Jan 16 2010
Speed Trap Highway 58 Lacrosse, VA
Shocking Highway 58 Speed Trap Video
Lacrosse, Virginia (Part 1)
(Poor Lighting, But Exceptional Audio Throughout!)
Jan 15th, 2010 10:30 PM EST
Part 2
Facts:
My cruise control was set to 50 MPH (The Posted Speed Limit)
Police Officer was 1/4 mile behind me initially, at a dead stop
He HAD to speed MONSTROUSLY to catch up to me based on the TOTAL distance of 1/2 mile from where he started, to where he pulled me over.
Watch that video of the actual distance HERE
He did not ‘get me’ with a verified speed gun, but rather ‘pacing’.
He never ‘paced’ me, he was ALWAYS gaining ground on me (Video distance HERE)
He was still gaining on me when he pulled me over
He CLAIMED my cruise control was off by 14 miles mph.
He then (oddly, and tragically for his ‘case’) agreed to use his radar gun to ‘test’ my cruise control
His radar gun PROVES my cruise control is calibrated
How does the average citizen fight this crap in court where it’s their WORD against yours?
How About An Amazing Video, That Will Stun You?!
This video is 19 minutes long, unedited, and very dark in some stretches, but great sound!
The officer seems like a nice, rather inept guy
This is police absurdity at it’s finest, on tape
How many other ‘paced speeders’ DID NOT or COULD NOT fight this travesty?
The citizens lose (money, time or both) no matter which way they ‘play it’.
This Shocking Video is An
Embarrassment To Speed Traps Everywhere.
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Thank you for not only posting this, but also for having the camera on board and video taping. I had a similar situation when I was about 18 years old and living in Alabama. Only I was afraid to question authority at that time. The same State Trooper got me for the same speed (which I was not doing) at the same place 2 weeks in a row.
What a crock! At first he is “all almighty” and then turns into Barney Fife at best. Then he proves your case out of his own ignorance. Tax dollars at their best use that is for sure. Heck, I would send this link to the police department where he works. Too often police officers get bit by the “Power Bug” and don’t expect anyone to challenge their authority. The fact that he had to gain ground to catch up purely shows there was no pacing. “Bad Speedometer” my butt. This guy doesn’t have a clue. How can there be a problem with your cruise control when youwerre heading up hill. What a discredit to other officers that do it right in small or big towns. Good job and this link is going to my facebook.
I got my first speeding ticket after 29 years of driving experience here! I am sure I am not the only one. Speed trap is right. I think we should all start carrying a video cam with us. They do. This way it is not just his word, because you know we are always in the wrong.
WTF?
Thank God you had your video camera, and he mistakenly clocked you after the fact to prove your innocence.
How cool for you, and laughingly stupid for him.
I’m sure there are tons of people who will watch this, and get behind your efforts, fast!.
Good luck, Scott.
Great idea to put this site up with the actual video.
David T.
You have the smoking gun, my friend. You could take this crook cop to court and sue the badge off him. Maybe criminal charges as well, perjury, false imprisonment, etc.
The Worst Spot anywhere in the area by far is Emporia Va. The ONLY ticket I have ever gotten was on Hwy 58 heading east. They pray on out of state tags knowing that you will not contest the fine and just pay it. (like I did $175.00 in 2001) knowing that the points don’t go on most out of state licenses. But after living in NC for three years my Insurance company did an audit and surcharge me $400.00 for 3 yrs. They had estamated revenues of 3-5 million a year from theses speed traps! LaCrosse has toned down the ticketing because of lack of cops and at the behest of South Hill who was getting a bad wrap when they chase cars into TSH town limits and tie up local business when people pull into parking lots to get off the road.
Anyone who has a complaint should work in police work for a week and see if you can do a better job. Please, by all means, don’t complain-if you think you can do it better then do it, if you have the nerve. We do a job most people don’t want, can’t do, and don’t get paid what we are worth.
We know the police are over worked and underpaid. The facts of this video, and the NASA analysis completely refuting the ‘charges’ of this baseless speeding ticket, really are quite eye opening for anyone looking at them, and I am going to be really curious what happens in the court room, (if it even gets there). My cruise was set, my speed was correct, and the traffic stop was bogus. But, I have to now ‘prove’ the cops word, judgement and decision were wrong. Thank God I had my video camera and he agreed to clock me by his lidar. We’ll see, though.
You will quickly notice it does not matter if you are caught dead-to-rights guilty with irrefutable evidence against you or not, in this county people have their cases dismissed everyday because that’s just the way it is around here.
Your case is will be dismissed and you have nothing to worry about. The tricky part is, when your case is dismissed, will you STILL be required to pay the cost of court ? Seems unfair to pay a cost when your case is dismissed, but that is the norm here. Now that’s, the ultimate “trap” you should dedicate a website to.
(Response to a citizen who first was bold in challenging me about the facts presented here, then begged me to pull the comments down once someone figured out who he was.)
Your responses point to you being another law enforcement or government official, or maybe someone else looking to help this pretty damaging video and math/physics destruction of the supposed ‘pacing’.
You must not have watched all the videos, where these questions are addressed.
We corrected the night time estimates on that daytime video done Monday, which is why we went back right away to do that.
Also, as you see, my contact # and name is everywhere in this online discussion, unlike your bogus name.
Here’s the rub, I KNOW my cruise was set correctly to the speed limit, and I was NOT doing 64 in a 50, nor was I speeding, and I’m VERY comfortable shouting that from the ‘online’ rooftops, and standing up with my real identity to deal with this.
I’m sure if you ARE a police person, or government official or lawyer in that town, you realize how this ‘looks’ to any other person if the tickets ‘skew’ to out of town plates, or if the pacing is used proportionally more than radar or lidar, or even to a percent that makes it appear it is actually being misused, and possibly abused.
Luckily, I had my video camera, and luckily, I am not scared of the truth being told, as the video and other data shows.
Whether it holds any merit in the quaint county courtroom I will possibly be visiting, is to be seen, but I’m prepared for that, as well.
The NASA scientists’ credentials say ‘retired’, and that retirement does not take away her experience and skill set, now does it ?
Once a rocket scientist, always a rocket scientist, right?
Kinda like being a police officer, or marine, or heck, just pick a profession where you spent decades learning your craft, it does not disappear with retirement, right?
She actually sent another additional statement about the mathematical and physics-based impossibility of this event, but she used a few choice adjectives we could not print, so we did not add her additional thoughts which were based on the purest sciences we know (math and physics).
Scott Colley
highway58speedtrap@gmail.com
Scott, just to let you know.. I live in South Hill and this website has made the South Hill newspaper.
This speed trap is NO JOKE. They are ALWAYS sitting there. I did not know they “paced” since I always make it a point to go 5 mph under the limit through there. Beware.
You are sooo right when you call it a speed trap.
Lacrosse is a very small town and they only 3 officers if that. Cant remember just how many cause the town seems to fire or get rid of the chief of police in this town and the police officers.
Just got rid of a very good one this past year who was doing his job and bringing the comm. together . but town said they didnt have the money to keep him huh.
Then there was another a few yrs back they seemed to fire also and i believe he won somethig in court about that and they also fired a reg. police officer too
So, now there is no full time police officers in this town.
Oh and the note about this speed trap.
Its only about 3 miles if that long on 58. Goes from the goodwell store ( green sign) to threw the light and over the hill to the next green county sign.if your going towards emopira .
There was a big write up in the paper a few months back . Where the officers where told to write tickets.
They write them for sure . anywhere from 150-200 a month.
Oh, when they catch someone speeding or go after a vehicle. They do not care if you are coming down the road. They pull right out in front of you.Where you have to slammed on brakes. I had people tell me this.
Its something wrong when you have that many cheif of police fired or let go.All of this has happened in the last 5yrs iv been here.
I wish you all the luck in your fight against them. Also judge warren if thats who you have to go in front of .he is known to be a fair judge.
also, if you are looking a lawyer or help on your fight. google for lcaa. i think thats right.
angel
Welcome to Mecklenburg County finest . I can tell you now COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY Nora Miller won’t touch this. This is done everyday it’s all about creating dollars for a low budget town. You should sue the County and the Town .
