Drivers can contest their traffic tickets

by Evelyn Henley
For The Post

Unhappy drivers looking to contest a ticket must go through a similar system at both the Athens Police and the Ohio University Police departments.

If the driver receives a traffic ticket from the OUPD there are a couple of steps to take, said Scott Carson, chairman of OUPD appeals committee. Traffic tickets encompass a variety of offenses, including driving under the influence and illegally parking.

"You've got to file an appeal at the police department in Scott Quad," he said. "You must talk to the ticketing officer."

If the ticketing officer agrees with your reasoning, then he or she can dismiss the ticket, Carson said. If the officer does not agree, then the ticket is sent to a committee to make the decision.

The contesting process is similar at APD. When a driver receives a ticket, it is more of an administrative form, said Capt. David Burnette of the APD.

"When you get a ticket you can come into parking enforcement or the APD and contact the officer to contest it," he said. "Then it will become a court summons and become part of the court system."

After the initial complaint, the case is then sent to court. No court summons is given until after the ticket is contested, Burnette said.

"Once it gets in the court system it is out of the Athens Police Department's control," he said.

The ticketing officer also has the authority to dismiss the ticket at the time of the driver's contesting, Burnette said.

In 2000 there were 11,935 traffic cases in the city, said Pam Walton, clerk at the Athens Municipal Court. This number includes charges of driving under the influence.

Out of those traffic cases, not including DUIs, 797 drivers contested the tickets and appeared before a judge, Walton said. Out of those that went before a judge, 138 cases were dismissed.