Red Light Ticket in Staten Island, New York

[LetsGoCellular]

My question involves a traffic ticket from the state of: Staten Island, New York

I pulled up to the intersection that has 2 lanes which are designated for left turns. There was a police car on my left which had also just pulled up to the intersection and I was on the right. I immediately noticed the police car and happened to also notice that the female and male officer (the female officer was the one driving) were having a casual conversation while waiting to make the left turn.

At this point I turned my attention to the traffic and was waiting for an opportunity to make my left turn. After a few moments I noticed that there were only 2 cars approaching in the opposite direction. The first car was driving towards the intersection and the car behind it made a sudden right turn into a shopping plaza. I proceeded to enter the intersection and made the left turn after the first car passed. While I was in the intersection, the traffic signal changed to yellow then red and the officers gave chase.

Being that the light changed and the officers didn't make the turn, they had to turn on their lights and wait a few seconds to make the left and pursue. In this time, I traveled the equivalent of approximately one city block.

I pulled over and the female officer approached on my side while the male officer approached on the right side. I had the window rolled down knowing they were approaching. The female officer proceeded to say "Are you kidding me?!!". To which I replied that I had entered the intersection while the light was green and that I DID NOT run a red light. She continued to say that she was watching traffic, waiting for a safe time to turn and that I made the turn while the light was red. I politely disagreed and she proceeded to take my license and registration.

She returned with the ticket and said that I should reply to the ticket within 15 and go for a hearing if I disagree with her.

When I got home I noticed that the ticket did not have any address and that the court information on the front was left blank. After a little research I realized that she gave me the wrong ticket copy in addition to spelling my name wrong ( a minor mistake, but still a mistake ).

A few days later, I received a gift in the mail. It was the yellow copy that she was supposed to give me at the traffic stop.

I have been checking online and the ticket has still not been entered. The original stop was on October 16, 2010.

Being that she made a pretty big mistake with the ticket copy and a minor mistake with my name, what do my chances look like if the ticket is entered and I have to fight it?

My argument is going to be that it was virtually impossible for her to have been monitoring traffic ( to make her left turn ), the traffic signal, and my vehicle. (All this while she was in the middle of a conversation with her fellow officer.) I will also mention the errors she made with the ticket copy and my name and try to use that to discredit her.

Look at the attached images. She was approximately where the pickup is in the first image. She has two traffic signals to her left and one to the right of where my vehicle was.

She claims she was watching oncoming traffic and the traffic signals. She could not have been doing both those and looking at me.

Picture 1:

Picture 2:

EDIT: Can a moderator please change the thread title to "Red Light Ticket in Staten Island New York"

Thank You

[Mr. Knowitall]

The minor clerical issue with your name does not invalidate the ticket.

The issuance of the wrong copy of the ticket was potentially a problem, but as you note it has since been corrected.