SCOTT COLLEY!!!! Thank you! It’s about time somebody said and did something about those SOB’s!!! I am from South Hill and I live about 30 minutes away now, but I’m in the area at least 5 days a week checking on my father! I have yet to be in that area and not see the LaCrosse police with someone pulled over. There has always been some kind of DRAMA with that department. I think they have been running this “BOGUS TRAP” for years and it’s about time somebody decided to fight back! A lot of these comments are probably coming from the town of LaCrosse…go figure…I want to see you take this to the highest!!! Wonder has the cop reviewed this video?? He sounds like he is FULL OF SHIT! I have NEVER heard anything about people stopping and asking the police to “radar” them because they think something is wrong with the damn speedometer! LaCrosse PD is so lame, they all have the nicknames, ROBO COPS, WANNA B COPS, or BARNEY FIFE’s BROTHERS! With this so called recession we are in, HOW IN THE HELL is the town of LaCrosse $180,000 over the budget for the year 2009?????? BECAUSE THE TOWN IS RUNNING CROOKED AS MISSISSIPPI!!!
Thanks for shout out, Tanya!
I just want the story told.
People are responding.
Hope your dad is doing well…
I’m glad you are exposing this. I’ve lived here 4 years and Lacrosse is the worst speed trap I’ve ever seen. Your case will probably be thrown out…but they won’t change their tactics…it’s their only source of revenue for the town.
I am glad you have made everyone everywere aware of the speed trap.. As it has been stated in many other comments and in the newspaper how did they make so much MONEY and just a few months bad Fired the cheif because they could not afford
him any longer I think it was a crock of crap, in my mind it was personal but you know how a 1 horse town is run. The towns
council gets what they want all they do is get there buddy to agree with them. I think maybe the people of lacrosse should ask were all the money is going because I dont see any changes
in the town and havent in years other than lights on the main street and new sidewalks and we all know that was a grant money. I admir you for what you done finally somebody to stand up for there right. That take courage on your part. I will say this the town of south hill is not like lacrosse and neither is the state police in mecklenburg co nor the sheiffs office it is just LACROSSE. I think you should go to town meeting and get them to watch the video and let them hear there officer curse about
the dumb people in the community. What kinda officer talks bad about the people in the community knowing he is being taped, in my book not a good one.
I use to live where this guy turned around at to go back to see the police officer. The speed limit use to be 45 mph and I know the county of mecklenburg has made a killing from the Lacrosse police dept. Alot of people have said that its a speed trap in LaCrosse VA and I know it is I go way under sometimes 35 just so i wont get a ticket!!!!
(This response was to a local resident who asked some pretty unique questions, and then asked me to take them down based on some repercussions he was getting after someone figured out who he was)
Thanks for the input.
As for the camera, have you seen the size of a flip cam?
It’s the size of a cigarette pack.
No distraction, just press record, hold it and film.
But, fair questions.
I have had a few less-than-friendly, subtle threats since posting this site, so yours just added to that ‘flavor’, although your response today is appreciated.
As for dragging anybody through anything, well, if the original ‘mythical infraction’ had never been forced upon me, I would be focusing on something else.
Remember those 60 minute undercover videos back in the 70′s where families would pull into highway repair shops, and the mechanic would squirt oil onto joints of the car and jack the repair bill up for ‘fake repairs’ that only the hidden cameras were able to prove?
Well, when I pulled out that night after this was over, I flashed back to that memory of ‘how do people do this kind of stuff to each other?’ thoughts.
I knew I was not speeding and my cruise was set, and as you see I was polite, and actually proved my point right there, but I still kept being told that a mythical ‘cruise control’ glitch was occurring, and it was too absurd for my liking.
The mayor would not speak to the event when questioned by the South Hill reporter Lisa, by the way, and she had to file a freedom of information act request to gain access to the pacing ticket percentages versus radar or lidar tickets, as they were not willing to provide those answers, otherwise.
So, as you can see, I tried playing it fair and easy EVERY step of the way.
My guess is, now that you know all of these facts, you probably would have ‘leaned in’ like I am doing.
You don’t strike me a ‘shut-up-and-take-your-lumps-even-when-you’re-right-type-of-guy’.
Regards,
Scott Colley
highway58speedtrap@gmail.com
“pacing” is not possible in this town – it is less than 1 mile across. however, the immoral cops in this town often clock your speed several miles before you even get to the town limit. when you came off 85 through the light on 58, you were in south hill,not lacrosse.
i frequently pass through this town, most often avoid it. 8 days in a row, i saw them searching vehicles, thowing people’s luggage along the highway.
the last police cheif was recently fired. i thought it was for the good of the town, but apparrently not. i wish this didn’t reflect on the good folks in south hill and the rest of our county.
if i may expess myself, curious george and police officer may kiss my ass. we are not talking about you – we are talking about stupid people. we have all the respect in the world for descent officers, didn’t mean to get your pantys in a wad. sorry.
damn yankee is right. this whole feud between s. hill and lacrosse started when he was pulling people over in the arby’s drive-thru window.
if i can help, i’ll be the first to stand in court with you.
think i’m joking here is my number 774-7025
and, by the way, they are usually out-of-state. not likely to fightt for their rights.
thanks for the words rodney.
if they don’t drop this before court, I will invite everyone who’s posted here to court the day of the hearing, and buy you all lunch regardless of the verdict.
i’ve heard about the arby’s drive through incident from others, so it must be a sore point…
thanks rodney.
your phone may ring, bro.
scott
Congratulations on a recording well done. I hope you post a follow up for the outcome.
I travel this stretch of 58 and there’s always an officer sitting in the vicinity. I always try to stay below the limit because of this known “speed trap”.
Good Luck,
Sandra
i want you to know that i have alot of respect for you.finely someone has come along and is letting the whole world know what a bunch of crooked cops and town council people there are in this one horse town this place remindes me of the town in road house.The only differents is they rip off people who are driving on hwy 58 They only have a 1mile stirpe of road to write tickets on.and the reason the last cheif was fired was because he used up all the money on new cars and furniture and he never wrote any tickets because he did not know how. I think they should let south hill take over lacrosse and than maybe they can clean up the trash . SO good luck we are pulling for you.
thanks!
we’re just trying to let the video and analysis speak for itself, and many citizens like you are echoing the same feelings.
we appreciate it.
Scott
You should subpeona the police car video and the recording to the dispatcher.
I am an officer in a neighboring county. While I have heard of several of the acusations concerning the Lacrosse police department over the years I have had no personal experiences with these issues. I am usually one to defend the actions of police officers because the general public never knows both sides of the story – only the citizens side which is usually extremely exaggerated and sometimes just a complete lie. On the other hand I am also very realistic and open minded and have often wondered how so many accusations concerning the same subject could be untrue. I think the facts of your case and the supporting video put this officer in a very diffcult position to prove his case if in fact he even has a case. I know judge Warren personally and I fully agree that he will dismiss this case but it is very disturbing that (if all the facts that I have read concerning this case are true and I fully assume they are) other innocent people are suffering from the actions of these officers. Good luck with this and on behalf of honest officers everywhere (and I assure you there are lots of us) I sincerely apologize.
As i’ve said, I have many emails (and some posts on here) from other officers. and almost to the person they mirror your sentiments.
Having a voice through my camera has made all the difference here, and it’s almost a shame it takes this type of citizen action to get people to pay attention, but, it is what it is.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a post, and I will keep you posted.
I guess it takes an out of towner to light the fire under the locals. Thanks for your enthusiasm.
But the one thing stood out in your video that hasn’t been mentioned is the statement from the LaCrosse officer that you should have told him that you had a concealed weapons permit. I have one and never knew that if you are pulled over that they have that data in their system and that they require you to volunteer that information.Is this a law? This is something that I will be checking into.
It’s funny, every concealed carry owner that has watched this has said the same thing, and i did not know either, but i also did not have a weapon on me, (although that camera has proven to be a pretty big non-lethal ‘weapon’, looking back) so it was not in my thoughts anyway, until he mentioned it.
take interstate 85 instead and EAT AT KAHILLS exit 15
Hello there.
You did great.
Thank you for telling the story.
I’m behind you!
