I just got a citation while riding Caltrain for not having my ticket stamped. He said if I didn't sign the ticket promising to appear in court, he could have me arrested. Is this true?

Yikes. I don’t know, but that seems excessive. Is it possible to contest the ticket, since their machine was broken?

I’ve heard lectures to teens on how to respond to law enforcement and security officers. One thing that is always said and that I agree with completely is that you should always do what they ask and then contest later. If you don’t then you are setting yourself up for more punishment and when you do eventually end up in court it won’t look good for you. This may just be a power struggle on his part but he does have the power in the situation so don’t argue with him at this point. Sign the ticket and argue later. Or tell him the machine was broken and see if he still wants you to sign it. If so then sign and argue in court.

BTW that is horrible he is putting you through this over something so arbitrary

I respect @RedPowerLady‘s answer, but remember that if you agree that you were doing something wrong when the ticket is issued, then this could be held against you later in court.

And seriously, bringing you to court over a train ticket… that IS horrible. >.>

@StephK I was under the assumption that accepting a ticket is not an agreement of guilt, that is why you can contest them in court. I think that is correct, you aren’t actually saying you agree what you did was wrong.

Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t read your answer your correctly; I thought that part about “agree with completely” was included in the what-you-should-do-when-you-get-a-ticket steps, but I see now that it wasn’t. My fault.

@StephK It’s Okay I read people’s answers wrong all the time, lol

Actually, signing it is not an admission of guilt, but a promise to show up in court.