Question: I received a ticket for jaywalking. A school employee told the police officer at my school. He ticketed me. Is it legal for a officer to write a ticket for a crime he didn’t witness?
Answer: Yes, an officer has the authority to issue citations to anyone he or she has probable cause to believe committed an offense. You then have the right to go to court to challenge the ticket/citation. The state must prove that you did what the officer said you did.
Although it is unusual for an officer to write a ticket for a traffic-type violation without seeing it, it does happen. For example, if you are involved in a traffic accident, the officer will come out and interview anyone involved or who saw what happened. Based on their statements and any evidence he or she can find, like skid marks, they can ticket anyone they believe broke the law. If a car passes a school bus when they are stopped for kids, the bus driver or any other witnesses can call the police and provide them with information on the vehicle (license plate number and description of the driver). An officer will then investigate the call and either cite the driver or the owner of the car. Again, if the ticket is challenged, the state will have to prove what happened.
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