Sincerely,
resident of South Hill, VA area
Jennifer
This town is a JOKE, they fired there chief of Police about a two months ago because they did not have the money to pay him. I was stopped by them about five years ago for one mile over the limit, at that time the speed limit was 35 mph. I told the officer that if he wanted to write the ticket go for it, that it would not hold up in court. He never wrote me a ticket and told me to be more careful with my speed. The local paper in Dec. of that same year said that this town took in over a million dollars in speeding tickets alone. You have shown this town that all people will not bow down to this miss use of Police power. please post the follow up so we all can see what they do with this ticket.
It is not required to tell the police you have or do not have a weapon when you possess a concealed carry permit but it is the smart thing to do. The best places for a gun when traveling is in the trunk or open on the seat. When stopped you should hold your hands on the steering wheel where the officers can see them and do not reach for your license until the officer is present at your window and you tell him about the weapon, if one is present, or that you are not carrying. If weapon is present, the officer will want it until he is finished.
The case is not likely to be dropped until the day of court. At that time, the officer or the prosecutor may ask to nolle prossequi the charge. You want them to move to dismiss it with prejudice.
There will be no court costs if the case is dropped or nolle prossequied.
thanks for the input, BLeighD.
are you an officer, a lawyer, or a judge?
just curious.
We all just sat through this unbelievable video. We, too, travel through there all the time, as we live in Chesapeake and travel to Bracey. We joke that LaCrosse is the old Emporia. We can’t believe he hasn’t sent that letter apologizing and cancelling the ticket, yet. Our money says he will before court. Good luck.
thanks for the words.
we will see what they do…
I appreciate your thougths
i respect “neighboring cop’s” comment, we need more like him/her. a friend of mine was killed at a residence where the lcpd had their speed trap set. in responce to that, i noticed, they moved to the opposite side of the road. hey, if i were a trained officer, i might make an attempt at doing my job – no matter what it was. remind me to tell you how a lacrosse office got a dui, while trying to issue one!!!!!!!!
hey admin, is there a wayto respond to individual posts here?
doesn’t matter really. i am good friends with an ex-mayor of lacrosse. as “livein bracey” said, the chief was fired. he was stockpiling automatic weapons for the police, with money he collected from his traps. why, i don’t know.
They are ALWAYS there, always pulling some unsuspecting person over. It is a scam, ab budget filler, a trap, on a straight road, very little or nothing to do with safety.
Thank you for posting this. I received my first and only speeding ticket in over 20 years of driving from a state trooper in Lacrosse. Here are the facts from my case.
I was driving west on 58, and pulled into the open left lane to pass a line of traffic stopped at a light that had just turned green. I slowed through the light, then stopped at the next light, which was red. I took out my cell phone after stopping at the light to call my wife and let her know what time I would be home. After approximately five to eight seconds on the phone, the state trooper appeared behind me, lights flashing. I hung up the phone, waited for the light to turn green, and pulled over. The trooper approached my car and stated “I clocked you going 60 miles per hour past four 45 mile per hour speed limit signs. You were talking on the cell phone and must have been distracted.”
The trooper was mistaken, and that has always aggravated me. First, there were two, not four, 45 signs on that stretch of highway. The first of which was hidden behind an 18 wheeler in the right hand lane near the first stoplight. By the time I reached the second 45 sign, I was traveling well under 45 mph. Second, I was not talking on the phone whenever I passed his position. I made the cell call after stopping at the light. In all likelihood I was slowing from 60 to 45 when I passed the first 45 sign, and a ticket for that may well have been justified even though the sign was blocked, but the statement he made was simply not accurate.
I was raised to respect police and the law. Combine that with lack of time or energy to contest the ticket, and I did not fight this case. Rather, I went to court and represented myself as a driver with a good record that would appreciate the court’s consideration of the circumstances. The charge was reduced to “defective equipment” and I took an on-line defensive driving course. I appreciated the judge’s consideration then, and your forum for telling my story now.
Best of luck with your case, and congratulations for standing up for the rights of drivers.
For the sake of accuracy, please correct my previous post to read “I was driving west on 58″. Thank you.
done
Scott Colley
hi scott,thank you so very much for what you are doing.i do not live in la crosse,but i do have a little shop there.i try very hard to fight for the people in this town to let them see that they do not have a say in what is going on in thier town.i did all i could do to save a very good man his job(ex-chief of police).the people in the town of la crosse has no law in it, they are all on hwy 58.i hope this well show the people in la crosse that they need to do something.you need to talk to the editor of the south hill enterprise newspaper.i also well help you all that i can.you have my e-mail.thank you again sharon
Thanks for the words.
I appreciate the input and we’ll keep all of you posted as we progress.
Scott Colley
This is a great site. I am originally from South Hill. During my college years in traveling from Norfolk to South Hill and vice versa I got a whopping 5 speeding tickets in less than 2 years. All on highway 58. The town LaCrosse has sadly become a laughing/sad situation with their overzealous ticketing. Thanks for bringing this situation to the attention of others who may not know what the locals do.!
So many people mirror your feelings.
thanks for the words!
It may or may not be a significant fact but the LaCrosse PD was initially in South Hill, the adjoining town, when he pulled out onto 58. He was out of his jurisdiction until he passed the Sonic Drive-In. I believe the town limit sign is about a 100 yd past this point, therefore the traveled distance in Lacrosse was even less than you are mentioning. Also, check old copies of the South Hill paper and I think you will find an article where the town council is insisting upon an increase in revenue form their PD as the town is operating at a deficit.
The LCPD Mission Statement:
The Mission of the LCPD is to protect human life and property by enforcing state laws, deterring criminal activity and assuring highway and public safety. We operate as a part of the Community, serving the Community’s quest for a peaceful and safe existence, free from fear, and with democratic values applied equally to all citizens.
Goals:
The LCPD seeks to establish a relationship with the Community based on trust and confidence. We seek to build that as a Foundation in everything we do.
From the Town website:
The LCPD strives to serve the Community with Police excellence and professionalism, enhanced by continued training, and refinement and expansion of our knowledge and capabilities.
The LCPD strives to establish and develop positive working relationships with all Law Enforcement Agencies and Offices with which we have contact.
The LCPD seeks to always present ourselves in a manner that serves to reassure the Community of our commitment to our mission, and our ability to perform it.
Core Values:
Integrity, Fairness, Courage, Honor, Loyalty, Service before Self
Cant tell if you’re positive or negative for the facts presented on this website.
Either way, we are approving the comment.
Thanks!
That LCPD mission statement is a lot of baloney. Just wait to you go to the Kangaroo court for your ticket. The whole county makes a living off of these phoney speeding tickets.
And, the LCPD just as soon as give a ticket to a local, as a out of towner. I got a speeding ticket last year, completely a lie on the part of the ticket giver. Hired a lawyer, had it thrown out, still had to pay $175.00 court cost, and, $125.00 drivers class.
I support you 100%
I don’t know where to begin. For starters, I am pretty sure he is completely out of his jurisdiction when “pacing” you. He is a LaCrosse police officer, he was in South Hill.
They are ridiculous, my mom was pulled over on the night her dad died for not yeilding at a yeild sign. Hours after she lost her father, the prick gave her a ticket too.
Not too bright, he can’t figure out that he had to speed up considerably to catch up. Time to retire.
If you AREN’T exonerated then that’s an even bigger piece of crap that this was to begin with. Good luck and Godspeed, man. You are 100% in the right on this.
Incidentally, I’m from Freeman and grew up there and in Lawrenceville, 20 miles east of South Hill on 58.
Stick to your guns,
Bill
(I mean, hey, you’re licensed, right? .)
thanks Bill,
we will see in court.
our freedom of information act request for some ‘amplifying’ data is being stonewalled right now, against federal law, based on the 5 day rule.
go figure.
thanks for the words
Scott Colley
Boydton, about 20 miles west of South Hill is doing the same thing as La Crosse on their bypass. Speed drops from 60 to 55 at the bypass. Not hardly a mile long and he hides back in the woods. He’s got a nice pave crossing the median where he have been going after drivers about a 1/4 mile pass the intersection 58 bus and 688. Town council just agreed to buy a new police car. We all know what that means. Also, he sits at the town limits sign with radar shooting you before you get to the town limits.
I think South Hill 58 bypass is a speed trap also. There is no reason why it is NOT 60 mph speed limit !!! Something fishy with VDOT there.
