Legality of Electronically scanning your signature on a ticket?

[Scott Liggett]

A couple weeks back I got my first speeding ticket since 1989. I was clearly in the wrong. The cop was polite and professional. He gave me the ticket and I went on my way. But, later I thought it was weird that he did not ask me to sign it as a promise to appear. I looked at the ticket, they are all done electronically with a printer in the car spitting it out. Where it says Defendant's Signature, I can see the bottom half of driver's license where my signature is at. Below that it says E- Electronic Signature Captured.

If they use the signature as a promise to appear in court, or pay before hand, essentially pleading guilty, how can they legally enforce a failure to appear if you don't.. How is this any different than the cop forging my signature? If a person wanted to push the subject, could this get the ticket thrown out?

[Russell]

Thrown out no, failure to appear maybe you could get that dropped, depends on state law, in NC you don't have your appear for all tickets some you can just mail in if you are willing to plead guilty. So you don't always have to sign.

[DanStokes]

It'll be interesting to see what SBG has to add on this. Anything I'd say would be "seems to me".....

Dan

[STINEY]

Wow. Wow. Wow.

So by giving my license to a LEO I am agreeing to "sign" whatever they want me to sign?

Wow.

[Barry Donovan]

I have passed gov't papers around, digital signature...right from a pc.
the license sig was real, and so are you for handing it over.

I like this modern stuff.
I have not gotten a ticket since 2005.. my only speeding, an 84 hp subaru.
silliness. He was right on the money too, I verified the tach to speed when I got home.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I don't get it.... your driver's license was scanned onto the receipt/ticket you received? I don't know Nebraska law, but I'd guess that if your ID can be used to identify you in places like bars, a signature would be redundant.
Another way of saying this:

But for stopping you, the cop wouldn't have your driver's license. Unless you can argue that you don't have your driver's license (it was lost, and reported so before the ticket), then it would be the same as a signature. In a sense it's saying "the person who gave me this identification is promising to appear in Court." Different, but certainly would support the idea that you were informed of the ticket and that you promise to appear. Also, your signature won't get you on an airline but your driver's license will.... it is valid identification.

if you want to fight it, you'd need to talk to a Nebraska attorney for the nuance.... it's funny, in Washington, there are things done in some jurisdictions that are completely improper and would likely fail if it ended up in an appellate court. It won't fail in the city/county court because most times those are the very people who approved that method. But no one appeals, thus it stands (which is another discussion for another day).

[Scott Liggett]

Here and in California, signing the ticket is an acknowledgement that you have received it and understand that you either need to show up on the court date, or waive your right to court and pay it before the court date. I did not sign it. The cop signed it for me. Nor, did he say he did.

I asked a friend who is a ADA in my hometown of Papillion, he said that he has never heard of it. If I didn't show for court, they would send a notice to me with another court date. In Cali, you don't show and a bench warrant is normally issued at that time. They don't mess around there. Counties need their 100-130% Criminal Assessment Tax they put on all traffic tickets.

[SuperBuickGuy]

if you have the answer, why'd you ask the question?

[Dan Barlow]

I think him scaning your license is proof he did in fact pull you over . Now , I done think this can be construed to mean you signed it . You have my permission to disreguard the whole thing. (:-{ )

[JamesMayberryIII]

I'd think, that the court would know that a scan of your lic isn't the same as signing the ticket at time of ticket.. and scan is used to show whom they had pulled over.. as I'm sure many people claim to be someone else and then question how they got a ticket, others I'm sure have used that to get out of a ticket..
Scan your I.D. on ticket, well it was you, leaving that issue out..

Go to court, and offer to pay 125% to a charity, This will be cheaper than the ticket and 6 years of surcharges

[Scott Liggett]

That makes sense. Thanks for the input.