I didn't believe it either when he said that he wouldn't have ticketed me had I continued through the intersection, but that's what he said.

Before I begin, know that the officer was very professional.  He didn't use any language that was polite or nice (and I don't mean that in a bad way: he just wasn't dripping with sappiness), he was just all business. I know that officers are underpaid, overworked, and underappreciated by many. I applaud him for making the decision to be an officer of the law, helping to keep people safe: it's a noble role.

With that being said, I think that some discretion should have been used. It was clear that I'm not a criminal or a repeat offender (he ran my ID and my tag, I'm sure). I was polite, obeyed every command/request, and did not put up a fuss. I honestly don't recall if he told me why he pulled me over before he came back with the ticket, but when he handed me the ticket and told me that he was citing me for disobeying a red light, I had to ask the question: "should I have gone through the red light?"  He replied "I would not have pulled you over had you continued through the intersection".

So, he knows that I tried to stop before the white line. He knows that the light was yellow as I approached the intersection. I tried to explain that I was going too slow to make it through before the light changed, and was going too fast to stop at the line (I was doing about 30 due to traffic).

Should I contest the citation?  Should I pay it and move on with my life?  (Does the city allow for a payment plan? Interest-free would be nice.)

I guess I need to go over the regulations for red lights again. I thought that doing your darnedest to keep from running the red light would be the right thing to do.

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