BTW I have never gotten a speeding ticket. Been lucky!!!!
Feom what I see your video doesn’t prove anything about how fast you were going before you go stopped. How does anyone know for sure that your cruise was set at 50 mph when you were being paced? Maybe you slowed down and reset it before you were stopped. There is no video footage showing your speedometer pror to being stopped. I guess we are to take your word that your cruise was set on 50 mph, and that the officer was catching up with you the entire timebut not take the word of an officer? I am not against you exposing this speed trap, but when it comes down to absolute proof, your case may be good, but it is not infallible.
You are only showing posts that agree with you. What a farce.
No Greg,
The farce is this speed trap, and police who seem to abuse the ‘protect and serve’ factor of their job.
You must not have read the NASA analysis posted, bro.
Or done the math and physics, yourself.
Of course, you may just be police yourself, and it hits too close to home.
There’s a nerve there somewhere in your response that has been hit.
You owe me a quarter for the psycho-analysis.
Scott Colley
LOL,
I owe you an apology, I reposted because I couldn’t find my original post on the site and then as soon as I posted the second comment they BOTH showed up. And I am not defending the police, because speed traps have become a gigantic source of income for police agencies throughout the state. Southwest VA is full of them – Wythe Co., Washington Co, etc. The problem is that they get to keep the fines – if you want to remedy most of the problem, get the legislature to change the law that allows locals to keep the fine money and make them put the fines in the state Literary Fund just like the money from state police tickets goes – not back to the agency. Then they will enforce the law when it needs to be enforced and not just to generate revenue. The intent of my post was to point out what I think are obvious questions anyone, including a judge, would ask about your argument or case. P.S., I’ll give you a quarter.
This is also where it it handy to keep a recording GPS device active like a Garmin 12csx. Timestamped GPS tracks can be useful for adding that extra level of reasonable doubt if it goes to court.
the only reason you did not see the original post right away is we review them for language and content first.
you would be surprised at the exceptionally vulgar comments we have received, although the facts of the video and NASA analysis bear out a different ‘truth’ than 64 mph ‘pacing’ ticket.
that’s why you did not see your post right away.
cool?
Scott Colley
This town has a long history of this speed trap. There is no way the local town council does not know about it and they are encouraging it. The only way to stop it is to institute suit against the town and others who have facilitated this. I am sure there is an attorney somewhere who would take the suit on a percentage basis. This is a conspiracy case if there has ever been one. I heard from a reputable source that this department was clearing over $250,000 per year on this sham. I have never gotten a ticket there but one could easily just sit out for a day or so and take evidence from every person stopped and have enough evidence to make the suit stick. The Commonwealth Attorney, the Court, and the County all know of this and could easily be included in the suit. The CA should not be prosecuting any of these cases that are based on pacing and that she will take action against the department if the fraud continues. The moment that they all believe that this will cost them more than they can ever profit, this will cease.
VDOT was called in to do a survey and did increase speed limits in both towns. In response to Gerry’s comment about the South Hill bypass – it should be just that – a bypass. But all bypasses immediatelty turn into business centers. South Hill makes their money from the businesses, while Lacrosse has no businesses to mooch off of. 3/4 of the traffic don’t even use the west end of the bypass. The speed limit is slow due to the layout, but you won’t see SHPD conducting a trap. They patrol the entire town (as they should), not just the bypass. The 2 LCPD officers write 20 times more tickets than the 15+ officers in South Hill write. I’ve been pulled 10 times in 23 years here – got 9 warnings and but only one minor ticket. (I deserved more)
Yes, the bypass could be an easy trap, but so far it’s not treated as such. South Hill wants you to come back and spend money somewhere other than the courthouse.
Scott,
I’m unsure if you got my post day before yesterday and I did not see it on the string… anyway, I just wanted to say that by doing what you did, you stood up for the rights of many ordinary citizens. You sir, are by no means ordinary. I’d also like to thank you for your military service to this great nation of ours. You’ve served as a personal motivating force for me to succeed in my new company’s goal…”Protection from the unexpected, unintended and often accidental speeding ticket”. If you get a chance drop by our site at http://www.youspeedwepay.com and give me some feedback. Until next time…. take it easy and God bless you.
Fred
good info Rodney.
i was at the courthouse today making copies of tickets, and I got some GREAT, amazing insight into this volatile subject.
i will be posting it soon…
thanks Bill
thanks!
I knew Nora would’nt touch this case. I bet she has found people guilty of pacing tickets before. She is a big liar she couldn’t win this case and you wasn’t taken a plea. Nora is all about convictions. Mr Colley if you had not had your camera your money would have been in the 14,767.39 dollars collect by the town of Lacrosse last month. Mr Colley you have convinced me to get a dash cam. Mr. Colley you just beat the good old boys in the county. This is how they are paying there bills by any means necessary. Out of towners look you are the target when coming through the county.
GOOD JOB GUY!!!!!!!!
thanks for the words!
it was amazing to say the least, that she came to the courthouse to meet me, and say she was dropping the charges.
i have not been notified that its official yet, but I will keep you posted.
Scott Colley
thanks so much for posting this!!! it’s about time someone stood up to them!!! they think they are “king of the road” and all mighty!!! good job!!
scott,does this mean you well no longer be fighting for the rights of orders or fighting aganist the speed trap in la crosse.i sure hope not.we need more people you.thank you sharon
As an outsider(of only forty years) in Mecklenburg county I think you should know that the whole county is crooked and that means some of the ones in power. I know of instances where someone can call their buddy cop and say he has a problem with someone and that person is harrased constantly. One person was followed home in the middle of the night, pretty scary. Another had a cop waiting for them two miles up the road.It’s a big dirty secret here and you better not say anything. The problems in this place run much deeper than just speeding tickets. So, why stay? Family ties and the desire to have roots somewhere. I am glad that you got a little justice. You were brave and had enough guts to fight these people.
DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sooooo glad that you took the time and energy to put this together!!!!! I have lived in lacrosse well over 15 years and have been berated by the lacrosse cops! They sit out everyday at the same spot on the strip by the building supply place and pull people constintly!.. They also get people out of there limit by distrabuting tickets in south hill (on boarder of lacrosse) and make south hill pd angry … whom the two agencies have hated each other for years…… I want to say maybe a year ago . the paper had an article about the concil asking the police officers to sit in that location to pull more speeding tickets. so they could meet there budget.. ok.. they are always OVER budget… so what’s up with that?? also they seem to not care about any other tickets like (i’m not talking about state troopers.. just local pd).. seat belts, cell phone ect… I see so many people on their cell phones talking away passing whatever uniform on duty and not getting pulled … little kids jumping up and down in the back seats and I myself on numerous occasions not wearing a seat belt. watching the cop watching me and i’m thinking oh man seat belt……. then never getting pulled… I travel this strip daily to and from work .. sometimes more then twice……. either they have someone pulled . there pulling or there sitting there just waiting to strike….. it’s ridiculous!!!!!!!!!! my thing is they only have 3 part timers……. so while there on the strip there WHOLE shift what in the world are they doing to protect their community from localized crime?!.. just because we’re a small town doesn’t mean we don’t have drug dealers, small gangs and a numerous other crimes that we as a people need protection from…. thank you so much for this website and i hope you not only win in court but sew the faulty parts off there “radar guns”!!!!!
JB
The Commonwealth Attorney Nora Miller actually already agreed to drop the charges come the court date (I have that in writing), and has also spoken to and confirmed that also with the reporter who broke this story, Lisa Andrews of the South Hill Newspaper.
I appreciate all the support we’ve received from all the good folks and even police who have written us via this site.
Thanks!
Scott Colley
Not to make light of your incident. But I was in my 40′s. Had never had so much as a parking ticket. There was an incident I didn’t start. Two cops set me up on the highest grade of misdomeanor in my state. Tried for a felony, but they didn’t get that done. Too much risk a jury would go NG on a felony. Too much risk it would go guilty on the misdo. I ended up doing a deal that would keep a conviction of my record.
Know another guy who 20 some years ago had a cop say he hit him during a traffic stop. Same result.
