I received the following e-mail from a friend whom I have absolutely no reason to doubt:
"This weekend, my sister was traveling back to Great Falls from Helena, and had her son and her son's friend with her (two 13-year-old boys). She was pulled over for speeding by a highway patrol officer. But instead of following procedure, the officer suggested that if she paid him $40 on the spot, that he would not write a ticket that would go against her record. And so she did. You can imagine that the officer in question probably pocketed the $40 "tip" and forgot that she ever existed.
I happen to know that $40 is the charge for an 'officially issued' highway speeding ticket, because another friend of mine was stating that she, as well, got pulled over for doing 90 mph, and so she got the ticket, and that's what she paid".
And no folks, I didn't just fall off the turnip truck. I do realize this kind of thing does goes on and I'm not so naive to think that Montana is immune to this kind of crap, but it still is disheartening to hear about it happening here. (We tout ourselves as the "Last Best Place", don't we)?
Has anybody else had this experience with the Montana State Highway Patrol?
12 comments:
Did your friend get the name of the officer?
No, she did not.
-Anonymous friend
I find it hard to believe. Must have been a transplant from Texas.
Then again, if your friend was speeding and caught that $40 bucks beats 3 points and keeps the insurance company out of the loop.
Good trade.
I received a speeding ticket two weeks ago. I was relieved and thankful when the trooper gave me a break and wrote the ticket up so that it would NOT count against my driving record. I paid the trooper on the spot and received a yellow copy of the ticket along with a statement that if I wanted to argue the ticket I could appear before the Justice of the Peace. Since I was going 84 in a 70 zone I had no desire to argue. The trooper was exceptionally pleasant and professional. I simply do not believe any MHP would risk his/her career by accepting a $40.00 bribe. He/she would have no way of knowing who your friend was and to risk a $50,000 (salary/benefits) job for $40.00 is very, very difficult to believe.
What a crock!
Anon. at 5:41pm:
I must plead ignorance, because I have never received a speeding ticket.
How did the trooper write your ticket so it would not count against your driving record?
Anon. at 8:09pm:
What's a crock? This post or somebody's comment? Please explain.
The ticket I received is perfectly legal in Montana and has been for at least 30 years. It is considered a daylight infraction (I believe this means driving about 10 miles an hour above the speed limit - 70 mph - daytime) and the cost is $20.00. Because it is not a major speeding infraction there are no points against your driving record. In the good old days this would have been called a "energy savings" speeding ticket and I believe it would cost the driver (still a ticket) $10.00 and did not count against the driver. Instead of thinking the worse about the trooper, the driver should count her lucky stars the trooper was willing to give her such a ticket -one that doesn't count against her driving record.
Anon. at 8:09pm:
I deleted your later comment because nobody comes to this blog and tells anybody to "shut the hell up".
Don't come back.
Anon. at 10:28pm:
Thanks for the explanation.
My daughter received a same $40 fine near Broadus. Same "pay on the spot" and was even escorted back 10 miles to an ATM. She, too, received a copy of the ticket. However, she called me via cell and asked if it was normal. I called the county court house, spoke to the clerk and she said it was standard procedure. I asked how they would know if the money wasn't pocketed. The clerk said that the officer's name is on the ticket and in the lower corner would be the amount and it would be checked paid. It wouldn't be listed against her points.
It is the way MT seems to raise money, keep the docket clear, and is SOP.
Did your friend get a plate number or ID number for the police cruiser? Most police cruisers have some sort of ID number on either the front or rear quarter panel.
I wouldn't have paid that chump a dime. Your friend had witnesses. Why doesn't she file a complaint with the Montana Highway Patrol?
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