In California the cop no longer has to show up. They can send a representative.

The best way to fight tickets now, is by mail.

I have friends who have been speeding and all that, but they fight the tickets by mail; it forces *the* cop to go through his/her records and write a story of what happened and convince the judge that way.

They're much less likely to do it.

Now, of course, the way I feel is that if you *were* in fact speeding; pay the damn fine and move on.