Pinthouse Pizza
Watch Out for Police
RECEIVED Fri., July 18, 2008
Dear Editor,
To my neighbors in the area of Rundberg, Rutland, and Parkfield. There is an Austin policeman in town who has magic powers. He can tell "about" how fast you are going just by visual estimation. This is, by the way, perfectly admissible in Austin Municipal Court, and you can and will be convicted solely on his say-so.
How do I know? I was stopped for going 35 miles per hour through a stop sign, at least that is what it says on the ticket. But under oath in Municipal Court, the officer decided that, although he did not have his radar on, I was going "about eight (8) miles an hour." Which I was not. Maybe 1-2 miles per hour at the most, not quite a complete stop. I've seen hundreds of drivers do the same.
So if you are said to be going "about 70 miles per hour" or "about 100 miles per hour” – but there is no proof and no radar – you will be convicted on the Austin police say-so. Nuff said?
To my neighbors in the area of Rundberg, Rutland, and Parkfield. There is an Austin policeman in town who has magic powers. He can tell "about" how fast you are going just by visual estimation. This is, by the way, perfectly admissible in Austin Municipal Court, and you can and will be convicted solely on his say-so.
How do I know? I was stopped for going 35 miles per hour through a stop sign, at least that is what it says on the ticket. But under oath in Municipal Court, the officer decided that, although he did not have his radar on, I was going "about eight (8) miles an hour." Which I was not. Maybe 1-2 miles per hour at the most, not quite a complete stop. I've seen hundreds of drivers do the same.
So if you are said to be going "about 70 miles per hour" or "about 100 miles per hour” – but there is no proof and no radar – you will be convicted on the Austin police say-so. Nuff said?
Kathleen Howard
[Editor's note: Without getting on a high horse about it, we should note that even if "hundreds of drivers" have done the same thing, rolling a stop sign is illegal.]