Fighting parking tickets please help

[ridley]

Can you all give me a hand? It is a cage related issue.

In Sacramento we have street cleaning on certian days (its street dependent). You are suppose to move your car off the street by 0800 the day of cleaning. Well I went out to get into my car to go to work this morning and my watch said 0758. Parking cop (little punk) said his watch said 0805, and gave me a ticket. He drove down the street and proceeded to give others tickets. However he did not give a ticket to the one black man who was opening the door to his car to get in and leave (parking dude was black also). By this time it was at least 0815. Please dont think of me as a raciest for my above comments but that just really toasted me when I saw it.

Do any of you have any advice for fighting this. I know that the city laws in Sac are different than where most of you are from but again any advice on structuring an argument would be very helpful.

Thanks

[bakadoh]

Write the commision with your story. Give a detailed account (but don't play the race card) just tell them that a person leaving wasn't ticketed even though he could have been.

Stick to the facts, I actually got a ticket over turned and I was completely in the wrong... turns out I just didn't realize that my local (UC Berkeley) area had changed the rules for street parking (one hour max even at parking meters).

An address to send disputes should be on the back of the ticket.

Also on the same day the following week, see if you can time the metermaid, and get a few pictures (with time stamp) if he or she early.

Pictures help a lot. The more you send to the dispute commision the better... remember these guys are looking at hundreds of these, and bearly have time to go over the facts...

good luck.

[tmht]

In San Diego they have those portable ticket printers that they carry around. The time they go by is the one on the machine. I should know I got a ticket with 7:01 printed on it and I was at my car before 7:05. If it is hand written plead your case as about without the race stuff and hope for the best.

[mojo mofo]

I would also think that it would be possible to challenge the time by finding out how they set the clock and how often it is verified, etc.

[Tillers_Rule]

Originally posted by mojo mofo
I would also think that it would be possible to challenge the time by finding out how they set the clock and how often it is verified, etc.

I'd also make sure that my watch is set by an accurate method, since they may question it.

[ridley]

Thanks for all of your replys. I have been thinking about this since my post and have decided (as mojo has indicated) to fight it based on clock accuracy. Why does this little traffic guy have the authority to issue me a citation based upon a time he got from his watch. How is his watch set. Is it based on a standard time issued by the city? I can guarantee that I could put 100 people in a room and find that a majority of them do not have the same time. The same is probably true for the parking cops, none of them will have the same time. I think if they are going to issue me a ticket based on a set time (like 0800) I think they should have a clock set by the city in every one of their stupid 3-wheelers, or have a computerized system like SD or San Fran.

My clock was set by AT&T (it was my phone I was refering to, I was not to clear to you all about that, sorry). Is that accurate enough. I also have a link to the atomic clock in Fort Collins CO. that I set all of my other clocks to.

[SUCATI]

Some folks use an atomic clock.
Very accurate and radio controlled.

Hand held GPS displays the atomic time.

[johnparjr]

I live in sac too they like handin out tickets:sad: