Parking ticket - contesting it because of incorrect date on citation

[y_p_w]

I got a citation at a local park. Strangely enough it was the park district police going around on a Sunday and they gave this citation. I won't bore anyone with the details, but it's a $43 citation or otherwise a $10 fix it fee. However, there's an online means to pay the citation or contest it, but I don't see any way to pay the fix it fee (which would have also required that a law enforcement officer sign off on it) other than mail the original citation and the sign off to their processing provider (in Southern California strangely enough). The last time I had a fix it violation I strangely enough found a police officer on the side of the road and just asked him to check that my headlights were working. He said that people ask him for that quite often.

But in this case the citation is 100% handwritten and I'm pretty sure it's the wrong date (month). I guess the park district's police can't justify the use of those handheld printers with a tablet like meter maids use, which would likely have a more accurate date/time from the machine. I'm not 100% sure that this is enough to get this dismssed, but I do plan on fixing the issue soon but didn't have enough time to do so before the citation fee was due. At the very least I think this can delay it for however much more time they give.

But is an incorrect date (like a month off) enough in most jurisdictions?

 

[Revving2Redline]

If your time is worth the money I would contest.

 

[CKN]

I got a citation at a local park. Strangely enough it was the park district police going around on a Sunday and they gave this citation. I won't bore anyone with the details, but it's a $43 citation or otherwise a $10 fix it fee. However, there's an online means to pay the citation or contest it, but I don't see any way to pay the fix it fee (which would have also required that a law enforcement officer sign off on it) other than mail the original citation and the sign off to their processing provider (in Southern California strangely enough). The last time I had a fix it violation I strangely enough found a police officer on the side of the road and just asked him to check that my headlights were working. He said that people ask him for that quite often.

But in this case the citation is 100% handwritten and I'm pretty sure it's the wrong date (month). I guess the park district's police can't justify the use of those handheld printers with a tablet like meter maids use, which would likely have a more accurate date/time from the machine. I'm not 100% sure that this is enough to get this dismssed, but I do plan on fixing the issue soon but didn't have enough time to do so before the citation fee was due. At the very least I think this can delay it for however much more time they give.

But is an incorrect date (like a month off) enough in most jurisdictions?

So basically it's a justified citation.....and you are procrastinating fixing it. But you have time to go to court. You do realize how nonsensical it all sounds right?

 

[y_p_w]

So basically it's a justified citation.....and you are procrastinating fixing it. But you have time to go to court. You do realize how nonsensical it all sounds right?

Sure. But this way I can legitimately delay paying it, and in any case I'm not sure what the rules are when there's something like a transcription error. I mean - the officer wrote down the wrong month.

 

[y_p_w]

If your time is worth the money I would contest.

I don't even have to show up anywhere since I can send a message along with attachments. It scanned the citation which clearly shows that the month was wrong. I didn't admit to anything but stated that the vehicle was not there on the date written on the ticket. If it doesn't work they can't make me pay any more for contesting it. And I will eventually fix the problem.

 

[CKN]

I don't even have to show up anywhere since I can send a message along with attachments. It scanned the citation which clearly shows that the month was wrong. I didn't admit to anything but stated that the vehicle was not there on the date written on the ticket. If it doesn't work they can't make me pay any more for contesting it. And I will eventually fix the problem.

And there are 141 shopping days until Christmas.....

 

[BrandonV]

Pretty sure most courts have provisions for clerical errors but I would certainly try to fight it regardless.

 

[aquariuscsm]

The idiot that wrote the ticket got the date wrong? haha!

 

[vw7674]

Pretty sure most courts have provisions for clerical errors but I would certainly try to fight it regardless.

Fact in dispute, not clerical error. So it gets tossed.
Once invited a parking citation agent into court, she didn't show,
got done with the judge, went over to the clerk off his left elbow,
she had already premarked my receipt (& everyone else's) 'guilty' ????
when in fact I had just had mine announced 'dismissed'. She altered
mine, on the spot, I just pursed my lips & did that slow head shake like the liquid metal terminator did in the movie T II. : l lol.

 

[y_p_w]

Fact in dispute, not clerical error. So it gets tossed.
Once invited a parking citation agent into court, she didn't show,
got done with the judge, went over to the clerk off his left elbow,
she had already premarked my receipt (& everyone else's) 'guilty' ????
when in fact I had just had mine announced 'dismissed'. She altered
mine, on the spot, I just pursed my lips & did that slow head shake like the liquid metal terminator did in the movie T II. : l lol.

Well in my case it was issued in July, the online citation processing data says it was issued in July, but the handwritten date on the citation says that it was in June. I'm not sure exactly how it was entered like that, but I'd think that at the end of the day there's someone (maybe the officer) entering them manually transcribing them from the handwritten citations.

But yeah it's a statement of fact as to what the date was. If there was a clerical error, it was that the date on the citation wasn't correctly entered for the database entry for this citation. It was also really weird as the officer had written down the last 4 digits of the VIN under the entry for "Evidence of Financial Responsibility".

 

[Lubener]

If the officer says the date is correct and it's your word against his, good luck. It doesn't involve points on your record, add your time and gas to appear in traffic court, what have you gained?

 

[Trav]

What is the point? You did get the ticket for a reason, if the plate was wrong it was probably issued to someone else and they passed it on hoping you will pay it but if not you own it.

 

[skyactiv]

Will you get imposed court cost if you fight this citation and lose? $43 may be a bargain if so. Minor citations can be amended to a degree for clerical errors. However, some judges/magistrates will question an officers ability to do their job if he/she cant correctly write a MM misdemeanor out. It's a gamble.

 

[eljefino]

I went into court with a speeding ticket with autrocious handwriting. We had time before seeing the judge to try to work things out. The prosecutor man-splained to me that the ticket was just my invitation to come to court where the cop would explain what really happened.

I was by that time embarrassed with myself and just plead guilty, paid the fine, and left.

The rumor that you can "get off" by pointing out bad handwriting is only repeated by "outhouse lawyers."

 

[Freischneider]

I'm sure a shyster lawyer could put a reasonable doubt in the mind of a jury that if the date is wrong, then they should question the legitimacy of the ticket. Is this worth the time and money to fight it, especially if you're wrong.

 

[Leo99]

Maybe they used day/month/year like the Europeans instead of our American month/day/year format.

 

[aquariuscsm]

My police officer friend always said to take traffic tickets to court, because most likely the officer won't show up, and therefore will be dismissed.

 

[atikovi]

I'm sure a shyster lawyer could put a reasonable doubt in the mind of a jury that if the date is wrong, then they should question the legitimacy of the ticket.

A jury trial for a parking ticket? Seriously?

 

[Kira]

and I'm pretty sure it's the wrong date (month).

Don't say it that way in court.

If you do "go in", start a stopwatch as you enter the building. Stop it after your processing is over and you exit the building.
Then do the "$ saved per hour" math and get back to us.

 

[Pew]

If you can contest it online, you'll have to give some sort of legit reason why you're contesting it along with proof. The City of Chicago has a website where folks can contest their parking tickets online and provide proof. I did this once when I misspelled my license plate once at a parking meter (I provided proof the correct license was registered to the Make/Model of car.)

It won't hurt anything from you since it's all online; I'd submit it and either:

1) Submit the original reason on why the ticket should be thrown out because of a bad date

2.) Build off the bad date and tell them the police wrote the ticket to the wrong car because "I was at xxxxxxx during the date of the ticket so the cop got the wrong car" and show proof.