Traffic Court Video Goes Viral

 

This is What’s Trending Today.

Judge Frank Caprio is a celebrity¹ in the city of Providence², Rhode Island.

And, he is starting to get noticed around the world, too.

Caprio is an 80-year-old judge in the capital city of Rhode Island, the smallest state in the U.S.

One of his jobs is to preside over traffic court. That involves talking to people who have gotten traffic tickets for going through red lights or parking illegally.

They go to traffic court to dispute the tickets.

Caprio hears what they have to say. Then, he decides whether or not the ticket is valid³.

Caprio recently heard the case of a young man who was driving his mother’s car. He went through a light after it turned red. After he spoke⁴ with the high school student, Caprio decided⁵ to let him off with a warning -- if he promised to go to college and graduate.

Another video from the Providence traffic court came out earlier this week.

It showed a woman speaking with Judge Caprio about a parking ticket.

She went to traffic court after getting a ticket for parking in an area that only permitted parking after 10 a.m.

The ticket was written at 9:59 a.m.

The woman said the clock in her car showed 10 a.m., so she thought it would be OK.

After some conversation, the judge decided to dismiss the ticket.

But Caprio did tell her, “You violated the city ordinances⁷.” He held up a large book of rules. He smiled and the woman laughed.

He said: “Our parking enforcement officers are second to none in the country!”

After talking with the court officer, he said “I think 9:59 is close enough. Matter is dismissed.”

The video was viewed over 1 million times in just two days. It became a trending video on YouTube.

One person wrote of the video: “This is so cute. What a great judge. Playful defendant⁸. LOVE THIS”

Others wondered if the video was real, because it seemed so funny.

But, there actually are judges out there like Frank Caprio. He is as real as they come.

And that’s What’s Trending Today.

Words in This Story

preside – v. to be in charge of something (such as a trial)

celebrity – n. the state of being famous or celebrated⁹

valid – adj. fair or reasonable

ordinance⁶ – n. a law or regulation made by a city or town government

cute – adj. the state of being famous or celebrated

1 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

2 providence   

n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝

参考例句：

• It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
• To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事，是违背上帝的意志的。

3 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 ordinance   

n.法令；条令；条例

参考例句：

• The Ordinance of 1785 provided the first land grants for educational purposes.1785年法案为教育目的提供了第一批土地。
• The city passed an ordinance compelling all outdoor lighting to be switched off at 9.00 PM.该市通过一条法令强令晚上九点关闭一切室外照明。

7 ordinances   

n.条例，法令( ordinance的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These points of view, however, had not been generally accepted in building ordinances. 然而，这些观点仍未普遍地为其他的建筑条例而接受。 来自辞典例句
• Great are Your mercies, O Lord; Revive me according to Your ordinances. 诗119:156耶和华阿、你的慈悲本为大．求你照你的典章将我救活。 来自互联网

8 defendant   

n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的

参考例句：

• The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。
• The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。

9 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。