Hi, my name is Heather Ford and I am a Traffic Attorney out of New Orleans, also known as the Traffic Ticket Lady. I get calls to my office often and sometimes clients want to know “did the police officer have to show me the radar gun?” We’ve all heard this idea before, asking for the calibration of the radar gun they used to catch you speeding over the speed limit. Maybe we think we’re playing a sneaky game where we would catch the officer not practicing due diligence and the ticket would be invalid.
Does the police officer need to show you the radar gun when they issue you a ticket? The answer is no.
When an officer pulls you over and they decided to issue you a ticket, there is no reason to argue with them. They have already made up their mind, they are on the street with cars flying by, and are likely not in the mood to hear why you think they are wrong.
Save your concerns for court, not for the officer.
When you are given that ticket, sign the paperwork that says you’ll show up to court, and be on your way. Your best interest is in going to court to discuss the ticket with the judge or even better, hiring a traffic ticket attorney to talk to the judge on your behalf. There you have a chance of getting ticket reduced or dismissed with some work and some humility. Ask yourself what you want: to tell the officer how mad you are or to get the ticket reduced/dismissed?
If you have a ticket and feel you were wrongly ticketed, feel free to shoot me a text at 504-535-LADY or 535-5239 for a free consultation. You can tell your side of the story, I can offer options for you to move forward, and you can decide what direction to take from there.