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40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but lacks important information., February 11, 2004
Since this book was written by a police officer and not a lawyer, it's strong on the traffic violation end but weak on the courtroom end of things. For example, it goes into great detail on the different methods used for judging your speed; what to say and what not to say when you're pulled over; different radar faults such as shadowing, bumping, and batching; and what a "tracking history" is. This is great stuff for planning a defense strategy in court.However, this book falters when it comes to legal details. It tells you nothing about the forms you should use before going to court, like the "Informal Discovery Request" which allows you to request a copy of the officer's notes along with an engineering and traffic survey. Failure of the city to provide these documents (which is what usually happens) can result in dismissal of your case - something not even mentioned in Wallace's book. There is also scant advice on what to say in court, and when to say it. I would recommend getting Wallace's book along with "Fight Your Ticket in California" by Attorney David W. Brown. These two books, taken together, will give you a more complete picture, from the traffic stop to the courtroom, of what you need to do to win your case. Despite the title, David Brown's book is invaluable no matter what state you're located in. Brown's and Wallace's books compliment each other - what one lacks, the other one has. I just beat my radar speeding ticket in court today because the arresting officer failed to show up - even though I saw him in the parking lot just fifteen minutes before our court session started! Based on what I learned reading Wallace's book, I realized that the officer had a weak case. And because I sent an "Informal Discovery Request" to the city police department, the city attorney, and the district attorney as recommended in Brown's book, I believe that the officer realized that he would be up against someone who knew what he was doing, and thus he chose not to appear. One weakness in Wallace's book is that it has a lot of needlessly repeated verbiage (For example, "This book is only to be used as a guide..." is found numerous times throughout the book.) and useless generalities such as "You must create doubt in any way to convince a judge to dismiss the case." Also, some advice is of dubious value, like Wallace's suggestion that you follow and videotape the officer as he drives home from his work. Get this book, and Brown's book, and spend a lot of time studying them and planning your defense. You'll have a good chance of beating your ticket in court.
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