I was pulled for doing 38 in a 25 zone. The sign was there, but I didn’t see it. He did let me see the radar showing my speed when I asked him to. He was wearing a body cam and microphone, so if you believe you were pulled unjustly, you can request the tapes.

When I went to court, there were at least 20 other people there, and every one of them was from out of state. The judge came out and gave a speech about how they didn’t want to ruin our driving records, so they would reduce the speed on just about any ticket if we agreed to an increased fine that was about double what the original would be. He also said they could reduce it further to show up as a couple of parking tickets, but that would cost much more in fines. He also said that those fines would have to be paid in full that day.

We were then called into the “courtroom” one by one, and weren’t allowed to take anyone with us. There was a 17 year old that wanted to take his father, and it wasn’t allowed. I was always told that all traffic and criminal courtrooms in South Carolina were supposed to be open to the public, but I guess Nichols has an exception to this rule.

Once in the “courtroom”, the judge and the cop make an offer and tell you where the nearest ATM is. They also threaten that if you don’t take the offer and go to trial, you can lose your license and still pay the higher fines, and even go to jail if you miss any of the four mandatory pre-trial hearings. I suppose this is especially effective when you are dealing mostly with people who are from out of state.

Unfortunately I have to drive through there several times a month for work, and usually see someone on the side of the road with an unmarked car behind them, or see the unmarked hiding behind a tree.