Yeah, cops are jerks.
A few years ago, I was on the highway and the speed limit was 70. I admit I was going 80 mph (I was set on cruise control). I see a cop up ahead so I begin to slow. My radar detector didn't start to go off until I was at about 73 mph. The cop pulls me over and claims that he clocked me at 88 mph.
At this point, I was really upset because I knew this cop was lying. There was no way in hell he clocked me doing 88. So, I asked to see the radar. Of course, he said, "Oh, yeah, I forgot to lock it in when I read 88 on the radar." Liar.........
I explained to him that I was set on cruise control going 80 mph. The dude was still a jerk and wrote me a ticket for going 85 mph. In Florida, you have 3 options. option 1- pay the ticket and get the points on your license. option 2- pay the ticket and go to traffic school...no points on the license. option 3- appear in court. At the time, my friend was doing clerking at a law firm. Lucky me. The lawyer agreed to take my case (for free too....most lawyers charge within the $100's). The judge ended up finding me not guilty.
Moral of the story- hire a lawyer. Usually, they end up being cheaper than the ticket. Also, they can find out things on the cop that pulled you over that can make the ticket invalid such as: he forgot to get his speedometer calibrated or he didn't fill out paperwork correctly. Many of the times, the lawyer can get you out of the ticket.
sidenote: In Florida, cops usually
don't make an appearance at the trial. The trial dates are set on days when they're off work. A lot of times, they don't want to take the time to appear in court on their day off. Many of my friends have represented themselves in court and won because the cop made a no-show. Still, I wouldn't recommend it. They tell you in Florida to not fight with the cop over the ticket...just smile and accept it. If the cop doesn't remember who you are, he most likely won't care enough to show up in court. Making the situation more "memorable" will only entice the cop to show up and make your chances of losing greater.