If that was your first time, your lucky

The days of hoping the cop won't show up are long gone. The last time I was at a traffic court, in MD, the process was identical. You show up at 9 AM or 1 PM, There are 50 or 100 other people having your time, and you just wait your turn.

The one time I was there for 1 PM, everyone was waiting. The judge was waiting, no prosecutor. Turns out it was "Secretary" day and the prosecutor was late coming back from lunch. Not a good idea to keep the judge waiting He left EVERYONE go, dismissed all tickets EXCEPT for the biggies (e.g., reckless driving, DWI, etc.).