Current Events > got a ticket for having a license plate frame lol

(+) Yeah! (+)

got pulled over this morning for something else that i did (totally valid tbh) and the cop tacked on another $54 ticket for having a fucking license plate frame lol.

he claimed it obscured part of the word Garden on the bottom my license plate (https://www.state.nj.us/mvc/images/standard.jpg) but it's not even touching it. ive had this frame on my plate for 4~ years and never had a problem, it's the standard dealer plate every car has lol

best part is that the cop says "oh, if you go to court and talk to the prosecutor he'll have this thrown out." oh perfect, all i need to do is use one of my few days off of work to spend my entire day in court to contest $54.

so if this charge can get thrown out so easily why even give people it? sounds to me like a tax to take advantage of poor people or really any kind of working person that doesnt have the ability to spend an entire day fighting $54.

god damn am I pissed lol
---

Why would that even matter? >_> Even if it was covering that, that part of the plate is worthless and provides no information.
---

Romulox28 posted...

so if this charge can get thrown out so easily why even give people it? sounds to me like a tax to take advantage of poor people or really any kind of working person that doesnt have the ability to spend an entire day fighting $54.

sounds like exactly what it is

also for milking people who view their day as worth more than $54, OTOH.
---

normally hate rant topics like this (no one cares!), but that's p annoying, topic is justified
---

Cops are human garbage

What part of the state do you live in? I want to know so I can better prepare myself for the flagrant lawbreakers in that area. You know, the ones that preform the heinous crime of obscuring the actual useless print on a license plant
---

Plead not guilty so you have to waste everyone else's time with that B.S.
---

uwnim posted...

Why would that even matter? >_> Even if it was covering that, that part of the plate is worthless and provides no information.

I should have asked this but honestly I was shocked, especially when I saw how much the ticket was for

Thaddeus_J_Pibb posted...

Cops are human garbage

ACAB baby

fun fact, NJ cops also arrest more people for marijuana than almost any other state. gotta fund those 6 figure pensions somehow

Alpha218 posted...

What part of the state do you live in? I want to know so I can better prepare myself for the flagrant lawbreakers in that area. You know, the ones that preform the heinous crime of obscuring the actual useless print on a license plant

I live in central NJ, I got pulled over in the Princeton area

whitelytning posted...

Plead not guilty so you have to waste everyone else's time with that B.S.

nah i'll just continue to get exploited by the police
---

whitelytning posted...

Plead not guilty so you have to waste everyone else's time with that B.S.

It's not a criminal charge it's a ticket
---

Rage inducing. Sorry man.

Sometimes cops seem like they just give out tickets from sheer boredom. My brother got like a $200 fine once for not indicating...while pulling into his driveway...on a deserted suburban street. Not the kind of thing you can argue but you just know the cop is being a dick.
---

What a dick. I wouldve beat him up
---

Hairy-man posted...

What a dick. I wouldve beat him up

if there was no laws he could do so. but assault on a police officer is a serious offense.
still think it's BS that the cop wanted to give a 54$ ticket. if the numbers/letters on the license plate shows there shouldn't be an issue.
---

This is actually something I looked up in the past years.

In Montreal, I found two decisions of the municipal court that had the exact same situation. A dealership plate frame covered the province's motto, but the plate number was perfectly legible.

The law says that you can't have a frame (or anything else) that hides part of the license plate.

Well, in those two decisions... one judge acquitted because the license plate number was not hidden and therefore the plate was not hidden, the other judge convicted because the province's motto is part of the plate and therefore you can't hide it.

So... if someone asks me whether or not dealership plate frames are allowed... the only real answer is "who knows"
---

pinky0926 posted...

Sometimes cops seem like they just give out tickets from sheer boredom. My brother got like a $200 fine once for not indicating...while pulling into his driveway...on a deserted suburban street. Not the kind of thing you can argue but you just know the cop is being a dick.

i was driving through a fairly wealthy area so my theory is that the cops there dont see any real crime, so they give BS tickets to meet their quota or w/e

Hairy-man posted...

What a dick. I wouldve beat him up

damn where were you two hours ago
---

From the same state that forces self-service only gas stations, 25mph strict ticket zones, and illegal left lane driving.....this doesn't surprise me lel
---

Hairy-man posted...

What a dick. I wouldve beat him up

I would pay good money to watch a cop get beaten almost to death for 6+ hours straight.

