Radar Identified wrote:The officer does not have to directly observe the sign itself at the exact moment of the offence. They do have to observe the offence. Example: Sometimes they'll sit around a corner where there is a "no right turn" or "no left turn" sign, or whatever, and nail anyone who makes the turn. That's enough to get a conviction, usually.

BUT (a little more technical)... If the officer is, say, half a block from the intersection, he doesn't have a clear view of the intersection, so often the defendant can be found not guilty if the sign was obscured by something. In that case, the officer would have to be far enough away from the intersection that they could not have seen what might have obscured the sign for that defence to work. You'd have to ask the officer "did you have a clear view of what I was seeing when I approached the sign?" You'd then have to, more or less, show how the sign was obscured. If the officer wasn't in position to observe the actual offence occurring, you could take photographs looking from where the officer was sitting to where the offence occurred to show that he couldn't have observed you commit the offence. If he could not have seen the offence itself occur, that should be enough for dismissal. How far away was the cop?

There are other ways to beat the charge.

Couple of questions: What sign were you ticketed for disobeying? Have you requested disclosure yet?

ohtat wrote:I received the disclosure form, however the handwritting is too hard to recoganize it. What should I do next? Much thanks.