River Street from Grove Street to Natick be set according to the established 85th percentile engineering practice, as determined by a speed study. I would also like to request that this study be conducted during clear weather under free-flowing conditions, that non-detectable methods be used to collect the data, and that no traffic enforcement be present during the collection periods.

Thank you for giving your attention to this important matter.

While I'm at the DPW hand-delivering the letter, for five bucks I also pick up a photocopy of the official Town Assessors Plan of the area. Then I write to the cops:

Needham Police Department

Under the Massachusetts General Law Chapter 66: Section 10 (Public Inspection and Copies of Records), I am requesting information necessary to contest a citation written by Officer H... on October 29, 1999, in town of Needham within the jurisdiction of Dedham District Court. The citation number H0708165 was for violating Chapter 90: Section 17 of the General Laws of Massachusetts.

I believe there was an error in the use of the RADAR device used to measure my speed due to misuse or miscalibration, which caused the officer to attribute someone else's speed to the vehicle described in the citation. In order to investigate this, I am requesting the following records:

- Training records pertaining to Officer H....'s certification and continuing education relating to traffic speed enforcement.

- Documentation of Officer H...s training on the device used to measure my speed, prior to the issuance of citation H0708165.

- Officer H...'s daily log for the day of October 29, 1999.

- Officer H...s RADAR log for the day of October 29, 1999.

- A reproduction of both sides of Officer H...s copy of citation H0708165.

- The name, model, and serial number of the speed measurement device used to ascertain the speed of the vehicle described in citation H0708165.

- The maintenance and certification records of the speed measurement device used to ascertain the speed of the vehicle described in citation H0708165.

- The serial number of the tuning forks used to calibrate the speed measurement device to ascertain the speed of the vehicle described in citation H0708165.

- The certification and test results of the tuning forks used to calibrate the speed measurement device used to ascertain the speed of the vehicle described in citation H0708165.

- A copy of the FCC license that allows the agency to operate the RADAR lawfully on the frequency or range of frequencies used to ascertain the speed of the vehicle described in citation H0708165

I am requesting that the records be sent to me at the following address:

...


I am prepared to reimburse the Needham Police Department for any photocopying and mailing expenses associated with this request.

Thank you. Sincerely,

Signed:_______________________________________ Date______________

Of course I never hear from the DPW or the cops, but from my 'Certified Mail Receipt' I know they got my letter... I write out my testimony and spend a couple of hours at the courthouse. But before the Big Show there is one more step: