Norco, CA asked in Animal / Dog Law for California

Q: Cited for 1 dog off leash, officer got upset for giving mothers name & rewrote tic for 2 dogs. Abuse of authority?

Walking 2 dogs, 1 was temporarily off leash & animal control saw & cited for the 1. I gave him my mothers name & he concluded I gave him "false" info & got upset & issued another citation for two dogs. But I admit only 1 was off leash & he initially agreed, but seemed to abuse his authority in order to "punish" me to the max. I have copies of both sequential citation #s. Then he added both dogs doubling the fines. How can I fight/prove my case considering he thinks I lied even though he is lying on the ticket?

Related Topics:
2 Lawyer Answers

A: Go to court on the date given on the citation. Plead not guilty. Get a trial date. Show up for trial. Testify about the truth of what happened. Wait to see if you will be found guilty.

A: Sadly, my experience with officers has not been a good one. They often overstep their authority, and routinely lie. It is called the "Blue Wall of Silence," where officers secretly agree to protect and lie for each other to avoid responsibility for their actions. There are probably more good officers than bad ones out there, but the bad ones seem to show up more. You can try to fight the citation, but that may or may not work. Also, you can contact a local news channel and have them investigate the incident. I don't understand why you gave your mother's name instead of yours, and maybe that simply pissed off the officer. Not much else I can recommend.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.