Cop Refused to View Footage

Have you tried emailing a higher up like a Chief or Superintendent the footage off your dash cam and telling them you feel you were unfairly biased against? They should view the footage and give you an opinion. I know somebody who was able to get their charges dropped and a formal apology that way.
 
Resurrecting an old topic.

Just wondering if OP has new information to add, if its sorted how, how did he/she deal with this thing altogether. I am surprised that an army veteran posting this thread. What are the chances that a regular joe will face the same situation and get an appropriate resolution? Hence the curiosity.
 
It's still in arbitration with insurance. My lawyer assisted me in writing an addendum to the report though the police officer never admitted any wrong doing (typical). The prosecutor dismissed everything but put up a little fight that I didn't slow down more when the other driver came into my lane (even though the other driver was behind me). It was pretty nitpicky but we agreed to reduce the remaining moving violation to some archaic no-fine-no-point ticket. I recently upgraded the system to include a rear-cam now, so when something like this inevitably happens again I'll have that much more evidence. Ironically, about a month ago, I saw a cop do the exact thing I was accused of at the same intersection. Got that on the dash cam too. :devilish:
 
With respect - you do absolutely nothing save deliver the evidence to your insurance company.
After all that is why you pay them a considerable sum each year.
Actually, there is one other requirement...you need a GPS to re-route around this area.
Payback can be a bitch.
 
I have fairly compelling dash cam evidence of a distracted driver drifting into my lane and damaging my vehicle in a slow speed accident. At the scene the officer declined to view the footage and the subsequent police report is inaccurate. The officer lays blame solely on me even though the video the other driver drift into the rear of my vehicle. I recently attempted to provide the footage to the officer and ask that he update the report. He and a second, unaffiliated officer, aggressively refused, stating that "police reports are based on opinion." I recorded him admitting that the dash cam shows something other than what happened but he's adamant that it doesn't matter because his opinion is that I'm "at fault." Does this seem wrong? Can an officer just ignore video evidence because it contradicts his expectations?

I should add, this happened in a very VERY wealthy town in New Jersey and I very much don't look like the demographic of people from said area.

I've worked with several people over the years who've been in the police and who have been in auto insurance. This is the information they've all imparted to me (none of these people knew each other, but basically had the exact same advice).....

1. The police can say whatever they want, and that is what is to be believed. They could have seen someone speed thru a stop sign and plow right into you, and then claim aliens came down from Jupiter and forced you to drive your vehicle in front of the guy that hit you, and the judge would accept it as gospel truth. The cops can lie and make up whatever they want and it will be believed, thats why they don't care about facts or evidence.

2. The first thing you ALWAYS need to do is contact your insurance company and send them a copy of the dashcam video. Let THEM handle the police, they are trained in this. If you know your insurance requires an accident report, thats fine to get one, but always give your insurance your story, don't confront the police yourself.

3. Video is not a legal binding format of proof in many states. Just because you HAVE video, doesn't mean it is an acceptable form of proof.
 
#2 indeed, that's a major part of why you pay insurance in the first place, and it is also very much in their interest the correct part in a accident get to pay.
#2.2 You should know your rights and fight for them, but yes going toe to toe with a cop on those, you better have your timing in order cuz it seem like that branch of civil servants have a problem in most countries.
 
Back
Top