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Last night we heard everything about armed robberies, murder and rape of five-year-olds.
Still, I did manage to ask the District Attorney (who used to prosecute federal drug cases) about speeding. I said, the unifying complaint I've been hearing was how busy the courts were. "So," I said, "maybe simple speeding shouldn't go through the court system at all."
His answer was, "Since simple speeding was reclassified in Massachusetts as a civil infraction, offenders can now plead guilty through the Registry or get a hearing with a Magistrate, which frees the judges to deal with the important stuff." (Presumably such as that famous Old-woman-spilling-McDonald's-coffee-on-her-lap case.)
I wanted to tell him simple speeding is a "crime" committed by a majority of population every day, and that our 'not guilty' pleas shouldn't be dealt with the same way as the 'not guilty' pleas to crimes committed by a minority of people, such as beating up someone or stealing. A simple speeding ticket should be dealt with exactly same way as a simple parking ticket - another, similar source of revenue.
But knowing the guy could indite a ham sandwich if he wanted to, I opted not to press on. I could see he was taking me for some putz mad over a meaningless, stupid ticket I probably deserved anyway...
It's becaming obvious the only time this status quo will change will be when citizens demand a change from their politicians. Simple speeding is not a legal matter; it's about money. By contesting every ticket - something every one of us is entitled to - we can force the legal professionals to demand that change in the system with us.
So remember your t's: Take That Ticket To Trial!
Your Court ReporterAccording to a Ch. 7 news report I just watched, 70% of Boston police officers do not show for simple motor vehicle violation hearings. In fact, they have a memo telling them not to go, since their overtime is more valuable than any revenue that ticket would generate.
One more reason to go to court - at least in Boston!