Then after months of grueling rehab, do it again but beat him for 12 hours this time XD

eston posted...

whitelytning posted...

Plead not guilty so you have to waste everyone else's time with that B.S.

It's not a criminal charge it's a ticket

Right, it is a civil charge, but you still have the right to defend yourself from the alleged violation and make the state prove it's case. In my experience it's done by checking a box on the ticket that says you are not guilty and request a hearing to dispute the ticket.
---

Wrap em in a blanket, fry em like bacon
---

Jagr_68 posted...

From the same state that forces self-service only gas stations, 25mph strict ticket zones, and illegal left lane driving.....this doesn't surprise me lel

yea NJ sucks

Thaddeus_J_Pibb posted...

Hairy-man posted...

What a dick. I wouldve beat him up

I would pay good money to watch a cop get beaten almost to death for 6+ hours straight.

Then after months of grueling rehab, do it again but beat him for 12 hours this time XD

oh
---

Wow, I sorta live around there too. Dont really go into Princeton much though

Thats lame as hell
---

Youll still have to pay a $20-25 court fee to contest the ticket too. Probably not even worth the trouble
---

Quote him in court, ask the judge to fire his ass. They can at the very least talk to the sheriff.
---

thronedfire2 posted...

Youll still have to pay a $20-25 court fee to contest the ticket too. Probably not even worth the trouble

if i was him, i would pay the court fee. it's the principle of the matter. even if one loses we tried.
---

Probably fair, next to be honest. It only obscures the "Garden State" portion, but that also shows which type of plate you have--if it were a commercial plate, it would say "Commercial" where "Garden State" is.
---

Serious Cat posted...

Probably fair, next to be honest. It only obscures the "Garden State" portion, but that also shows which type of plate you have--if it were a commercial plate, it would say "Commercial" where "Garden State" is.

it doesnt obscure anything, the guy was being pedantic. but my wife said i should call up the dealership i bought the car from and demand they pay for my ticket lol
---

New Jersey has dumb license plate laws.

Imagine having 2 license plates lmfao
---

California requires 2 plates. I think Texas does too, or used to.
---

new jersey has some ugly ass license plates, that yellow or gold is icky.
---

Yeah I got ticketed for a defective lightbulb, dude told me something similar.

Just go to court, bring a receipt showing you bought a new bulb, and theyll throw the ticket out.

He couldnt just let me go with a warning. How am I supposed to know my light went out while I was in the middle of driving?
---

P4wn4g3 posted...

California requires 2 plates. I think Texas does too, or used to.

Most states do.

Romulox28 posted...

it doesnt obscure anything, the guy was being pedantic.

If it didn't actually obscure anything, you might be able to just fight it online. I got out of a parking ticket like that (it was a city ticket on a county lot on Saturday that had been designated by county council as Monday through Friday enforcement despite two hour anytime signs actually posted. I linked to the minutes of the meeting where it was announced.)
---

Should have asked for his badge number and filed a complaint with proof showing nothing is obscured...as dumb as that fucking is.
---

iirc they're illegal where I live but nearly every dealership puts them on cars they sell lol
---

Romulox28 posted...

best part is that the cop says "oh, if you go to court and talk to the prosecutor he'll have this thrown out." oh perfect, all i need to do is use one of my few days off of work to spend my entire day in court to contest $54.

Wtf. Why even give it to you then. Is he told by his bosses to do this hoping people just will pay it. Weird cop

End of the month = gotta meet that ticket quota by handing out a bunch of bullshit tickets.
---

sylverlolol posted...

Should have asked for his badge number and filed a complaint with proof showing nothing is obscured...as dumb as that fucking is.

No need to file a complaint, just get the evidence that is the burden of the state to have and fight it through proper channels.
---

Jagermeister513 posted...

End of the month = gotta meet that ticket quota by handing out a bunch of bullshit tickets.

thats what im thinking

sylverlolol posted...

Should have asked for his badge number and filed a complaint with proof showing nothing is obscured...as dumb as that fucking is.

if i could go back i would but i was pretty taken aback in the moment
---

I've come to the conclusion that I'm a bad person because this shit is what makes me actually hate police for some reason.
---

I think they're technically illegal in MA too but I see them all the time

they didn't put them on my new car but I transferred the plates from my old one
---