Tickets for brakedown

[Shoutout]

At the DG courthouse the other day, I heard this story. A guy was driving through DG on Ogden Ave at night when the alternator on his car stopped working. A DG police officer noticed the car and gave the guy a ticket for not having his lights on. Apparently the guy tried to explain that the car was dead but that did not matter. He was at court to show the court the towing bill and the bill for the new alternating. He also had a receipt for the alternator that failed showing that it was less than one year old.
I couldn't hear everything, but it looked like the court ignored the facts and fined the guy anyway. I think he paid the fine plus court costs.

If I were a Toyota owner with a sticky accelerator, I wouldn't go anywhere near DG. Who knows what you would be charged with.

[Smedskjaer]

Hit and run, endangering the public just by driving on the streets (no matter if the accelerator is sticky or not), first degree murder.
Those, or....
Terrorism and providing material support to terrorists.

Your pick.

[Smedskjaer]

Happy Labor Day! Have a nice barbecue. Don't drive drunk. Don't take pictures of the sexy Hooters girls.

[Commentator]

Hey Smedskjaer, do you think someone should get a ticket for having the alternator fail? How about the fact that the alternator was less than one year old per the post above?

[Smedskjaer]

No, I do not think a person should be ticketed for an alternator failing.

[Bill]

If he was off the road or getting off the road, he should not have been stopped. If he continued driving with the lights turned off to save battery power, that would be different.

[Observer]

Does anyone think the fact that DG budget is millions in the red and DG is faced with laying off police, due to the large pension checks DG has to write for police pensions have anything to do with the aggressive over the top behavior of the cops? Are the cops just trying to save their own jobs by accosting citizens with bogus traffic tickets? May a few more police should lose their jobs "Bill".

[JustSayin]

Yes, to link revenue to police paychecks is a hugh mistake. Someone better fix it soon. DG is not alone.

[BigGovernment]

Why didn't the police help the guy? An insider at the Westmont police apparently has information that the DG police actually radioed ahead to Westmont to tell them an easy target was coming so the Westmont police could ponce on the guy. Worse than a bunch of Somalia pirates. Badges, we don't have to show you no stinking badges. Gives a whole new connotation to police being called pigs. Oink, oink.

[TheObserver]

Remember Chicago police motto, "We serve and protect"? DG police motto is "We serve and protect our paycheck"

[Just Saying]

This just in, it has been reported that cars confiscated as part of drug busts are being purchased by police and firemen in DG at way below market price. DG could be recovering some expense money by selling these cars at closer to market price. Instead the police and firemen treat it as another fringe benefit. An audit is needed immediately to verify these reports. DG should recover any difference between what the police pay and what they should have paid for a car.

[Whole Donut Hole]

The name says it all. This would solve all police problems. Just keep a box of donuts in your car and maybe some coffee or milk.

[Bill]

The point is if your cars electrical system fails at night, you should pull off the road at the nearest parking lot. You do not continue driving as usual. Call a tow truck, get a ride and come back the next day to get the car, put in a charged battery, any which would have been legal. If he continued to drive with no lights he deserved a ticket. Someone might not see him and pull out in front of him. There are reasons the law says you must have your lights on at night.

[Whole Story]

Gee, all the police had to do was tell the guy to get it towed. So instead of helping the guy out, the police added to the problem. The guy faces a car repair and a police payoff. Some public "servants" here in DG. Telling the guy to get it towed doesn't put any money in your pocket does it Bill?

[The Observer]

Until collecting money is separated from the ability of police to stop people for anything, this kind of thing will continue. All fines should go to the state of Illinois and the state should send it back, evenly distributed to the municipalities. Do not base the money sent back on the number or type of ticket. This would stop bulling for cash by the police.

[Smedskjaer]

Maybe we should revise the constitution to outlaw fines except to regulate behavior, i.e. people can argue a law and associated fine doesn't effectively regulate behavior when they challenge a ticket in court, e.g. speeding on the highway.

[Bill]

Whole Story wrote:

Gee, all the police had to do was tell the guy to get it towed. So instead of helping the guy out, the police added to the problem. The guy faces a car repair and a police payoff. Some public "servants" here in DG. Telling the guy to get it towed doesn't put any money in your pocket does it Bill?

They could have told him to park it and don't drive it until the lights are working or it was daylight. If he was unaware his lights were failing that is probably what they would do. He probably told them he knew the lights were out but "it was OK for him to drive it that way because his alternator went out." Kind of like rolling through a stop sign but "it is OK because the brakes haven't worked right for the last couple days." If he knew the lights were out before he left the last place he was safely parked at, he deserved the ticket. If the lights were fine when he left and failed while he was driving, then a verbal warning and a PARK IT NOW order would probably have been given.

[OwnerOfCar]

Lights were fine when left the movie parking lot, the generator failed on trip back to the house. The generator went bad though it was less than one year old. In his enthusiasm to ticket someone, Barney Fife almost hit the car that was following the ticketed car. At least two other police cars responded like it was a major drug bust. Relly pathetic exibition of how unions have changed the attitude of "public servants".

[get a life]

OwnerOfCar wrote:

Lights were fine when left the movie parking lot, the generator failed on trip back to the house. The generator went bad though it was less than one year old. In his enthusiasm to ticket someone, Barney Fife almost hit the car that was following the ticketed car. At least two other police cars responded like it was a major drug bust. Relly pathetic exibition of how unions have changed the attitude of "public servants".

downers grove sops are real beat offs.They even ticket other cops , not even a warning.They need to go to a real town and deal with real issues and then we will see if they give two shits about a car. The cop should of helped the motorist instead of busting his balls. Should of told him to f-ck himself.

[get a life]

sorry about spelling, typing on cell.