1st ticket

[snack]

Went to see my daughter in Winnfield, Louisiana this past weekend. Enroute got pulled over in a little place called Village of Robeline. Was told I was doing 67 in a 55, but didn't know how because I had the cruise set on 60. Yes, I was going 5 over, but, he said I was doing 67. What was I going to do? Didn't want to make him mad, but who knows what would have happened. Handed him my TDL and CHL and insurance card. He never even asked where my gun was, just said he would be back. He came back and gave me my first ticket ever! He said he gave me a break and wrote it for 66 in a 55. What a break!? Then, he told me if I pay it before the court date that they wouldn't report it to the Texas DMV. I stopped there on the way back and payed the ticket. $227 dollars...ouch! If you look that town up on Google they make 85 percent of their profit from tickets. In addition, if you didn't know, it is not illegal in Louisiana for towns to operate speed traps.

[WildBill]

These types of tickets are a disgrace to law enforcement. Hopefully, the state of Louisiana will remedy this situation.

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[CaptWoodrow10]

Louisiana is notorious for this type of thing... They also like to look for out of state vehicles to ticket. It's almost like a toll for using their highways
"Texans- Keeping Louisiana's coffers full and the courthouse lights on."

[The Annoyed Man]

Corruption is like mildew. It gets into everything - even law enforcement - if it is not vigorously stamped out early on. Unfortunately, it is largely a matter of corrupt hearts, and no amount of legislation is going to stop it. And if those authorities who are charged with eradicating it are the very ones who profit most by the corruption, then it is here to stay.

For those with experience in these matters, has it always been like this in Louisiana? I last drove through there in December of 1978, alone, with long hair, in a car bearing New York plates. The only bad thing that ever happened to me on that trip (New York to Los Angeles) was having my road atlas stolen from my breakfast table in a truck stop in Texas, while I was in the restroom.

[Hoi Polloi]

I had the same thing happen to me driving through south Texas. I had the cruise control on, was going from one freeway to another, an officer pulled me over shining his flood light into my rearview mirror on purpose while I was driving slowly with my flashers on waiting to get off a bridge to pull over, and then he said I was doing something like 12 over, but he'd be nice and only give me 9 over when my cruise was set to 4 over, which was 1 under from the previous highway. Ridiculous.

[gigag04]

I had the same thing happen to me driving through south Texas. I had the cruise control on, was going from one freeway to another, an officer pulled me over shining his flood light into my rearview mirror on purpose while I was driving slowly with my flashers on waiting to get off a bridge to pull over, and then he said I was doing something like 12 over, but he'd be nice and only give me 9 over when my cruise was set to 4 over, which was 1 under from the previous highway. Ridiculous.

Light in the mirror is so he can see you hiding drugs and grabbing a weapon.

Just because your un-certified speedometer reads a certain speed does not mean that is the actual speed of the vehicle.

We have done some tests at work with our personal vehicles and factory speedos are not always correct. Usually they read over what you are really going. Sometimes they get it backwards and you get paper.

[Pinkycatcher]

Light in the mirror is so he can see you hiding drugs and grabbing a weapon.

Just because your un-certified speedometer reads a certain speed does not mean that is the actual speed of the vehicle.

We have done some tests at work with our personal vehicles and factory speedos are not always correct. Usually they read over what you are really going. Sometimes they get it backwards and you get paper.

My car's Speedometer reads about 1 or 2 over what I am going, which I personally enjoy I don't know what my bike's speedometer is set at. But generally a factory speedometer won't read something crazy like 5 mph over even at highway speed, unless of course you changed tire sizes or are running on some very very bald tires.

[shortysboy09]

I had the same thing happen to me driving through south Texas. I had the cruise control on, was going from one freeway to another, an officer pulled me over shining his flood light into my rearview mirror on purpose while I was driving slowly with my flashers on waiting to get off a bridge to pull over, and then he said I was doing something like 12 over, but he'd be nice and only give me 9 over when my cruise was set to 4 over, which was 1 under from the previous highway. Ridiculous.

