City of Mesa Camera Ticket process server question (crime, law)

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Jkgourmet

This (combined with your member name) really makes me feel that photo radar is a good thing. If you are truly getting "tons of photo radar tickets" you need to be off the road as a dangerous driver.

Sorry if that sounds judgmental, but you're the one who admitted that you were breaking "tons" of traffic laws, endangering yourself and others.

And, he lives in Las Vegas, where he's only endangering people there now.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

In Scottsdale that is no longer true as they use alternate service, but Mesa will drop the ticket completely after 3 unsuccessful process server attempts.

What "alternate service" is Scottsdale using? My wife is dodging a process server now from a Scottsdale photo radar ticket. I'm not worried, as our doorbell is broken, we don't have kids and we don't answer the door for unexpected visitors or keep the garage doors open. Her court date was supposed to be at the end of July. When will she be in the clear?

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

The cameras, in both my cases, were right on and doing the job they were supposed to do.

......which was to get you to write a check to the state with no effort on their part. The cameras' job wasn't to make you slow down, since you weren't pulled over or made aware of your violations. Their job was purely to raise money and you willingly helped them. And, unless you noticed the flash and knew they got you, you continued to speed. What good cause was served here?

[las vegas drunk]

Originally Posted by Jkgourmet

This (combined with your member name) really makes me feel that photo radar is a good thing. If you are truly getting "tons of photo radar tickets" you need to be off the road as a dangerous driver.

Sorry if that sounds judgmental, but you're the one who admitted that you were breaking "tons" of traffic laws, endangering yourself and others.

I used to be a courier who drove my own vehicle 10 hours a day for work. I got well over 50 of those tickets and never paid a single one with no repercussions. I had a dispatcher on my back all the time to hurry up. I was not necessarily a bad driver, just a fast one.

[las vegas drunk]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

What "alternate service" is Scottsdale using? My wife is dodging a process server now from a Scottsdale photo radar ticket. I'm not worried, as our doorbell is broken, we don't have kids and we don't answer the door for unexpected visitors or keep the garage doors open. Her court date was supposed to be at the end of July. When will she be in the clear?

I had left Phoenix by the time alternate service started. Here is a link on it. It is definitely something to worry about if you are trying to avoid a process server:

Scottsdale turning up heat on ticket scofflaws

[las vegas drunk]

Originally Posted by azphotoradarsucks

Thanks for the info...In my heart I want to make them send a server out JUST BECAUSE IT IS THEIR DUTY. However, I don't want to pay the extra fine. The likelihood that they'll be able to successfully serve me is high, since I have 5 kids at home who may forget and answer the door. (I teach them to NOT answer the door for strangers, simply because it can be a dangerous thing to do..you never know who will come to your door, and a little kid should never be exposed to that risk....but it's not foolproof. Every once in a while they will answer the door anyway, and even though they get a stern lecture afterwards - about the potential dangers - it still happens now and then) Also, my husband does not want to have to worry about avoiding a process server. I can see his point, but deep down I am SO opposed to just forking over the money for an unjust ticket.

Have you had actual personal experience with this? In Mesa, do they always try 3 times? Sometimes less? Sometimes more? Also, do I need to have my car parked in the garage? I have heard that, if they see the ticketed car in the driveway and can hear people inside, they can serve you just by leaving it on your doorstep....

As far as I know, Mesa does the same thing (regarding process servers) as any other city in Metro Phoenix with the exception of Scottsdale.

[Rick Lee]

Thanks for that link. It doesn't specify what that little known statute is other than to say it allows the notice ot be left at the door without a signature. I wasn't aware that a signature was ever needed, just a positive ID of vehicle at address and/or contact with a competent adult. Why would they even bother trying to make personal contact if there's a loophole in the law that allows dropping it off on the doorstep? We have some overseas travel coming up and will be gone for a few weeks. It would really suck to miss this once it become serious.

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

......which was to get you to write a check to the state with no effort on their part. The cameras' job wasn't to make you slow down, since you weren't pulled over or made aware of your violations. Their job was purely to raise money and you willingly helped them. And, unless you noticed the flash and knew they got you, you continued to speed. What good cause was served here?

The way I look at is, I broke the law, and I need to be responsible for my actions. A fine is an appropriate way. It's much better than jail time.

The traffic signs were there to make me aware of the speed limit. In one I ignored it, and the other I didn't see it. But I still broke the law, and am willing to pay my fine.

It's difficult to not see the flash. I certainly saw it.

It did have the effect of making me slow down. As I said in my previous post, I am much more careful in observing the speed limits since I got those tickets.

Naturally the fines go into the city/county coffers, and perhaps it helps to pay for the cameras and police officers.

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Thanks for that link. It doesn't specify what that little known statute is other than to say it allows the notice ot be left at the door without a signature. I wasn't aware that a signature was ever needed, just a positive ID of vehicle at address and/or contact with a competent adult. Why would they even bother trying to make personal contact if there's a loophole in the law that allows dropping it off on the doorstep? We have some overseas travel coming up and will be gone for a few weeks. It would really suck to miss this once it become serious.

Pay the fine and you can enjoy your vacation. The city needs the money.

[Rick Lee]

I got flashed in Germany in June and it was because the speed limit changed after 10:30pm. The camera was built into the roadsign warning of the speed limit change. So by the time I was able to read it, I was caught. I was going 94 km/h where, an hour earlier, the limit had been 100 km/h, but had just dropped to 80 km/h. They weren't trying to make me slow down at all. All the locals know about that, but I didn't. Had they wanted me to slow down, they'd have put the sign 500m or so before the camera.

I've never gotten flashed in the US, but my wife had no idea she had been and was surprised when the ticket showed up in the mail. So it obviously had no deterrent effect on her until a month later. Had she been pulled over, she'd have gotten the message right away. In fact, the several photos on that ticket show another car at first parallel to her and in the next photo quite a bit ahead of her, meaning that car was much faster and probably tripped the camera. Of course, we'll never know if that other car got a ticket too.