I use to live in Boydton / South Hill. The Sheriffs dept. and local Police departments are all like this. By law as you , the citizen of the United States of America are allowed to film any or all traffic or police related incidents that involve you and / or the vehicle your in. It is known as the freedom of Information Act. This is a Law that most judicial localities do not understand that you can record by any means of voice, tape, and video. They can not arrest you for refusing to turn your voice recorder and/or video camera off. It is your evidence against the judgment of the officers reputable words of recant of the night or day the incident occurred.
Emporia and Greensville County,VA has a the largest speedtrap operation on the road too, the news station needs to do a story on this shit.
Everybody should protest these kinds of speedtrap.
I think emporia,va on a daily basis writes at least 60 to 80 per day on us highway 58 and interstate 95. don’t buy food, gas, and hotels. the town is greedy.
I wonder how many speeding tickets was written while the following crimes were taking place?????
LA CROSSE — The La Crosse Police Department and Jamie’s Discount Auto Sales are seeking the public’s help to obtain information about a Feb. 14 larceny.
La Crosse Police Department Sergeant Ricky Lawson said last Sunday evening one or more suspects broke into a side window at Jamie’s, located at 38802 Highway 58, took a variety of items including vehicle keys and left the premises with two vehicles.
The vehicles taken were one Chevrolet Trail Blazer and one Oldsmobile Alero.
Lawson said five sets of keys to vehicles, a car buffer, a browning semi-automatic rifle and six sets of 30-day vehicle license tags were taken from inside the building.
That same evening a car dealership near Jamie’s, Old Dominion Motor, reported vehicle license tags stolen from one of their vehicles and the United Methodist Family Services also reported vehicle license tags removed from one of the their vehicles.
i live in emoria they generate millions of dollars doing this to people even locals but we cant get any funding from the bullshit
that bears questioning doesn’t it. Let me also ask you, the state lottery that is supposed to fund the school system , (you know, the one that brings in hundreds of millions of dollars a year), where is that money going? Schools are facing teacher cuts and layoffs, and some schools are even shutting down. that may be an area I will explore soon. Where is that money going, much less all the speed trap revenue. Thanks for the post
Cops get overtime for for people that want to contest their summons in court, it is in their interest to give out summonses or make an arrest. Many cops pad their salaries by attending court on their days off.
I have to say that I’m grateful this was posted. I’ve always been in favor of giving citizens a greater voice against police abuse and this is a great video showing how bad things have gotten at times. You reacted very well and the police officer was, to the end, unwilling to fully admit his own mistake. He was too proud, a mistake anyone cane make, but he still apologized. I’d still discredit him but oh well.
I do hope in the future someone can devise a way that citizens can always keep watch for police abuse stories and have them fired. What happened to cases where everything is to be judged by unbiased, unrelated, impartial government and citizen representatives?
The problem is that police departments are by city and by county so most know each other fairly well and due to the length of distance, we cannot fight the police locally. This was a great video and hopefully it’ll encourage someone to take action.
Fifty or sixty years ago the guys in Texas had a solution for speed traps………..burn down the city hall.
In response to
Police Officer on 20 Jan 2010 at 3:09 am
You are either a really messed up cop or not a cop at all, please shut you mouth nobody likes you and hopefully someday you will be on a sad training video under the cop that doesn’t respect anyone and gets shot for it. Crash and burn. Id spit in your face.
There is a little town in Florida named Perry. It’s best not to even drive through there.
Hi, I too was a cop for over twenty years,, and there are good and bad people in every job to include cops (incompetent does not make one right).. Pacing is your word against mine, so if I am an honest cop then you were speeding and its up to me to prove it, if I am not a good cop or an incompetent cop just looking to make my number (required summons for the day) then you were doing whatever I said you were doing, simple. Any law enforcement person should know that there are bad apples out there, and to say they should be forgiven because of the danger factor on the job is nonsense and dangerous thinking.
Good job recording the lying police officer, this happens everyday, everywhere! Its a shame but a fact.
Great video. This goes to show that you can make them look bad and still get out of paying a fine
I have been to this town many times in the past. I was recently harassed due to having out of state plates. I was asked who I was visiting , where they lived and how long I would be in town. I love the area but Law enforcement has got to learn to lighten up just a little.
Am i the only one begging to know what the car you were driving was?
Not sure if you answered this but what the heck does having a weapon permit have to do with him pulling you over? Kinda seemed weird that he would bring that up on camera. If you have answered this so sorry but I did not have time to read everything.
How did the court date go? It was on March 22nd right? What happened during court?
the charges were dropped before court by Nora Miller, the commonwealth attorney…i will put a video up tonite to explain
i think it boils down to the badge seems to provide them rights to create their ‘rules’…imho…thanks for the comments
chevy equinox….with out of state tags…hmmmm
thanks for the input john…i did not realize aol was covering this bit today…i thought they were a few weeks out
i like to think that i just recorded the event…the looking good or bad is yours to decide…i appreciate the comments…it was surreal, to say the least…
i would have hated to have it be my word against his in court…i’ll post a video tonite about that fact and reasoning
eddie, i have had more police reply in similar fashion…i know the job you guys have is tough…but your words are cool to have someone with your background say…
i always have my camera…always.
I didnt read all the posts (someone else probably noticed) and have no idea where this happened. In the video did he not say ” sometimes over the crest of the hill when you are free wheeling you are speeding” ? That alone sounds like something someone would say when they are running a speed trap. Just a thought
BEWARE OF MARVEL, ARKANSAS.
THAT PLACE IS A MAJOR SPEED TRAP.
THE POLICE EVEN SAID QUOTE ” THIS IS NOT A SPEEDING TICKET, JUST SEND YOUR 1OO. 00 TO THE CITY OF MARVEL.
I was not speeding and he knew it!!! I got a ticket that would not appear on my insurance or on my driving record because he only wanted my 100.00 dollars for MARVEL
Bravo, you caught the cop double talking. I like how cool you were when you refused to turn your camera off by reminding him that you were on private property. What video camera did you use. I want to get the same camera. Your case will definitely be thrown out. Your evidence is fool proof.
i’ve had many people tell me i was taking a dangerous chance by not turning it off, in his town, late at nite, with only the two of us there. i never considered that, oddly enough, but its eye opening to hear others’ concerns…i guess i was just ‘gumping’ my way through it expecting good…
Emporia… My wife, raised in a small town of 14 streets in Alaska, didn’t even get her divers license until she was 27 (she’s 38 now) got her first, and only, ticket ever going through Emporia last year. She called and told me that she got a ticket and I actually asked, “For what?!?!?” because speeding is NOT something she does. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. She said the ticket was for 72 mph. I was floored. She uses her turn signals in a parking lot for Pete’s sake. I know that she wasn’t doing 72. I don’t believe that she’s ever gone over 70.. Ever… But, it is what it is and we had to pay it…
I’m glad you had the presence of mind, proper attitude and demeanor to make this work to your advantage. I’ve seen the posts from folks saying that if it were them, they would have been beat down (mostly those saying “if a black man did this”) probably don’t realize how to manage this type of situation. You didn’t argue with him. You didn’t challenge him, you didn’t take a nasty tone with him. You reasoned with him. How you say something is almost as important as what you’re saying… There’s my $0.02.
This cop was a jerk. In California I was pulled over for talking on the phone while driving. I showed the cop I was using a hands free device. And he still wrote me a ticket. He tried to say he saw me holding the phone up to my ear, then after I saw him I put the hands free device in my ear. He kept saying it over and over again. And I kept saying no I didn’t . I wished I would have filmed it. That cop would have been fired.
my word, their word and a camera…my new rules…thanks for the input…
appreciate the words, thanks for stopping in…
Great job man. There are so many crooked cops these days just wanting to meet their quota or pull in extra money for low budget towns. A similar thing happened to me in a smaller town in Alabama. I was driving on this kind of country stretch of road with not much around and all of the sudden this cop comes out of nowhere speeding up to me, follows behind me for about half a mile and then decides to pull me over and say i was going 13 mph over the speed limit. He even managed to tell me that he was behind a house when i asked where exactly his car was parked at because I hadn’t seen him at all. It was a bit of ridiculous, but instead of contesting it I paid the fine anyways. I wish I would have had a camera on me now.
