incorrect. The burden of proof is on the state. Innocent until proven guilty. its rather hard to prove a negative. If the cop can not bring evidence forth that proves that OP was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the ticket it will be tossed out of court. So either the OP is leaving out facts or this case is a non-starter.
if you believe this, i pity your naivete. in practice, our society is built on the systematic repression of liberty. where does anyone, nevermind the government, get off regulating what i may and may not have in my bloodstream?
cops are raging mediocrities who love wearing their magic badges, which make most people give them the respect and authority they would never garner on their own merit. they not only excercise coercive force (which is, in my book, the most immoral thing any human being can do) all day, every day - they accept money for it, which makes them not just authoritarians but authoritarians via whoredom.
what are the chances this particular cop is so sure of himself that when the tests come back negative he fudges it so they aren't? he's been a cop for 10 years after all and knows everyone, what are the chances he's got a hook-up for that? this won't be a jury trial either (not that an AZ jury is worth anything anyway) and you can bet the judge thrives on feeling like the big man throwing the book at deviants and evil-doers (everyone who ends up in his courtroom) and only too happy to take the word of a pig over anyone else's any day.
if you've got the resources, get your own tests, lawyer up, beat the charges and sue the crap out of the police department and the city. if nothing else, it'll create problems for them and that's a tremendous satisfaction in itself. in my misspent youth (on a different continent), i've gotten two cops fired (liked planting evidence), one demoted from major to lieutenant (lowest possible rank) and threw one out onto the street by buying his rent-controlled apartment, terminating his lease with 2 days notice and flipping at a 10% loss ($5k well spent, in my book - he was a neo-nazi riot cop).
-p
