“Help Reading Officer Notes”

Hi all,

Got a speeding ticket earlier this year on 401W where the officer claimed I was going 137km/h and knocked it down to a 129km/h offence. I had cruise control set to a lower speed, so I decided to see what they had on me. There are no fatal flaws on the face of the ticket, and officer's notes are as follows:

[car colour] [car make]

[car model]

401 WB Approaching

[specific exit]

137 Uphill L2 to 1

No Loss of Sight

ID Val DL as RO

[list of car's occupants]

[passenger's relationship to driver]

to London

Stealth Car

50m NL/G

At 137

Dry Dark

Co-op

1060

Told reason for stop

Acknowledged by nodding

[driver occupation details]

Specifically, I'd like to know what "50m NL/G At 137" means and what 1060 is code for. I requested typed officer notes (they complied) as well as an explanation of short forms (they didn't comply, not sure if they're required to or not).

What's also interesting is the officer noted what are seemingly innocuous questions (he asked what my occupation was, as well as what the passenger's relation to me was). I'm assuming this is to assist with his recollection of the events of that night should I decide to fight the ticket. Pretty smart.

I wonder if it's advisable not to even release that information when asked the next time I'm stopped. I don't believe it's relevant to the nature of the traffic stop so it doesn't require an answer, right?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Not sure about the 50m nl/g. 1060 is just short for the police code 10-60 which means no warrants or criminal record.

warmwinters wrote:I wonder if it's advisable not to even release that information when asked the next time I'm stopped. I don't believe it's relevant to the nature of the traffic stop so it doesn't require an answer, right?

Youre under no obligation to answer those questions. By law you really only need to identify yourself and provide the required documentation (licence, ownership, insurance, etc.). Id disagree however that it strengthens the officers recollection or benefits him at trial. Those details arent relevant to the offence nor would the officer be expect to know such information if asked.

Its a bit of catch-22 situation. You dont want to volunteer any information that would incriminate yourself (i.e. admitting you were speeding) but if the officer feels youre being uncooperative theyre less likely to use any discretion.

I suspect the speed measuring device used was a laser (e.g. LIDAR) since "50m nl/g" is likely referring to the locking distance. If a laser was used, then the notes usually provide the locking distance. That is, your vehicle was 50 meters away from the device when the speed of 137 was locked in----that would mean the reading is VERY reliable because the farther away the object is, the greater propensity for interference to exist to skew the accuracy. As for the use of "nl/g"---I also can't figure that one out. It could be anything the officer uses to refresh his recollection such as the device used, or stating that the reading beam was "non-linear", it was a 'new lock', you were not the leading vehicle, etc. In other words, it could be anything.

He's asking you irrelevant questions, so you might as well answer those in the hopes he might let you off with a warning. Although it's always advisable not to talk to police; because they're human and w/e you say can be misinterpreted in a court of law; in this case he already has all the essential elements to get a conviction; he already knows where you live, and knowing where you work may give him an idea as to whether you frequent that route = doing that same speed every weekday at that time.

The objective is to deter drivers from speeding, sometimes a warning is sufficient especially for out-of-town drivers who're using mph speedometers... and absolutely dumbfounded that nobody is doing 60mph. But local people should generally know the OPP's +/- allowances better, and the appropriate deterrent would be a ticket.

I would submit another disclosure at the prosecutor's office requesting the officer to explain the short-form writing in his notes.