Scott,
I ran across your story on AOL. As I started watching this video, I wish I could say I was shocked, but as many of the viewers of your video know, this is something that happens in every part of our country. Their are corrupt “police” and “city officials” everywhere. It is simply a”Sign of the Times” if you will. I was truly impressed with your calm and collected attitude toward the officer. You where not rude or ugly in anyway. You just stated the facts and asked the officer for his help. I was shocked, however, at his willingness to comply with your request; as I believe you where as well. If you are caught in a “scam”, the last thing you want to do is give evidence to the cause. I believe you have brought this to the “spot light”. I love the fact that you handled yourself as a gentlemen but stood your ground. Ever thought about running for office??? Just asking! God Bless and Keep!
you’re so smart and balls-y
cop was trying to be all tough and just hand out another ticket but i bet he wasn’t expecting that.
I wonder how different it would have been if the camera was hidden?
awesome job!
The speed limit was 40 and I had my cruise set to 43ish, he decided I was going 53. I was even following behind what looked to be a state truck. All I could do was laugh.
Unless this cop was a real psycopath, what chance were you taking by refusing to turn off “your camera”? Please explain what chance you were taking?
It’s quite clear this cop is inept. 99% of all police officers do not
have a college degree. This partially explains why so many of
them are into a power-play with the public. The cop in this video
has no business in law enforcement. God help us! Why not
require a college degree to be a police officer?
I’m not understanding how you think you have so much proof that you were right. If you were in the right then good for you but at anytime during during that half mile of getting pulled over you could have set your cruise control at 51. so you really dont have solid proof. If its such a trap then get yourself a dashboard camera tape every time you go through there, that way we can have the whole story. If it is indeed a trap it will happen again. Good luck. maybe next time you can have a more solid story before trying to trash local police and sherrif departments.
For the Cop on Jan 20,2010. Nobody said that being a cop is easy, and yes underpaid, however if you are going to do it than do it right. Everyone makes mistakes but even cops should admit it,especially when it is put in your face. Don’t be dishonest about it and then if you get caught, make it right. Bottom line is there are good cops and bad cops, make the uniform proud. Now that the cops in this area have been exposed maybe they should rethink how they are going to bring in revenue. Fact is they got busted, and if you are a good cop you wouldn’t be so defensive. Thank God for the internet and that this police department has been exposed. Beware you could be next.
Good Job Scott Colley… Two thumbs up for you!
nick…all charges were dropped a month before the court date by the commonwealth attorney, so i guess i had enough evidence, but most of all, i knew i was NOT speeding…is it trashing local police, or letting the camera just tell the tale? funny how the stones fly, yet all i did was record and diagram the facts later…have i mentioned I was NOT speeding? it would have been my word against his, had i not had my camera…in their court, who would have won that little event, ya think?
i’m alot of things, but a sheep is not one of them…
thanks for the words…shocked is an understatetment about his willingness to help my cause…i fugure behind closed doors, there is now a ‘colley training scenario’ for dealing with camera wielding motorists…i’ve probably become an action verb, as in ‘doing a colley’ when the motorist tries to video a police officer…i fream big, right?
Is the legal proceedings for a speeding ticket using the rules of criminal procedures or the civil rules? If it is criminal, can you not ask for a trial by jury? Who is the injured party? If it is a civil matter, then you are not guaranteed a jury trial. But if it is civil, what contract did you break? Is ‘your’ car the property of the state in which it is registered and there is a contract that says that you can use it if you follow the traffic regulations? Is that the contract? Or perhaps the public easements on the thousands of pieces of private property considered property of the state and you have a contract that says you can use the states property (the roads) if you follow the traffic regulations? Traffic is commerce. Were you involved in comerce?
What right does the officer have in commanding you to turn off the recording device? Is the officer a government agent? Was he/she on duty? If the Declaration of Independence states that you have been endowed by your Creator with certain unalienable rights and governments are instituted to secure these rights, then how can a government agent command you to do anything if it is not securing someones rights? Did the officer swear an oath to the state constitution? Are the court proceedings public or private? Is the court created by the state constitution? The officer and judge have a difficult job where they deal with violent people from time to time. They have the right to protect themselves. If you act aggressively, they will take control the situation. A humble, curious person who calmly and persistently seeks the truth on these issues may have these matters disposed of by the court in order to save the court the time it takes to answer simple questions that very few people ask.
Speed traps aren’t the only thing we have to watch out for when it comes to peace officers in general. I live in Nevada and we were pulled over on a windy hwy in a motorhome by a trooper who did not know the law. We got ticketed for not having our children in safety seats and supposedly going over the speed limit. We were not speeding and you do not need safety seats in a motorhome in Nevada. Needless to say after 6 months the charges were dropped on all counts. Thank you for bringing awareness.
More people need to do what you did. He didn’t know how to react when he found out he was going to be on tape. I thought he was going to try to use his authority to try to get you to turn it off. This officer did nothing but lie. I hope you did take this to court and got this off your record. They always want to use the camera against the every day citizen. Well it’s about time we turn it around and use it against them!!!
My wife and I travel a lot, and I have had my share of the speeding tickets. In some states, NV, UT, TX, and NM, to mention a few, and I am sure there are many more, I believe the Highway Patrols’ main mission is to give speeding tickets. I have seen them hide behind the bushes, poles, trees, and bridges. With no other cars around, in the middle of nowhere, and under safe conditions, one could get a ticket for going a few miles over the speed limit. Many states and cities have a ticket quota for their police. What a racket!!!
Many years ago a friend who owned a restaurant in Conroe Texas, befriended a State Patrol who used to go to his house and help him weld his metal fence. The officer told him that they had a quota of 10 tickets per shift, and once he wrote them within his first hour of his shift, he was free to do whatever he wanted to do for the rest of his shift. Is that what they mean by “Protect & Serve”?
It is not only the hassle of going to court and the cost. Citizens will pay for these tickets for years to come via the increase in their insurance premiums. Those less than honorable police officers should keep that in mind.
Great job Scott for standing up to the officer when you knew you were in the right.
I live in Miami and drive through the State of Florida frequently. Here in Florida the farther North you go, the deeper South you get. I have also received several dishonest, abusive and totally false tickets, including “57mph” in a 35 mph zone while in a bumper to bumper 3mph rush hour traffic jam… Let me tell you how this would have ended up if you challenge a cop in Miami: You get shot. Your camera disappears. End of story.
Sounds like NICKHORTON is one of the crooked cops.
I got hit twice with a radar doing 85 each time. i know full well it was 65 and 75 not 85. Cops push their power, look how they use their tasers on old women. They also use tooooo much force for something little. i think theres a guy called jimmy justice on youtube who shows what cops do were other people get tickets.
Bring down the cops who abuse the powers!
So, cruise controls can be set and then you speed up. When you hit resume you go back to the speed that you originally set it for not what you were actually doing at the time. Where is the video of you before the officer stopped you? It would be nice to see that evidence. Getting the side that you were in the right without seeing your possible wrong is a half truth here and giving the officer a bad rap.
People complain about the police all the time for doing their jobs. But when something is done that directly affects you or your family in a bad way and the police “Give someone a break” or should have “pulled over that speeder that ran my nephew’s car off the road” you also complain about them.
Show me a film of the 5 minutes before you were pulled over up to the point the officer came up to your car of your speedometer and I will be happy to agree with you.
I empathize with you for taking this video. It shows the sad reality so many people are either too busy or too afraid to confront to bring a stop to this abuse.
Personally, I think this is the most pleasant cop I have seen on video (despite the situation that took place which is not right at all). I just posted a comment on the aol page describing your stop. The local cops are 10x more unpleasant as attitude goes.
I have a very clean record and never thought of cops in any negative light until the incident I describe below and in my post at aol (link provided here).
I was also stopped pn Route 22 in the town of Hillside, NJ around late 2008, over a year and a half ago give or take. I was issued a ticket that carried 4 points since the cop said I was going 28 miles over the limit- totally untrue- the limit being 45 miles/hour.
The core of my comment was not the stop itself but the fact that several months ago, one of the cops who stopped me, made an insulting comment about the stop I was part of (as regular as it was) stating to his friend in the presence of his young son that I was ‘the jerk he stopped and gave a ticket to’ adding I might hate cops since.
I found that not only an insult against me, but against anyone who might have gotten stopped by unprofessional cops who are not even able to behave like civilized individuals while off-duty. I requested suggestions in my aol post which you can see here (http://autos.aol.com/article/cops-on-video/) my post appears under user name gth851 there.
