Q: I got a “engaged in speed contest” ticket in colorado, what are my rights?
the officer wrote the incorrect location of violation, and didn’t write down the speed i was going, or how he determined my speed
A:
Driving over the speed limit can contribute to the officer citing you for a speed contest, but is not necessary. Speed contest is defined as follows:
(b) For purposes of this section, “speed contest” means the operation of one or more motor vehicles to conduct a race or a time trial, including but not limited to rapid acceleration, exceeding reasonable and prudent speeds for highways and existing traffic conditions, vying for position, or performing one or more lane changes in an attempt to gain advantage over one or more of the other race participants. C.R.S. § 42-4-1105.
Also, your ticket usually does not contain all of the information. Officers write their notes and/or narrative separately from the citation and hand it over to the prosecutor. Typically the only way to get that information is for you or your attorney to request discovery from the DA.
On top of your criminal charges, you are looking at a 12-point violation and a predicate towards DMV adjudicating you as a "habitual traffic offender."
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