Traffic tickets and naturalization (threads merged)

Bobsmyth said:
I don't see what the officer has to gain by not telling the law like it is; that's part of his job. Sure it's always advisable to double check the law, but if an officer stops you and tells you what it is, you could pretty much bet it's true, unless you're paranoid and think everyone is out to get you.
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Officers aren't perfect with their knowledge of the law. It is VERY common for them to be wrong. They have to make on-the-spot decisions and they don't carry a law library in the back of their car. They will do things like give you a ticket for an illegal left turn, but when you go to court it is proven the turn was legal at that location. Some will perform searches improperly in a way that causes the evidence to get thrown out in court because the manner of the search violated the law. There are various ifs and buts and precedents that they don't know off the top of their head when talking to you at the scene.

Holding a non-driver responsible for the driver's ticket is dubious on its face, so it should be checked out before paying such a massive amount. It may be valid to do that in some circumstances, but not necessarily the specific scenario described by the OP. Maybe the OP is responsible only for the $500 ticket and not the $1050 DRA. Or maybe the OP isn't the owner of the car, in a state where only the owner can be held liable in such a situation.
 
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Jackolantern said:
Officers aren't perfect with their knowledge of the law. It is VERY common for them to be wrong. They will do things like give you a ticket for an illegal left turn, but when you go to court it is proven the turn was legal at that location. Some will perform searches improperly in a way that causes the evidence to get thrown out in court because the manner of the search violated the law. There are various ifs and buts and precedents that they don't know off the top of their head when talking to you at the scene.

Holding a non-driver responsible for the driver's ticket is dubious on its face, so it should be checked out before paying such a massive amount. It may be valid to do that in some circumstances, but not necessarily the specific scenario described by the OP. Maybe the OP is responsible only for the $500 ticket and not the $1050 DRA. Or maybe the OP isn't the owner of the car, in a state where only the owner can be held liable in such a situation.
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Without the OPs feedback we'll never know the specifics of the case so let's just keep it at that so this doesn't turn into another ad nauseam thread.
 
We should give the OP one full week to update the thread. Then it is open season to post what we all individually think the real incident was :)

Bobsmyth said:
Without the OPs feedback we'll never know the specifics of the case so let's just keep it at that so this doesn't turn into another ad nauseam thread.
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Parking Expired Meter Ticket

Hi All,

I got a question about parking expired meter violation ticket. My 1st one.
In Feb 2008, I got a parking violation ticket in NYC. I am from MD.
I've heard people saying we can ignore it since it's out of state.
But I am going to apply for immigration next year,
I do not want to ignore it if it causes problem.

However, when I looked at the ticket information,
the license plate number is right but State information is incorrect.
It's printed as MA (Massachusetts), not Maryland.
The car body color is also wrong and no VIN# in the ticket.

I would like to get some advices on this parking violation issue.
It's way overdue. I am a bit worried.

Appreciate!
 
A law abiding person should always do the right thing even if the officer made a mistake. Secondly, it is a terrible idea not to pay ticket in another state -- it can come to bite you years, even decades, later.

Dear friend, do the right thing. Mail the payment, feel good about doing the right thing, and go to the citizenship interview with your head held high since you will be able to claim that you have good moral character.
 
Setting aside naturalization you must address that ticket. Since they mailed it to you they believe it is your vehicle. You cannot ignore it. You will either have to pay it or dispute it with the originating department. The risk is that sometime in the future this could cause problems in NYC.

Also with naturalization I guess it might be possible that USCIS, if they ever found out about it, could consider failure to pay a parking ticket as a moral character issue. Better to be safe and take care of it.
 
Guest168 said:
Hi All,

I got a question about parking expired meter violation ticket. My 1st one.
In Feb 2008, I got a parking violation ticket in NYC. I am from MD.
I've heard people saying we can ignore it since it's out of state.
But I am going to apply for immigration next year,
I do not want to ignore it if it causes problem.

However, when I looked at the ticket information,
the license plate number is right but State information is incorrect.
It's printed as MA (Massachusetts), not Maryland.
The car body color is also wrong and no VIN# in the ticket.

I would like to get some advices on this parking violation issue.
It's way overdue. I am a bit worried.

Appreciate!
Click to expand...

Does it have contact information on the ticket? Is it possible to call NY police dept if you got the parking violation ticket? You can tell about color of car and state. If they said "yes, you are in violation on computer system", I guess you have to pay fine. If they said no, you don't have to worry about it.

way overdue?? why did you wait until now? Finish it asap.
 
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As a longtime resident of NYC who has had his share of parking tickets, I can tell you that it's safe to ignore this ticket. In NYC, a parking ticket is considered defective and invalid if certain information is filled out improperly. A VIN is not necessary for a parking ticket to be valid, but there are 2 other errors on your ticket that made it defective. Since the state indicated on the ticket is incorrect, the NYC Department of Finance will not be able to locate the titled and registered owner of the vehicle and will invalidate the ticket in their system. I've had at least 3 improperly filled out parking tickets, all of which were dismissed.

