Visual estimation enough to get speeding ticket

[mrsleeve]

In ohio, now there is no need for Lazer or Radar or any other speed measuring device, just the officers estimation

COLUMBUS: Ohio's highest court has ruled that a person may be convicted of speeding purely if it looked to a police officer that the motorist was going too fast.

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that an officer's visual estimation of speed is enough to support a conviction if the officer is trained, certified by a training academy, and experienced in watching for speeders. The court's 5-1 decision says independent verification of a driver's speed is not necessary.

The court upheld a lower court's ruling against a driver who challenged a speeding conviction that had been based on testimony from police officer in Copley, 25 miles south of Cleveland. The officer said it appeared to him that the man was driving too fast.

http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/95410314.html

Discuss

[fryerfighter94]

Glad i dont live in ohio.

[91greg325i]

I'm pretty sure that it is the same here in Oregon. Don't quote me on that, but I'm almost positive that's how one of my friends got his ticket, on an estimation.

[e30pwr]

note to self.

[Restoman]

General speed law here in Louisiana. The cop has to have pretty big set to write that ticket and the victim has to be a complete idiot for it to stick.

[SEdgell]

I read this today, what a bunch of bull shit. Ohio needs to stand up and fight that.

[Pinepig]

You can get popped in Kali for that. We had a motor officer ( traffic guy ) come in to one of the parks I worked at to do some work on problem speeders and I ran a radar gun while he guessed at speeds, he was within a mile or two per hour ( without fault ) on every car between 15 and 50mph for two solid hours.

[HunterJohnson]

You can get popped in Kali for that. We had a motor officer ( traffic guy ) come in to one of the parks I worked at to do some work on problem speeders and I ran a radar gun while he guessed at speeds, he was within a mile or two per hour ( without fault ) on every car between 15 and 50mph for two solid hours.

any idea how they do the training/ coarses as said in op?

[Kershaw]

You can get popped in Kali for that. We had a motor officer ( traffic guy ) come in to one of the parks I worked at to do some work on problem speeders and I ran a radar gun while he guessed at speeds, he was within a mile or two per hour ( without fault ) on every car between 15 and 50mph for two solid hours.

i wouldnt call that guessing.

thats pretty impressive.

[mamzak]

On speeding tickets in Canada there's a bunch of boxes that the officer checks to show how he got the reading, there's radar/laser, aircraft, blah, blah, and estimation, so I assume we've had that law here for a while.

Shit NEVER would hold in court though. You would definitely be able to get it significantly reduced.

[mbonder]

Got nailed with that in Massachusetts when I went to school there. Went to court and argued it down to a zero point offense, but its still bullshit.

The cop who estimated my speed was even traveling in his car on the opposite side of the road! Figure that one out, but apparently they are trained to do that...

Just another hidden tax in our lovely police state.

[Pinepig]

any idea how they do the training/ coarses as said in op?

No real idea, as a park ranger ( city ) that wasn't really one of our jobs so we didn't get trained for it.
I do know that this guy had been doing traffic for over 15 years and had got really good at estimating speeds, he said most of the traffic guys were just as good as he was. I was impressed.

[BakesE30]

I hear they're starting to train police officers in the use of jedi mind tricks as well.....

[briansjacobs]

I know 100% it can be done. I believe the post about the officer doing it. With that said when you go to court for a speeding ticket the officer has to show a calibration log on the laser. I am sure at some point someone will argue that fact and try to get the law overturned.

I once got a ticket for 20 over thrown out of court due to no calibration log plus I got the officer suspended for handing out religous propaganda within my ticket envelope citing civil rights violations.

[5KWattson]

Chp as well as PD have to go through a very intense training to judge veh. Speed from a stop to oppisite direction by law that is how they pull you over the radar is only to reinforce their est of your speed. Note: had a very long discussion with a chp officer while I worked at a ford dealr and he was waiting for his f1-shity