The 15-Year-Old Bicyclist Who Got a $96 Ticket

As longtime residents of Irvine, my husband and I are outraged with the Irvine Police Department.

Our 15-year-old son was recently stopped on his bicycle by a police officer in a car and given a ticket for failure to make a complete stop at a stop sign by our home.

If the officer was truly concerned about the safety factor in our son’s failure to stop, surely he might have considered giving him a verbal warning, especially in light of his status as a first-time “offender.”

However, as much as this griped us, we were even more unprepared for the shock we received when the bail information arrived in the mail. We could not believe our eyes when we saw the amount: $96! We know of a friend who was ticketed in her car for the same offense several blocks away whose bail was only $60. This is justice?

We have no intention of handing over this outrageous amount without a fight. Of course, that means either my husband or I will have to take time off from work, with the accompanying loss of income. So, in other words, even if we win we still lose. Valuable court time, already bogged down to a virtual crisis, will also be wasted over this heinous crime.

Justice? Give me a break.

JOANNE THOMAS

Irvine