JustinThyme Posted November 1, 2014 Posted November 1, 2014 No matter where you are its a waste of your breath to argue with a cop. Let them write the ticket, thank them then fight it in court. I had a similar incident here. My Labrador is very well trained, Therapy and search and rescue dog. I don't need a leash to control him, He is 100% on verbal, hand signals and whistle commands. So when we walk just because I know there are butt flea cops I have a 1 ft lead that I attach to his collar and off we go. Well the day finally came when Joe the Jackass cop came and interrupted our walk and I just said OK and let him write me the $300 ticket. I then gathered all the local laws and codes regarding animals and confronted the jerk in court. Argue the law, not the cop! I don't know what it says there but here it says the dog must be leashed and the handler must have control. Well he was leashed and I had control. Nothing in the law says a damn thing about me having to hold the other end of the leash. The cop tried to argue that its implied........case dismissed. 2
finecigar Posted November 1, 2014 Posted November 1, 2014 $269!?! unbelievable... those two pups look adorable (and innocent) as ever their eyes say, "officer we just wanted to play..." 1
SMQQKIN Posted November 1, 2014 Posted November 1, 2014 Cops always win. It's a money grab under the disguise of squirrel preservation. 2
Erm310mce Posted November 1, 2014 Posted November 1, 2014 Funny thing about us BOTLs is that our first reaction is "$269? I can get a box of D4s for that!"
madandana Posted November 1, 2014 Posted November 1, 2014 Must have been a lot of complaints. Sounds like they were doing a stake out. They alway will write a ticket in that case.
Martin3203 Posted November 1, 2014 Posted November 1, 2014 Just a word of advice from someone in the field, don't ever say resources could be out to better use or there are real criminals out there because it's never going to go the way you want it. With that said, dogs off leash are the least of my concern. As a matter of fact, I love dogs. So I think it is a waste of time for stuff like that. +1I am also in the field and know the comments don't help. Only makes things worse in most cases. I would have probably lectured you and told you it was wrong and you should know better. Haha
shlomo Posted November 1, 2014 Posted November 1, 2014 Sucks. The law was broken, so some slap on the wrist can't be argued away, but the amount is beyond stupid! Slap a $40 fine in the dog owners hands and it will have an identical effect. There are too many shitty cops in Montreal and no doubt other places, who think they are Rambo and love being bullies. No other word for them. They are some of the least educated group in our city. Not all of them, maybe not most of them even, but certainly too many of them. They should be held to a higher standard, but so many fall very, very, short. 1
canadianbeaver Posted November 1, 2014 Posted November 1, 2014 "Let them write the ticket, thank them then fight it in court..." The end. 1
Fuzz Posted November 1, 2014 Posted November 1, 2014 Okay people, enough with the cop bashing. This was not the point of the post. The cop wasn't even the one writing the ticket. Blame the city inspector the cop was escorting. 1
LGC Posted November 1, 2014 Posted November 1, 2014 Guys... he wasn't after a heated discussion... he was just seeking empathy
jazzmonkey Posted November 1, 2014 Author Posted November 1, 2014 Guys... he wasn't after a heated discussion... he was just seeking empathy I wasn't seeking empathy, but not cop bashing either. My point was the amount of the ticket compared to the infraction. As I've said a few times already, the cop AGREED with me that he should have been doing something else. It wasn't an argument, nor was I impolite towards him or trying to get out of it. There's not point in fighting in court and I'm not going to deny I've let them go. Again, my point is just this ridiculous amount the city charges for such an infraction. Especially compared to much more serious crimes.
jazzmonkey Posted November 1, 2014 Author Posted November 1, 2014 Aren't there any off leash parks around? IMO the law is the law and you took your chances. If the authorities are going to give you a break is it ok for them to give a rottie or a pitbull owner a break? It would have to be right? My leashed Jack Russell was attacked by an unleased pit bull a couple of years back and it ended up costing me $1000 at the vet and my dog over 20 staples in his neck. I know your dogs are probably no threat to anyone but the squirrels, but the law is in place for a reason and I don't think enforcement can, or needs to differentiate between breeds. I agree and didn't say anywhere that I didn't deserve getting a ticket, nor that the price should be based on the breed. But you think that a ticket of 269$ is justified in this case? Running a red light is about 150$, seems to me a lot more harm could be done with that infraction.
Habanos2000 Posted November 1, 2014 Posted November 1, 2014 ...I think you can categorize this as revenue raising and nothing more. Warren hit the nail right on the head. I'm not familiar with Montreal's finances, but if it's anything like the big cities in the US, they are so cash starved they'll do anything to raise more. Pitiful if you ask me.
