Part 2 of 3-part series, prepared by Peter L. Johnston, Esq., Philadelphia Car Accident Attorney
It is important to bear in mind that traffic ticket hearings are conducted dramatically different in the City of Philadelphia as compared to the rest of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In the rest of the Commonwealth, traffic tickets are handled by local magisterial district courts located in the various municipalities. In these cases, the officer who gave you the ticket would appear and argue the state’s case. If you wish to seek a negotiated outcome of the case, you would negotiate directly with the officer.
In most cases, the officer would be willing to negotiate fairly, so long as you do not have a significant history of violations. It is also helpful to remember that the officer will likely remember your demeanor and conduct when you got the ticket. Treating the officer poorly at that time might make him or her less willing to agree to a more favorable outcome for you. That is one thing to bear in mind at the point when you receive the ticket. Hence, though you are certainly annoyed about getting a ticket, it would not be beneficial for you to treat the officer rudely or with disrespect.
Lastly, trials at that level are heard by the magisterial district judge who makes his or her decision at the conclusion of the case. In the event of an unfavorable outcome at the district court, you would have the right to file an appeal with your county’s Court of Common Pleas within 30 days. At that level, your case would be handled by the county district attorney with whom you would attempt any negotiations for a lesser penalty.