Secondly, while there have been many debates on this forum about disclosing TRAFFIC violations, there have been absolutely NONE about disclosing parking violations. This is because there's no question about the fact that parking violations DO NOT have to be disclosed. If, however, the NYC Department of Finance somehow traces the ticket back to you (which they cannot do, due to the fact that the issuing officer incorrectly indicated the state of registration), all you'd have to do is take a picture of your car (proving the wrong color) and send it to them, along with a copy of your MD registration. They will automatically dismiss the ticket. Having said that, it's entirely up to you what you will decide to do in the end, but I would flat out ignore this ticket. This is just my personal advice. What you choose to do is entirely up to you.

If you're still not convinced, take a look at this website: http://www.drivinginfractions.com/article.cfm/id/41946
 
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ginnu said:
Read below the person was given ticket with MD plates and later moved to NJ

http://www.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?t=262946&highlight=Ticket+System
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The person in the above-referenced thread was issued a TRAFFIC ticket. In New York State, traffic tickets and parking tickets are two completely different entities. A traffic ticket is issued to the DRIVER, whereas a parking ticket is issued to the VEHICLE. The situation described in that thread does not apply to this situation.
 
Guest168 said:
Hi All,

I got a question about parking expired meter violation ticket. My 1st one.
In Feb 2008, I got a parking violation ticket in NYC. I am from MD.
I've heard people saying we can ignore it since it's out of state.
But I am going to apply for immigration next year,
I do not want to ignore it if it causes problem.

However, when I looked at the ticket information,
the license plate number is right but State information is incorrect.
It's printed as MA (Massachusetts), not Maryland.
The car body color is also wrong and no VIN# in the ticket.

I would like to get some advices on this parking violation issue.
It's way overdue. I am a bit worried.

Appreciate!
Click to expand...

Just pay it ... as it is not a big deal... call them and take care of this rite away.. .come interview time, you know even this can create problems...
 
The parking violation ticket does not have my name. I was able to pull the ticket in the system. This is the website I can find.
http://nycserv.nyc.gov/NYCServWeb/NYCSERVMain

If I put the ticket number, the system was able to find the record.
If I put the combination of license plate and state, it cannot be found.

I was thinking to pay now even though it does not have my name??

I was ignoring it because most people say just ignore it because there is no name and the ticket information of my vehicle is not correct. State is wrong and color of my vehicle is wrong.
 
Guest168 said:
The parking violation ticket does not have my name. I was able to pull the ticket in the system. This is the website I can find.
http://nycserv.nyc.gov/NYCServWeb/NYCSERVMain

If I put the ticket number, the system was able to find the record.
If I put the combination of license plate and state, it cannot be found.

I was thinking to pay now even though it does not have my name??

I was ignoring it because most people say just ignore it because there is no name and the ticket information of my vehicle is not correct. State is wrong and color of my vehicle is wrong.
Click to expand...

You've answered your own question. The state of registration is wrong, as is the color of the car. According to NYC parking regulations, you are NOT GUILTY, because the ticket is improperly filled out. Being that the summons is overdue by more than 90 days (it was issued in February, right?), it's probably up to at least $150 now, if not more. If you're lucky enough to have that kind of money to throw out on a ticket that would otherwise be dismissed, then by all means pay it. However, I'm sure you can think of a few other things to do with that money, especially in light of today's gas prices! :) Trust me, don't bother with this ticket.

If you're still not convinced, I can send you a scanned copy of a judicial disposition for a parking ticket that I recently received. The issuing officer indicated a wrong registration type, and the ticket was dismissed automatically.
 
Ignoring to pay for it would lead to suspension of car registration card.

It is found at http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/dmvfaqs.htm

What must I do if I receive a parking ticket?

The DMV does not handle parking violations or regulate parking. If you receive a parking ticket or have questions about local parking rules, contact your city, town or village. Do not contact the DMV. You must respond to the tickets in the locality where they were issued.

If you fail to answer parking tickets, the locality can notify the DMV. The DMV can prevent the renewal of your vehicle registration, or suspend your vehicle registration. You can renew your registration after you respond to the tickets and pay the fines.

------------------------------------

Another one.... I forgot to copy and the paste the web address that show this:

When the department is directed to refuse vehicle registration, the refusal shall apply to all vehicles owned by the person named on the "Notice of Unpaid Citation" or "Notice of Unpaid Judgment." When a person’s registration has been refused, the person may not:

* Register a vehicle
* Renew the registration of any owned vehicle
* Re-register a vehicle
* Change the gross weight at which a vehicle is registered
* Change the operating status of a vehicle
* Obtain replacement license plates for any vehicle
* Transfer registration to another vehicle
* Acquire registration as part of the transfer of ownership of a vehicle
* Continue a non-expiring registration

When a person’s vehicle registration has been suspended for any reason, including a suspension for an unpaid parking ticket, it is unlawful to operate any vehicle displaying the suspended registration on any highway in the state. The registration remains suspended until the named registrant pays the parking ticket.
 
USGC485 said:
Ignoring to pay for it would lead to suspension of car registration card.

