Driver unhappy with police ticket
In May of 2016, I was stopped and charged by the RCMP near Baddeck. As far as I’m concerned no explanation was given by the officer at that time as per what, if any, harm I was causing nor was I given a reason for the traffic stop before he issued me the ticket.
He said he was just going to check my driver’s license then he would be right back. I thought I did nothing wrong so I went to court over the matter.
The events that have transpired since that incident have left me with more questions than answers. When I did my research into policing in Victoria County, with its 7,000 residents and 4,000 dwellings, I determined that it simply don’t have the tax base to support the six-figure annual cost per police officer. Then I read recently in the news where the top brass of the RCMP, in 2016, received over $1.7 million in bonuses over and above their pay. Was this why I was given a ticket on that day?
Now one may perceive that the officer was simply trying to do his job or surmise that he was just following orders. I don’t know.
However, what I do believe is that tickets are supposed to be used as a last effort to bring about compliance. Doesn’t an officer have discretion with issuing a warning over writing a ticket anymore? Why didn’t he educate me on that day as per what alleged harm I was causing? For I’ve been driving accident free for over 25 years.
To serve as both a deterrence and as a reminder, where is the public education campaign in place other than signage to resolve their so-called highway safety problem? They did it to promote seatbelt usage and to deter impaired driving back in the day. For sending the ‘cart before the horse’ isn’t proper legal etiquette. Or is this simply about the revenue generated to keep their posh policing agency afloat?
Don’t get me wrong here. Traffic tickets do play an important role in compliance when police ask the appropriate questions during traffic stops to determine whether or not someone has knowingly done something wrong, and the same for the crown prior to court.
Clearly something must be wrong with this part of the ‘legal system’ when an individual who is stopped for a first-time alleged infraction, is co-operative, goes to court, presents a good defense and still ends up with a fine for what was an honest misunderstanding.
Where is the leniency? I have yet to see any. What I have been left with is disillusionment. The public has a right to know when someone hasn’t been treated fairly by what appears to be more of a business than an impartial adjudication. For this may happen to you too someday. Then how will you feel?
I saved the best for last. This all came about from having a cell phone on a speakerphone, similar to the way the police use their mobile radios for communication purposes. Or similar yet different when we see them talking on their cell phones while driving. The latter part is distracting because most people would agree that having a visible double standard in today’s society is not acceptable.
For goodness sake – can’t an honest guy get a break?