The Cop and the Courthouse

I got a speeding ticket. It was the first one in over 10 years. It was one of those camera ones. You know the kind. The ones you don’t even know about that suddenly show up in your mailbox. Crying or flirting won’t get you out of those! But I wasn’t giving up with a fight. I didn’t believe I was actually going as fast as the ticket said. This landed me in the Multnomah County Court House.

8:00 AM: I walked into the large downtown building with trepidation. Fortunately, I had not spent much time in courthouses. I was nervous about going to the wrong place, the wrong room, being late, getting yelled at, crying. I had no idea what to expect. Once past the metal detectors and guards, I did my best to follow the signs and crowds. I stood in line with the rest of the “offenders” unsure and lacking confidence. I heard a clerk repeatedly (and with growing irritation although her day had just begun) tell people this was the line to stand in if you have a traffic ticket. I fought my doubt and waited in line. Finally, I heard someone talk about what to do if you had already contested the ticket. Of course, I was in the wrong place and now late.

8:32 AM: Stepping into the (correct) court room I thought about how helpful it would be if there was someone standing at the door to answer questions; perhaps a concierge. But alas, there is not. I asked a police officer to help. He gave me some basic info and pointed me towards another officer I could talk to if I wanted. As I approached the officer, I meekly mumbled something along the lines of, “I was told to talk to you about my ticket.” He asked me to sit down, he’d be with me shortly.

8:36 AM: Again, reminded how foreign the whole situation was to me, I tried to think through what I was going to say when my turn came. The officer finally called me over. His exact words were, “What do you want to talk about?” Um, I don’t know. How does this work? It’s annoying that clearly the more you have to do it, the more savvy you become. What about those of us who aren’t savvy? I mumbled my way through an explanation of, “Well, I don’t usually drive that fast, is there a possibility the camera could have been wrong?” This was apparently not his first rodeo as he explained how the van/camera situation worked. He made it clear to me, that there was no doubt in his mind I was driving as fast as he said and no point in arguing with him.

8:41 AM: As I eventually stood in front of the judge for about two minutes, I received my reduced fine and left, thankful for a good driving record and hopeful my insurance wouldn’t increase. It turned out this was the easy part. I headed down stairs to pay my fine.

8:45 AM: I stood in the same original line for the next forty-five minutes, thankful I had brought a book to read. I periodically looked up from my distraction to observe what was going on around me. I gazed down the hallway. My line crawled around the corner as a variety of people stood impatiently waiting their turn at the post-office-like window where clerks worked with no sense of urgency. Across from us was a window dedicated to criminal acts. I found myself judging those around me. I looked the “criminals” up and down. I made decisions about what they were wearing, the tattoos they bore, their cavalier demeanor. I made decisions about what their lives were like. I found myself assuming they were also the people who made poor decisions about who they spent time with, they bounced checks, they always played the victim.

9:00 AM: I also looked at the people in my own line. I was surprised when I saw someone dressed professionally or someone I thought was attractive. “How can that be?” I thought to myself. They have gotten in trouble with the law! I quickly realized I was in the same line. I felt shame. I felt like I was a bad person. Here I was clumped with all these other “bad” people. I couldn’t deny it. I too had gotten in trouble with the law.

9:30 AM: I finally reached the window, pulled out my checkbook and paid my fine. Sure it stung a bit, but I deserved it. I’m still not 100% convinced I was going the speed he said I was, but I’m equally unsure I wasn’t. Furthermore, if I am honest, if I didn’t deserve this ticket there are certainly others I did; others I had gotten away with. I hear all the time people talking about how the police are “out to get us.” If that’s the case, they don’t have to try very hard. We provide a lot of opportunity. If we really want to show them, we can obey the law. That’ll stick it to them for sure.

The moral of this story is (in case I have to point it out to you) someday you may find yourself heading to the court house because you got a speeding ticket (yes even you “good” people out there!). Be sure to bring a book! :-)