Speeding Ticket “Arresting Officer”

[Anonymous]

A few months ago I got a ticket for going 6mph over the speed limit on the PA Turnpike. The ticketing officer said he bumped it down from a speeding ticket to a ticket for failure to follow the rules of the Turnpike. I paid the ticket in a timely manner and thought that was that. However I’ve since noticed that when you Google my name a Pennsylvania court document comes up that lists the ticketing officer as an “arresting officer,” and other things that make the infraction seem more serious than it was. It references sentencing, my guilty plea, lists my full name, date of birth, city and zip code, refers to me as a defendant, etc. While it lists the section of the PA code I was ticketed under it does so under a section titled “Charges.” It doesn’t note the underlying facts, namely that I was going 6 mph over the speed limit. It does, however, reflect that I paid my fine. Would it make sense to write the clerk of the court that issued this document and ask whether they can take it offline? I don’t want people, potential employers for example, to Google me and incorrectly assume I was arrested and charged with a crime.

[Anonymous]

6 mph over the limit? Wow, they really want to squeeze money out of people!

[Anonymous]

6 mph over? That’s what it was written as. How far over were you, really though? 12? 15?

[Anonymous]

OP: Yes, contact the Court of Clerk and explain your concerns and ask what can be done.

Just so you know that you are not alone, I received a speeding ticket for going "one (1) to five (5) miles over the speed limit". I received a letter in the main with my name and the word Defendant clearly visible in the address window. The enclosed letter started with: "You are hereby ORDERED to appear in court on" such date at such time. All I can say is thank God that I wasn't going 6 mph over the speed limit or there might have been an arresting officer.

[Anonymous]

That is all standard information and presentation. You were charged with a violation, but anyone who is even remotely concerned can look up the code section and see what it was for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That is all standard information and presentation. You were charged with a violation, but anyone who is even remotely concerned can look up the code section and see what it was for.

Standard for an infraction ? This was not a misdemeanor or felony offense--just a simple ticket for an infraction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is all standard information and presentation. You were charged with a violation, but anyone who is even remotely concerned can look up the code section and see what it was for.

Standard for an infraction ? This was not a misdemeanor or felony offense--just a simple ticket for an infraction.

Yes, that is standard for how the Pennsylvania court system reports traffic violations.

[Anonymous]

I COMPLETELY understand your concern, OP. But paying a ticket is admitting guilt to violating the law. It seems like you think there’s some category of “ticket infractions” versus “real offenses” when actually it’s a spectrum. What you did was super super minor but you broke the law, admitted guilt, and paid the penalty.

[Anonymous]

He wrote you for 6mph to be nice. What was your actual speed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is all standard information and presentation. You were charged with a violation, but anyone who is even remotely concerned can look up the code section and see what it was for.

Standard for an infraction ? This was not a misdemeanor or felony offense--just a simple ticket for an infraction.

Completely normal for all moving violation tickets where I am (Maryland), although other states might do it differently. In Maryland most traffic tickets are also technically considered misdemeanors, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: Yes, contact the Court of Clerk and explain your concerns and ask what can be done.

Just so you know that you are not alone, I received a speeding ticket for going "one (1) to five (5) miles over the speed limit". I received a letter in the main with my name and the word Defendant clearly visible in the address window. The enclosed letter started with: "You are hereby ORDERED to appear in court on" such date at such time. All I can say is thank God that I wasn't going 6 mph over the speed limit or there might have been an arresting officer.

how fast were you actually going? No one gets pulled over for 5/6 mph over, ( unless u are on a military base). You were going faster and the officer dropped it down to 1-5 to be nice. He also hoped you would just pay and not go to court. Going to court your actual speed would be noted to the Judge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I COMPLETELY understand your concern, OP. But paying a ticket is admitting guilt to violating the law. It seems like you think there’s some category of “ticket infractions” versus “real offenses” when actually it’s a spectrum. What you did was super super minor but you broke the law, admitted guilt, and paid the penalty.

+1

How fast were you actually going?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is all standard information and presentation. You were charged with a violation, but anyone who is even remotely concerned can look up the code section and see what it was for.

Standard for an infraction ? This was not a misdemeanor or felony offense--just a simple ticket for an infraction.

Completely normal for all moving violation tickets where I am (Maryland), although other states might do it differently. In Maryland most traffic tickets are also technically considered misdemeanors, too.

+1 This happened to me after a ticket on Wisconsin Avenue from a Maryland state trooper. I’ve gotten a ticket from county police and it never showed up that way. It disappeared after a few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A few months ago I got a ticket for going 6mph over the speed limit on the PA Turnpike. The ticketing officer said he bumped it down from a speeding ticket to a ticket for failure to follow the rules of the Turnpike. I paid the ticket in a timely manner and thought that was that. However I’ve since noticed that when you Google my name a Pennsylvania court document comes up that lists the ticketing officer as an “arresting officer,” and other things that make the infraction seem more serious than it was. It references sentencing, my guilty plea, lists my full name, date of birth, city and zip code, refers to me as a defendant, etc. While it lists the section of the PA code I was ticketed under it does so under a section titled “Charges.” It doesn’t note the underlying facts, namely that I was going 6 mph over the speed limit. It does, however, reflect that I paid my fine. Would it make sense to write the clerk of the court that issued this document and ask whether they can take it offline? I don’t want people, potential employers for example, to Google me and incorrectly assume I was arrested and charged with a crime.

No, it doesn't work like that. All of that is factually accurate and is public information. You were, in fact, arrested. Most employers won't care about a traffic infraction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I COMPLETELY understand your concern, OP. But paying a ticket is admitting guilt to violating the law. It seems like you think there’s some category of “ticket infractions” versus “real offenses” when actually it’s a spectrum. What you did was super super minor but you broke the law, admitted guilt, and paid the penalty.

+1

How fast were you actually going?

Probably 5 mph over the limit. The speed limit was 15 mph. I had just turned onto the 15 mph street from a 25 mph street and didn't slow down quickly enough as the radar was set up to catch folks like me who were turning onto the lower speed road from the higher speed road.

Speeding is strictly enforced here because bicyclists, dog walker & horses with riders are welcome on our roads--but none were present at the time.

I asked to be given a warning since I had a clean record. The officer called HQ and was told not to give a warning.