Extortion!

Don't ever get a speeding ticket in Northglenn, Colorado.

This happened to me a few weeks ago. Got popped going about 12 miles over the speed limit. I was not told onsite what I was charged with, but that I would receive something in the mail shortly informing me of how to deal with the citation.

I received the notification on Friday. Strangely enough, it still didn't tell me what I was being charged with. However, it did helpfully inform me that I could choose to plea to a lesser offense of Unlawful Lane Change. This plea would reduce the amount of points off my license to 3. All for the paltry fee of $190.

WHAT???!!@!^&~!#%@&

If I opt to not accept their generous offer I must attend court. For what charge, I don't know. How many points am I facing? They didn't tell me. Cost? Not a clue.

So now, I must wade through their red tape to determine what is indeed the best course of action. This will no doubt involve being transferred among several departments in order to find someone in the courthouse with enough knowledge to answer my simple questions. I suspect many people are intimidated into just paying whatever the man asks for in this situation. Uh-uh. Not me. Will it be worth my time? Probably not, but on principle it's the only course of action I can take.