Foz Posted November 1, 2014 Posted November 1, 2014 +1 I am also in the field and know the comments don't help. Only makes things worse in most cases. I would have probably lectured you and told you it was wrong and you should know better. Haha +1 also Cops don't make the rules, they just enforce them. 1
potpest Posted November 1, 2014 Posted November 1, 2014 Warren hit the nail right on the head. I'm not familiar with Montreal's finances, but if it's anything like the big cities in the US, they are so cash starved they'll do anything to raise more. Pitiful if you ask me. Must be working aswell if they're paying a policeman and a warden and still making a profit. The majority of fines are scandalous, they aren't a deterrent just an income stream.
jazzmonkey Posted November 1, 2014 Author Posted November 1, 2014 Must be working aswell if they're paying a policeman and a warden and still making a profit. The majority of fines are scandalous, they aren't a deterrent just an income stream. That's my thinking as well. Had it been 50 or 75$, I still would have not done it again. Giving a fine is one thing, but to me this is just gouging. I bet Jazz won't do it again... At 269$ / squirrel, I don't think so.
El Presidente Posted November 1, 2014 Posted November 1, 2014 I haven't met too many bad cops. You can normally enter into a conversation with them and if they sense you are not a goose you an normally talk yourself out of the small stuff. City inspectors on the other hand....EEK $269 is bloody excessive. $25-$50 and It has the same effect. 2
jazzmonkey Posted November 1, 2014 Author Posted November 1, 2014 I haven't met too many bad cops. You can normally enter into a conversation with them and if they sense you are not a goose you an normally talk yourself out of the small stuff. City inspectors on the other hand....EEK $269 is bloody excessive. $25-$50 and It has the same effect. Exactly how I feel. It's an infraction that deserved a slap on the wrist, not a punch in the face. IMO
mikek Posted November 1, 2014 Posted November 1, 2014 I know had to put my Blue Heeler away after 18 yrs. we would like another SOOOO bad but people in this town and the laws are so anal it's just not fair to the dog. All it takes is A few bad dog owners and A few complainers to just make it impossible!By the way those are A couple of nice looking dogs,and they will hunt! I might add A couple of girls that were fall down indian drunk walked right out in front of an ambulance the other night! All they got was A warning to yield to an ambulance!!! GO Figure
Maplepie Posted November 2, 2014 Posted November 2, 2014 $269 is bloody excessive. $25-$50 and It has the same effect. i'd say a better effect... 270 and everyone treats you like a joke. If you overkill something, people just think it's ludicrous (which it is) On the other side, city inspectors are absolutely HORRENDOUS. There are odd moments where they're like people. But only odd ones out. Rightfully so, though. If you're walking around in public, they can't ID you without a copper which brings a lot of people to treat them like **** when they don't have a cop PRESENT.
str8dog Posted November 2, 2014 Posted November 2, 2014 There's not point in fighting in court and I'm not going to deny I've let them go. Again, my point is just this ridiculous amount the city charges for such an infraction. Especially compared to much more serious crimes. Hey JS. Had the same experience a few years ago in Toronto with my old girl (my dog Patch, not Mrs. str8dog) when she was about 15 yrs old. She didn't move too fast anymore but was off leash and walking about 6 feet away. Bylaw officer escorted by a copper in a squad car dished me out a ticket for a similar amount to yours. I did go to court on the off chance the bylaw guy didn't show. He was there so a not guilty plea wouldn't have gone far. Anyway,to the important part ... discussion/deal with the prosecutor before the trial began had me plead guilty and fined $30. Saved a couple hundred dollars for a few hours out of the office. Just FYI BTW, doze puppies are sooooo cute!!!
cigcars Posted November 2, 2014 Posted November 2, 2014 I was recently given a ticket for speeding here in the States. And this was the kind where I would have had to pay over $168, go to a traffic school if I didn't want points taken off my license, etc., etc., and etc. I found my brother's old lawyer who handled everything for a mere $50. I didn't even have to go to court. Everything handled and dismissed. I'm hoping you guys in the great white North have some similar legal representatives that can help you out in this. Also, my mom had an incident once where we were taking one of my aunts who had severe leg problems on some errands in our car. This was in the late '60's. My mom found an open handicapped space and figured she could park there (although we had no sticker stating such), because of my aunt's condition. Well she came back to the car to find a ticket waiting for her on the windshield - $50. And believe me, $50 in the 1960's was A LOT for a poor person. And she didn't want to embarrass our aunt with any taking her before anybody for some antics arguing the case. So she was going to quietly stay stuck with it. Then, out of the blue, some kind of fluke happened where $50+ suddenly came into her hands just in time - again seemingly from nowhere. She figured that was The Lord taking pity on her and giving her the money to pay this parking violation and in recognition of her not putting our aunt on the spot. Maybe some kind of funds from somewhere will show up for you too maybe? Just my 2 cents
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