SPEED TRAP AHEAD - SLOW DOWN

I want to start this post by saying that I'm a fan of cops. I respect them greatly for what they do, and the police in my area are extremely fair and honest in their dealings with people who reciprocate respect. I've been called a snitch before. I've also helped solve a case or two with footage from my outdoor office security cameras.

But when it comes to officers conducting speed traps, especially with cops on motorcycles, I hold a completely different opinion. Catching a speeder who is clearly driving reckless and endangering lives (or those who speed around schools) is one thing, but cops who hide out, waiting for a driver who is slightly over the speed limit is another thing. And that's what's been happening this week in Tustin, a quiet little town in the heart of Orange County.

Yesterday I was driving to my office and received a citation from the "random taxation crew" (don't worry, mom, I wasn't driving any faster than you normally do). I wasn't driving recklessly - I was just doing my normal thing, as most people do (very few people actually drive the speed limit - they're absurdly slow for today's day and age). The only problem was, there weren't many people around, and I was a sitting duck.

In the last 24 hours, I have seen at least 5 people get pulled over by motorcycle cops.

If this were a normal routine - cops nabbing people all the time for speeding - it would be one thing. But they clearly have a campaign going on this week to ticket as many people as they can.

My beef is with the lack of inconsistency. If you're not going to enforce something on a regular basis, don't bother enforcing it at all. Rather than stopping upstanding citizens who are going through their normal routine, why don't you go fight the real crime that happens all the time in the alleyways and dark corners of your jurisdiction?

So to be a "good neighbor," I decided I'd hang a sign warning drivers of the upcoming speed trap.

Who knows how long it will last, but if I can help one honest person avoid a ticket, it will have paid off.

Comments

I saw two people get pulled over within 5 minutes on 19th St in Costa Mesa yesterday. Both cops on motorcycles. They must have a contest going...
It's the end of the month. They have to make their quota.
Having a red car didn't help you. Unless there has been an accident or some event, this type of thing is primarily a revenue source. In fact, when I has still in law enforcement they were hiring civilians at a greatly reduced cost and using them to write citations for mundane ordinances like no front license plate, cracked windshields, parking too far from the curb, etc. You see in the old days these were "fix-it" tickets meaning you got the problem fixed, had an officer sign off the ticket and send it in, done deal. NOW there's an extra step, attach a large check!
Good for you
Go Cops. Slow them bastards down. Fine the slugs who put signs up thinking they are being helpful citizens while not really caring for their fellow man or they would just slow the eff down in the first place.
P.S. Love your posterous theme. Thanks for that. Unlike the speed trap sign it's brilliant.
Wow!! - glad to call you neighbour - that is so great - YOU GO!!
Getting nabbed for doing 60 in a 50kzone is not my idea of saving lives, just
fleecing people needlessly. I've got a speed fine coming for doing exactly that -
in the dark, on an unfamiliar road, with no comprehension of having seen any sign.
- Come to think of it, there probably wasn't any - just that default expectation of 50
unless told otherwise. Baloney and bollocks to all the rhetoric and senseless taxing that speeding fines really are!
Tell me about it. You've documented well what I've always wanted to... Most of my similar experiences were in Canada, but I've actually had a similar experience in California. Latest is that they've apparently "suspended" my Ontario driver's license for non-payment of their fine. Ya, like I was going to fly 3,000 miles to defend myself in court. The original $150 fine is now up over a thousand with interest. I keep sending back their collection notices.

Thanks for sharing!

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