If being a victim of an unjust ticket is already bad, being doubly victimized in this fashion is beyond words and I just don’t know what my legal options are at this time if any. I feel a roge cop like that, might be a lose canon waiting to go off any time.
i just think he was trying to fill a quota and he knew he got busted on it. Most people just mail a check and move on
you will get a letter
to let you know they dropped the ticket after realizing you had him dead to right. if his speedo was off that far then every one would be speeding past him when he was showing 50. the dumb ass.
Yes, police do this type of stuff all the time. Several years ago, we paid our car registration, but either the DMV failed to mail our tags or they were misplaced – we didn’t receive them. We contacted the DMV and they were sending out replacement stickers to us. Well, we were driving home one night and got stopped at a red light. A highway patrol came up on the side of us. When the light turned green, we preceded, and he stayed still until we were infront of him. My husband remarked that he was going to pull us over. Sure enough, he got behind us and hit his light. When he came up to us, he said our tags were expired. We explained the situation to him, and when he called us in over his radio, we heard the dispatcher tell him that we were current on our registration. So what does he do? He wrote us a fix it ticket for wasting his time. When my husband went in to the highway patrol office to pay the ticket, the dispatcher laughed. A week later, I was pulled over by an M.P. on a military base for the same thing. He called me in, and when he was told I was current, he had to let me go.
Obviously, this video event has gone viral on the Internet, myself having run across it on AOL. The one thing I have not determined was the outcome of this event. Did the driver have to pay a fine, when videotaped evidence clearly proved that the officer was out of bounds and had not made a credible claim of speeding?
In my home state of Arkansas, where frontage roads have been converted to one-way in the interest of “safety” (also a crock, as if a two-way frontage bordering an interstate was less safe than any other two-way road, save the “yield” signs when a car crossed onto an onramp.) Cars in my area FREQUENTLY go up to 100 mph on the frontages and are virtually NEVER pulled over, while a Barney Fife type officer like this dolt sits on a nearby neighborhood connector, where the speed limit is an inexplicable 25 MPH, and writes TICKETS at 30!
On our interstates, traffic is completely out of control because Arkansas State Troopers DO NOT ENFORCE SPEED LAWS, but are rather more consumed with seat belt enforcement. Cars ROUTINELY drive 80 or more mph in a 65, while troopers engage a “tag, you’re it” mentality in speed enforcement.
THIS IS THE DIGITAL AGE, and there are more than a few high tech devices that could be used to snap license plates in cars whose speeds are certified and just MAIL tickets to the offenders. With a six month records hold, this would have a TREMENDOUS effect in actually slowing down drivers who ARE (unlike this driver) speeding.
Speed enforcement today has digressed into a disgraceful ritual of revenue collection at the convenience of officers who do NOT want to pursue the faster cars because they might possibly be more violent, choosing instead to pull over drivers like this man on trivialities that turn out to be false. Police departments need to seriously re-evaluate their speed enforcement procedures and training after seeing this amazing video.
The man who taped it was both a hero and a gentleman who has done more good than he can possibly imagine. I HOPE HE BEAT THE STUPID TICKET, AND THE OFFICER WAS REPRIMANDED!
Hello,
I am happy to hear that this turned out well for you as it should have. I do want to add, that there is hope out there. In Ohio there was a village located just west of Columbus called New Rome. The speed trap there was very notorious. Some citizens living nearby but not in New Rome (New Romes population was I think around 52 people or so) rallied together and had the town disbanded. I would recommend you check out the site NewRomeSucks.com, and look at the archives, you can read the stories, which go beyond just speeding tickets. It includes a speed limit sign that was illeagle due to its height, and the fact that the town was 2 blocks long and you had to slow down 10 mph to go 2 blocks, then the speed limit went back up. There are many more stories, but I couldn’t possibly sum them all up here.
Good luck.
Several comments on here are incorrect, so I will submit that these statements need clarification:
First, pacing is perfectly legal, and is predicated on the fact that the speedometer of the police car must be certified accurate within 2mph, and it must be done once every 6 months.
Pacing in Lacrosse (and I admit I haven’t been there) CAN be done, even if the road is 1 mile long.
Pacing only requires a distance of 2/10ths of a mile.
Second, to someone else’s post here, even 1 mile over the speed limit, IS speeding. Can an officer write that summons? Yes.
Most, however, do not, because it’s almost pointless. A 1mph violation can easily be explained by speedometer inaccuracies, since speedometers for regular vehicles are only a GUIDE, not exact science.
Officers do not have to use Radar or Lidar to show excessive speed. For pacing, calibration of speedometers must be on file with the city or county’s courts.
Great-great story—have one also but it’s too long—-Scott keep that camera going and make sure they don’t put a bounty out on you……they might try a Burford Pusser on you some day……
I hope to see this story on 60 minutes someday- your are a smart man….
thanks
Welcome to the biggest most corupt gang in the U.S. The police department, they lie, they intimidate and cheat, they treat every person like a criminal! When truth be told and they know it they are the criminals! They should be the ones locked up in jail and caged like an animal! Except in my opinion they are less than an animal!
Great videos!! Way to go. My thought is that if this is being done with the knowledge and consent of city council or other city official is it not a conspiracy or racketeering? Would be great to see this investigated further by a higher state agency. Have there been any comments from local legislators?
As an aside – I once caught up to a county motorcycle cop at red light at the bottom of an off ramp after he blew by me when I was doing 10 over on an interstate. I pulled up in the adjacent lane, rolled down my window and asked him if he was on a call. He said “No, buddy, what can i do for you?” I replied “Well then I’d appreciate it if you would slow down on the interstate.” Then he “went cop” on me…..10 years later its funny as hell – not so much at the time…
Good job, Scott. Thanks for exposing this speed trap. Unfortunately, it goes on all over the country and will continue to do so, especially in this economic climate where cities and counties have to scrounge for every penny they get because politicians don’t know what the hell they’re doing.
Watch out for VERNON, Texas … another well-known speed trap.
Back in 2004 I lived in 29 Palms, CA. I can’t remember tha name of the road that I was on but this is what happened. An ambulance pulled out of the water plant for the town on to the road. The speed limit on the road is only 25 mph. Thankfully there was no other traffic on this road because the driver proceded to accelerate WAY BEYOND 25. Out of sheer curiosity I decided to keep up with the ambulace. Now mind you this is what the cop in this vid said he did from a distance. I happened to be directly behind the ambulance and was able to accurately gauge the speed. I stayed exactly one car length behind the ambulance until I reached 55 mph. When I saw my speedometer hit 50 I nearly peed my pants thinking “Holy s**t!! this guy is paid buy taxpayers to drive like this???” I immediately let off the throttle and eased into the brakes when I hit 55. The best part about this is that at 55 mph the ambulance WAS PULLING AWAY BEFORE I LET OFF!!!!! The ambulance wasgoing so fast down this 25 mph road that by the time I caught up to it AT THE FIRE STATION it was already parked and the driver had already exited the vehicle, talking to his colleagues. Being completely disgusted I pulled in the drive, parked, and I went off. No this wasn’t the most adult thing to do and yes I could have gotten into serious trouble for doing so. Well the guy’s boss hadcome out asking what was going on and I told him what I did. I even said that it was a ticket that I would have gladly taken so long as the driver of the ambulance got one too.
All too often we see law enforcement and such doing crazy speeds simply BECAUSE THEY CAN. In reality even in the event of a chase or emergancy because of traffic safety they can only go FIVE MILE OVER!! Yes they are able to go faster because we have to move out of the way. But think of it, how many times have you seen a cruiser go flyin down the hwy WITHOUT lights on?? They just fly past the rest of us and get away with it because what officer is going to pull another officer over?
Just saw the post of your adventure on AOL. While it is bad to hit these speed traps, be VERY thankful you don’t live in Ga. They are more abundant than fleas on a hound dog down here, with no way in hell of fighting them.