Light in the mirror is so he can see you hiding drugs and grabbing a weapon.

Just because your un-certified speedometer reads a certain speed does not mean that is the actual speed of the vehicle.

We have done some tests at work with our personal vehicles and factory speedos are not always correct. Usually they read over what you are really going. Sometimes they get it backwards and you get paper.

Gig is right on. I had a 2004 F150 that traveled 5 at 40mph, at 60 it was more, over what the speedometer reading was. I was going 45 in a 40 with the cruise on and couldn't understand why an officer pulled me over and gave me a ticket for 50 in a 40. Of course, I blamed the officers radar equipment for needing to be re-calibrated, that was not the case. I had an officer that lived across the street for me so I asked him to come up to the main road, I set the cruise on 40 and drove past him. When I turned around and came back he said I had you at a steady 45, even showed me his reading. If two different radars were consistent that told me I was the one with faulty equipment. So, moral of the story, speedometers aren't always correct.

Now, I check all my cars with my GPS. The truck I own now, 2006 Nissan Frontier, is 1 mph under what the speedo says.

[ELB]

Now, I check all my cars with my GPS...

GPS is very accurate for time (after all, the GPS system is really just a planet-sized clock) and speed, much more so than position, and that is pretty good. I have found all my cars to read high by one or two mph.

[.45mac.40]

SOooooooo, he stops you and issues a ticket, for speeding//breaking tha' law ??! AND he, tweaks/lies about breaking tha' law, AND only YOU received a ticket ?
I didn't know a traffic cop could make his own adjustment on speed which would affect the amount you would have to pay.
What adjusted speed would he have made, if you were a hot looking blonde ??

Mac

[glbedd53]

There are some towns in Texas that are notorious for the same thing. I don't want to mention any names Calvert Martindale but they're getting reputations.

[KFP]

Honest question: What is a speed trap?

[C-dub]

Honest question: What is a speed trap?

I was caught in one many years ago. I was going through a small town and coming to the edge of town close to where the speed limit was about to increase. There were three other vehicles in front of me. All of them had pulled out from side streets in the town. I was the only one going through the town from one end to the other. I was pulled over and ticketed for something like 10-15 over, but the officer said he had me going faster and decided to give me a break by writing it for 5 less. I was probably not going more than 3-5 over anyway, but I was the only non-local vehicle. When I asked him why he stopped me and not the first person in the line he stopped talking and became very short with me after that.

This is one example. Others get people as they are approaching a town and have not slowed down just after a decrease in the speed limit.

[srothstein]

Honest question: What is a speed trap?

There are three types of speed traps. Many people refer to anyplace with strict enforcement of the speed limit as a speed trap. Selma, on IH-35, meets this definition. The limit is 70 before, through, and after Selma, but they enforce the limit so much more strictly than neighboring towns that the city was named in a country song for its speed enforcement.

A second type of speed trap, and is much closer to the legal definition, is a town or location where the speed limit suddenly drops and is strictly enforced. Think of some of the places where you are cruising at 60 and come over a hill and see the limit drop to 45. Shortly after the change there are four or five patrol cars enforcing the new limit. This is actually fairly common and almost meets the legal definition.

And the third type is the legal definition of entrapment. This is where you are enticed into breaking the law that you would not normally break. For this type of speed trap, think of anyplace where you are cruising along and the limit suddenly drops but there is no sign announcing the drop ahead of time. If the officer writes the ticket as soon as you pass the sign, this is entrapment since you had no possible way to suddenly change speeds with no notice. Some cities (like Windcrest) do this by not posting the streets at all. They post a sign as you enter the city that the limit on all streets is XX mph unless noted otherwise. If you pull off the main street that was posted higher and there is no sign on the side street to remind you, it could be entrapment.

In general, most people will still say speed trap when they mean any of these interchangeably. And some use what is almost a fourth definition - any place that wrote me a ticket is a speed trap.

[glbedd53]

A speed trap is a town that if you don't know it's a speed trap, you're gonna get a ticket.