Run in with park police

If the sun had set 10 minutes earlier, you can assume it was past dusk.

Nice job giving a cop attitude AFTER he told you he would let you off with a warning. You are a true moron.

I don't know if this is possible, but can you file a complaint to the police agency? The judge or DA won't give a sh1t that the cop was rude.

You were wrong. Pay the fine. Next time give him my name instead of yours.

Your first mistake was stopping. I would have kept running. Yes, I would fight the ticket if I were you. Just act respectful in court.

I always get a court date for any seat belt tickets I get. I've never won, but it makes people do their jobs, and how stupid a seat belt ticket is.

If everyone would get a court date. And clog up the courts. They would have to either stop issuing stupid tickets or redact the regulation.

I say fight, make him prove that he wasn't just being an a$$.

...and you will probably be the first to sue the city/county/state when your no seat belt wearing self gets thrown from the vehicle and hits a fire hydrant or something. Take some personal responsibility. If you don't like the rules, don't use public areas.

googs wrote:

I always get a court date for any seat belt tickets I get. I've never won, but it makes people do their jobs, and how stupid a seat belt ticket is.

If everyone would get a court date. And clog up the courts. They would have to either stop issuing stupid tickets or redact the regulation.

I say fight, make him prove that he wasn't just being an a$$.

First off great thread topic. I alawys enjoy the park ranger run in stories.

I know that when I'm on a run i dont have any ID on my person...at home.

When the Ranger asked you for your ID information you should have said, "sure let me get my license, its in my sock." Then i would reach down to my sock pick up a hand full of dirt, and toss it into the rangers face. After this you run like hell. Goodluck.

Dusk is the time at which the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon in the evening. At this time objects are distinguishable but there is no longer enough light to perform any outdoor activities.

You were in the park too late, unfortunately. That what punks, heathens, and sluts have done to our society. The parks have to close because slime of this ilk will vandalized facilities, have intercourse, read satanic verses, and other horrible things after dark. For this they will burn in Eternal Hell and we cannot use parks past dusk!

............. wrote:

If the sun had set 10 minutes earlier, you can assume it was past dusk.

Nice job giving a cop attitude AFTER he told you he would let you off with a warning. You are a true moron.

I appreciate your input, but 10 minutes after sunset, there is plenty of light.

"Dusk" is a vary vague term. I was attempting clarification. I don't think that's too much to ask. Searching a couple of online dictionaries produces results like "the darker part of twilight especially at night". I can't say exactly what that means -- apparently, neither could he!

in compton you never stop running...

fight the power!

Why did you give him your real name? "Sebastian Coe" has been stopped by the park police, golf course attendants, arboretum nazis, etc... on many occassions in the area I live in.

According to the little Dashboard Widget I have that indicates just that, dusk is about 30 min. after sunset. I'd get a copy of the daily almanac from that day's paper, and bring it as evidence when you go to court.

You should have played dumb instead of playing smart "arse" instead.

If you fight the ticket, I'd guess the ranger will have to come to court, which is not going to make him happy. Also, judges typically don't like dealing with BS like this. Yes, you're issues are BS to him. Good chance you might end up with the $50 fine AND court costs.

BTW,...what is your defense? If it's ignorance that you did not know the definition of dusk? If that's all you got, then you're screwed.

JimG wrote:

According to the little Dashboard Widget I have that indicates just that, dusk is about 30 min. after sunset. I'd get a copy of the daily almanac from that day's paper, and bring it as evidence when you go to court.

as noted there are multiple definitions of dusk. the "scientific" ones are civil dusk, nautical dusk, and astronomical dusk. unfortunately for the OP, it is also possible that a statute defines when dusk is. further, unless it was ten minutes or less after sunset - the OP's uncertainty regarding this is a problem - he likely has no argument. fifteen minutes after sunset is a pretty reasonable interpretation of dusk.

my advice would be to call the park service and ask what dusk means. if they give you useful information - like it's thirty minutes after sunset - take the person's name down and when you called. that you could use. otherwise, just pay the money and run earlier.

I gave him my real name because $50 doesn't mean much to me, and I run this path every day. The last thing I want is to be looking over my shoulder for the park police every 5 mins over a lousy $50.

The dusk thing is confusing, they should simply say "sunset". That's an accurate term that one can find in the newspaper, and it's obvious from the horizon as well. 6 degress below sunset is dusk? Can I figure that out with a protractor?

This guy had a major chip on his shoulder. He didn't have to shine a searchlight in my face, and he didn't need to yell at me. There's been some crime in this area, and I suspect the goal is to inform folks of the closing time. That can be done in a respectable manner, without threats. There's a distinct difference between "good evening, just wanted to let you know that the park closes at dusk" and "halt! I could write you a ticket for being here..". Going to court over something like this would be more about his behavior than the actual closing policy.

unfortunately, people like to be in parks for sunsets. something about it being pretty. so they had to come up with something else. in my experience, most parks with this rule want people to clear out fifteen to thirty minutes after sunset. like i said, just call the park service. you can find out both how they define dusk and complain about your treatment.

are there any lights in the park such as over tennis or basketball courts? if so, you could ask what they're for if not for after dark use, eh?