I know there are good cops, just as there are those who go for all the gusto, but sadly, it’s the bad run ins that stick out. It’s a crying shame these towns feel they must Scam the out of towners to keep their sities afloat. More power to you. Well Done.
thanks for the words…
the commonwealth attorney dropped everything a month before court.
of course, i was at their courthouse, making copies of recent tickets to validate the $$$ these tickets bring in, and someone there called the C.A. and she actually came down to meet me, and tell me everything was ‘being dropped’ because she did not like the ‘idea of pacing’
funny though, how she also said she had NEVER watched my videos, but had heard about them and the website, and of course my stack of photo copied tickets was just sitting there, with some pretty amazing ‘forensic evidence’ i have not discussed until now.
95% of all tickets were written to out of state tags.
hundreds of tickets were being written monthly, and 95% of those were all between 61-64 mph, almost to the point of hilarity.
95% of the people just sent their money in, and or had a local attorney come to court to plead their case, and also paid for an online traffic course.
do you think anyone in the town really knew this was going on?
like the police, the police chief, the attorneys and judges?
the revenue from these tickets and the resulting fines being paid, is GREAT revenue for these little towns.
stunning, to say the least.
thank God i had my camera, and the cop was reasonable, or it would have been just my word (and a NASA scientist) against his, the judge, the police chief, and the commonwealth attorney.
who would have won that little soiree you think?
just sayin’
Congratulations on the dismissal. It’s nice that the local press covered the situation. Has the local press FOI’d the officer’s windshield video to compare with the various scenarios? I know you do not need the video; would you concur if someone else requested it?
The prosecutor may have limited her exposure by dropping your charges, but she still has the dilemma of all her prosecutions and fines collected for violations outside the Lacrosse PD jurisdiction. As she is a member of the bar, I am not sure she has the discretion to ignore the town’s fradulent revenues.
An then, if Lacrosse keeps this up, there is always the possibility the State troopers might set up in SH from time to time to ticket the Lacrosse PD when they are speeding outside their jurisdiction without due cause, e.g. witnessing someone allegedly speeding outside their town and that might, but has not yet sped within their jurisdiction.
http://stopcopviolence.webs.com/
I’d love it if the above site were to be checked out. This is a site I just made to prevent cop abuse and this fits right in. Thanks! (Yeah posted in wrong place earlier haha)
thanks for the thoughts george
yes, i would concur if anyone wanted to request the dash cams through foi
thanks for the other thoughts, and we all do know the answer if very many people knew this was going on, at least if
they read all of my site, and all the facts about the charges being dropped
thanks again
Just take a look at this video where rogue cops beat a University of Maryland student when he did not attacked them or do anything wrong. He was just celebrating that his team won and danced at the sidewalk. Many officers jumped at him and beat him up -the video shows physical marks- warning, graphic.
They violated his constitutional rights and lied to cover up the story. The video you see was taken from a cell phone. I hope these animals who did this to him pay with their freedoms and can never ever ever again become cops. There’s already one suspended and criminals federal and state charges are pending as well as against the other cops. A shame truly.
If this could happen to a law-abiding college student who did not break the law, it can happen to anyone and if no one recorded the incident the judge would have given the sob cops who beat him the case.
http://www.nypost.com/video?vxSiteId=fe3e21a8-49f1-4cec-9ba5-cfe372fa6572&vxChannel=PostUsFeed&vxClipId=1458_911099&vxBitrate=700
i was stopped twice last year on rt 58, emporia, va.
mass plates.
one ticket was going east 72 in a 60.
i don’t dispute that one.
second ticket was while driving west in emporia, 78 in a 60.
no way i was going that fast.
i had my radar detector on and on the floor.
the detector did not go off at all.
got swallowed up and spit out by a pack of fast moving traffic.
i did not see him anywhere near the highway.
zeroed in on me right away.
i suspect he had a radar detector detector.
then made up the speed just shy of the reckless driving limit.
told me to give him the radar detector.
i gave it to him.
i had read stories about police foot stomping detectors in va.
i knew that he could not destroy or take my detector without a hearing.
he then gave it back, plus a 40 dollar ticket for having detector, and a 160 ticket for the speed.
did not contest, since it is 500 mile round trip to my home state of delaware, where i am now living again.
i admire what you have done, it is hard to take a ticket when you know they are lying.
i have always kept a camera in my glove box while living in the “masshole” state. (for all the people who run into you)
i like your idea about the video audio recorder.
almost as good as DNA.
hard to dispute documentary evidence.
watch out for the speed traps at the delaware beaches, oc maryland etc. just do the limit or you are caught. 24/7.
ron
well , dont know if youll see this or not but after just reading the paper and seeing LaCrosse is in the RED for 66,000 +/- ..
I guess we all need to be very careful drivng threw there cause they will be told to write more and more tickets now..
woder how the courts are doing now since they are short there now since some have left for better jobs.
also just wanted to say Great job and knew that it would be dropped before court.
angel,
i had not seen the ‘red’ ink, no.
i think when we looked back in january they were up by quite a bit.
guess the lost revenue from pacing tickets hurt.
thanks for the update
I was stopped by a Fairfax County Cop one night at about 3:00 am. He said I was doing 50mph in 35mph zone. I saw a car coming up behind me at a high rate of speed in the left lane. I moved to the right and he stayed behind me and turned on his lights. He said the he had paced me at 50mph over a distance of less than half of a mile. When I stopped and he came to my window and said he paced me at 50mph, I told that I might have been doing 40mph.
He kept saying that I was doing 50mph, I looked at him and said, you’re crazy too bud!!!…He backed down at that point and let me go.
As you may know, Virginia is the only state that bans the use and sale of detectors. There is no evidence that the detector ban increases highway safety. Our nation’s fatality rates have fallen consistently for almost two decades. Virginia’s fatality rate has also fallen, but not any more dramatically than it has nationwide. Research has even shown that radar detector owners have a lower accident rate than motorists who do not own a detector.
Maintaining the ban is not in the best interest of Virginians or visitors to the state. I know and know of people that will not drive in Virginia due to this ban. Unjust enforcement practices are not unheard of, and radar detectors can keep safe motorists from being exploited by abusive speed traps. Likewise, the ban has a negative impact on Virginia’s business community. Electronic distributors lose business to neighboring states and Virginia misses out on valuable sales tax revenue.
Radar detector bans do not work. Research and experience show that radar detector bans do not result in lower accident rates, improved speed-limit compliance or reduce auto insurance expenditures.
• The Virginia radar detector ban is difficult and expensive to enforce. The Virginia ban diverts precious law enforcement resources from more important duties.
• Radar detectors are legal in the rest of the nation, in all 49 other states. In fact, the first state to test a radar detector ban, Connecticut, repealed the law – it ruled the law was ineffective and unfair. It is time for our Virginia to join the rest of the nation.
• It has never been shown that radar detectors cause accidents or even encourage motorists to drive faster than they would otherwise. The Yankelovich – Clancy – Shulman Radar Detector Study conducted in 1987, showed that radar detector users drove an average of 34% further between accidents (233,933 miles versus 174,554 miles) than non radar detector users. The study also showed that they have much higher seat belt use compliance. If drivers with radar detectors have fewer accidents, it follows that they have reduced insurance costs – it is counterproductive to ban radar detectors.
• In a similar study performed in Great Britain by MORI in 2001 the summary reports that “Users (of radar detectors) appear to travel 50% further between accidents than non-users. In this survey the users interviewed traveling on average 217,353 miles between accidents compared to 143,401 miles between accidents of those non-users randomly drawn from the general public.” The MORI study also reported “Three quarters agree, perhaps unsurprisingly, that since purchasing a radar detector they have become more conscious about keeping to the speed limit…” and “Three in five detector users claim to have become a safer driver since purchasing a detector.”
• Modern radar detectors play a significant role in preventing accidents and laying the technology foundation for the Safety Warning System® (SWS). Radar detectors with SWS alert motorists to oncoming emergency vehicles, potential road hazards, and unusual traffic conditions. There are more than 10 million radar detectors with SWS in use nationwide. The federal government has earmarked $2.1 million for further study of the SWS over a three-year period of time. The U.S. Department of Transportation is administering grants to state and local governments to purchase the SWS system and study its effectiveness (for example, in the form of SWS transmitters for school buses and emergency vehicles). The drivers of Virginia deserve the right to the important safety benefits that SWS delivers.
Please sign this petition and help repeal this ban and give drivers in Virginia the freedom to use their property legally:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/repeal-the-virginia-radar-detector-ban