Another speed trap shut down

Years after the widening of I-75 in Tifton GA was finished, the 70 to 55 speed was kept. One local officer on the back side of the overpass where the speed reduced and half a dozen others on the entrance ramp waiting to write tickets... I'd call that a speed trap.

1) It is not a speed trap if the speed limit is posted and you are caught exceeding it. It is called enforcement.
2) Increased enforcement is a byproduct of the war on drugs. You stop lots of people and write tickets. Then when you care to stop a suspicious vehicle to check out the occupants for drugs the numbers will prove you did not stop the person because you were suspicious of them running drugs in the car as they went by (which is an illegal search usually unless the officer has more than a suspicion ) BUT you can stop them for a traffic infraction (real or made up) and if you gather further evidence during the stop then an arrest may be made.

The above has been the subject of numerous news stories on I10 in Louisiana and Texas

Again there is a distinction between a speed trap and strict enforcement.

Every aspect of the town should be audited, including the new contract with the SO.

Lets see now a motorist on a major highway (not a interstate) speeds through a school zone in a small town but because the small town is ahead in ticket revenue the speeder can't be fined ???

That tells me to go ahead and speed as there is no real penalty for doing so.

I made a living on the road moving equipment and materials from point to point in a multi state area. I had and still have no issues with a jurisdiction enforcing state/county/city speeding laws.

Those that think they can break the law need to pay..... JMO

Georgew48 wrote:
I got a speeding ticket in Louisiana one time for 1 mph over the limit on the interstate.

But, didn't you sleep better that night knowing you were safer because because the speed laws were being enforced? :)

BCSnob wrote:
No matter the motivation for enforcement, the outcome is improved public safety which was the goal of the speed limit (traffic laws). I'd prefer improved public safety even if the motivation for enforcement was purely financial.

I'm currently a police officer, though no longer in a patrol function. I agree and disagree with your statement. If officers are clearly sitting on the side of the road enforcing speed, then it has the effect of slowing traffic and keeping safe. Drivers see police on the side of the road and slow down. Its a cause and effect situation.

On the other hand, my jurisdiction has speed cameras. My agency likes to place the cameras behind telephone poles, behind utility boxes, etc. They hide the cameras. It doesn't serve as a preventative deterrent if people don't know the camera is there. It isn't until 2 weeks later that they get the ticket that they have any clue there was enforcement.

I will agree that it shouldn't matter WHY you are doing speed enforcement... but the problems arise in situations often encountered in small towns. The politicians use the police as tax collectors essentially. The police are forced to make X number of citations or Y amount of fines each month. Police stop using discretion and common sense and instead stop EVERYBODY.

The fact of the matter is that I can stop almost any vehicle on the road for one reason or another. A handicap parking placard in the window, a sticker on the rear mirror, a tag lite out, misaimed headlights, doing 46 in a 45 mph zone, etc etc. Common sense and discretion allow a normal officer to look the other way if the offense isn't egregious. Heck, when I did speed enforcement I didn't even stop you until 15 over the limit! If I worked in a small town that demanded more tickets, I would have to stop people for as low as 5 mph over. Sorry... that doesn't seem right to me.

There are multiple schools of thought on this matter, so I am not trying to say that I am right and other people are wrong. I know that I don't follow the speed limit exactly... I find it hypocritical to speed 10 to 15 mph over the limit and pull people over for going 5 over. I won't do it. That is the beauty of officer discretion... without government officials demanding certain quotas from me, I am free to police how I see fit.

Now that I have said all of that... this article appears to discuss city employees that were literally stealing money from the city coffers. That really has nothing to do with proper or improper policing... that is outright THEFT by a government employee.

I got a speeding ticket in Louisiana one time for 1 mph over the limit on the interstate. The ticket even showed that I was only 1 mph over. It was a state highway patrolman. The funny thing is it was a deserted stretch of highway early in the morning. I saw him sitting on the side of the road so I moved over to the left lane to pass him. I had the cruise control set for the speed limit but must have been off a little. After he pulled me over we had a nice talk about life in general and after about 10 minuets he said I guess we need to get going. I thought he was just letting me go but then he said sorry but I have to give you this ticket. He was a real nice guy bit still gave me the ticket. At first I thought he was joking. The best thing that happened is my step father was the college room mate of the district attorney for that parish and he sent me a nice letter that said if I promised not to speed in that Parrish again he would drop the ticket. I have great appreciation for law enforcement officers and hold no grudge against him.

The police are not my enemies. I like having them around.
Personally, I don't feel targeted by law enforcement.

Sure, I see them hiding behind buildings or trees and using their radar gun... That's not speed trapping. it's their job. It's what I pay them for and expect them to be doing.

The way to adjust the financials of these municipalities is to not break the laws they are using to generate revenue. If no one speeds, they would go broke.


The argument sounds like:
"you should not enforce these speed limits (laws) because your motivation for the enforcement is not morally acceptable"


No matter the motivation for enforcement, the outcome is improved public safety which was the goal of the speed limit (traffic laws). I'd prefer improved public safety even if the motivation for enforcement was purely financial.

BCSnob wrote:
I don't buy the argument that enforcing laws (speeding, running red lights, passing stopped school buses, etc) is wrong because it generates revenue.

No one has a problem with the enforcement. It's when the enforcement is for the purpose of generating revenue, that is wrong.
If these departments sent ALL the fines to the state and received none of it, do you think they would continue to strictly enforce the traffic laws for safety?
I've seen one small town disband their police department because they could no longer do speed enforcement on the main highway going through their town. It was all about the revenue from fines, not safety.
I totally agree, traffic laws should be enforced but, with a little common sense.