I recently had a ticket for rolling through a stop sign (which was untrue -- it was a trap and I lived about ten feet from that sign as a kid playing in the street, so I always make sure to stop there, if nowhere else).

My initial court date was to plead and nothing else. Then I had another court date that got mixed up and I had to have it continued. The next date the officer didn't show up. I don't know if it wasn't worth her time or what, but it seems to me that simply asking for a continuance the first real court date might mean that the officer is less likely to show up. But I could be wrong.