It is found at http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/dmvfaqs.htm

What must I do if I receive a parking ticket?

The DMV does not handle parking violations or regulate parking. If you receive a parking ticket or have questions about local parking rules, contact your city, town or village. Do not contact the DMV. You must respond to the tickets in the locality where they were issued.

If you fail to answer parking tickets, the locality can notify the DMV. The DMV can prevent the renewal of your vehicle registration, or suspend your vehicle registration. You can renew your registration after you respond to the tickets and pay the fines.

------------------------------------

Another one.... I forgot to copy and the paste the web address that show this:

When the department is directed to refuse vehicle registration, the refusal shall apply to all vehicles owned by the person named on the "Notice of Unpaid Citation" or "Notice of Unpaid Judgment." When a person’s registration has been refused, the person may not:

* Register a vehicle
* Renew the registration of any owned vehicle
* Re-register a vehicle
* Change the gross weight at which a vehicle is registered
* Change the operating status of a vehicle
* Obtain replacement license plates for any vehicle
* Transfer registration to another vehicle
* Acquire registration as part of the transfer of ownership of a vehicle
* Continue a non-expiring registration

When a person’s vehicle registration has been suspended for any reason, including a suspension for an unpaid parking ticket, it is unlawful to operate any vehicle displaying the suspended registration on any highway in the state. The registration remains suspended until the named registrant pays the parking ticket.
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USGC485,

But the question is how do they local the DMV if the state is wrong in the ticket and in the system?? And the ticket does not have a name. It's not like I am getting the ticket with correct information and I am unwilling to pay.
 
Vorpal said:
You've answered your own question. The state of registration is wrong, as is the color of the car. According to NYC parking regulations, you are NOT GUILTY, because the ticket is improperly filled out. Being that the summons is overdue by more than 90 days (it was issued in February, right?), it's probably up to at least $150 now, if not more. If you're lucky enough to have that kind of money to throw out on a ticket that would otherwise be dismissed, then by all means pay it. However, I'm sure you can think of a few other things to do with that money, especially in light of today's gas prices! :) Trust me, don't bother with this ticket.

If you're still not convinced, I can send you a scanned copy of a judicial disposition for a parking ticket that I recently received. The issuing officer indicated a wrong registration type, and the ticket was dismissed automatically.
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Vorpal,

There is a number that I can call. If I would like to call and dispute the ticket, is it still possible after 90 days? Or it will just cause me more troubles? I saw the ticket in the system and it's like $75.

Thanks.
 
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Guest168 said:
USGC485,

But the question is how do they local the DMV if the state is wrong in the ticket and in the system?? And the ticket does not have a name. It's not like I am getting the ticket with correct information and I am unwilling to pay.
Click to expand...

It doesn't matter if your name is mentioned on the ticket or not. It also doesn't matter if name of anyone who drives your car is mentioned. It doesn't matter if wrong color of car is mentioned or not. If wrong state (ie MA) is mentioned (assumed that ticket charges goes to someone), then someone in MA can possibly challenge it and dispute and authorities will use investigation methods (camera, photographs, officer's memory, etc) to find out who is responsible. Only tag license number is mentioned and it will go to locality. If it is not paid, it will notify the dmv and tag number can be found in vehicle registration list. It won't suspend your driver license because no one who drives or is responsible for ticket, but it will suspend the registration because owner of vehicle is responsible ultimately.

but I am neither a lawyer/police nor an expert. Don't worry. It won't charge you with point(s) since it is not a moving violation (but it is the traffic citation). Just pay, relax, and have a mind of peace. It may not affect N-400 because it is less than $500 fine and it is not a dui/dwi ticket. Remember if the immigration officer asks you, then you should tell the truth since you are under oath. Don't think too much over it.
 
USGC485 said:
It doesn't matter if your name is mentioned on the ticket or not. It also doesn't matter if name of anyone who drives your car is mentioned. It doesn't matter if wrong color of car is mentioned or not. If wrong state (ie MA) is mentioned (assumed that ticket charges goes to someone), then someone in MA can possibly challenge it and dispute and authorities will use investigation methods (camera, photographs, officer's memory, etc) to find out who is responsible. Only tag license number is mentioned and it will go to locality. If it is not paid, it will notify the dmv and tag number can be found in vehicle registration list. It won't suspend your driver license because no one who drives or is responsible for ticket, but it will suspend the registration because owner of vehicle is responsible ultimately.

but I am neither a lawyer/police nor an expert. Don't worry. It won't charge you with point(s) since it is not a moving violation (but it is the traffic citation). Just pay, relax, and have a mind of peace. It may not affect N-400 because it is less than $500 fine and it is not a dui/dwi ticket. Remember if the immigration officer asks you, then you should tell the truth since you are under oath. Don't think too much over it.
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Yeah truth and if he says this truth that he has not paid because ticket was written wrong the officer might just ask him to take care of the ticket first and then come back.
 
I had a friend in NYC who encountered something similar to your situation. He didn't pay the ticket because the information on the ticket did not match his car registration details.

Since then, he has applied for US citizenship and received it without any issues.
 
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