PSA: Beware of speedtrap in Podunk town Lanagan, Missouri
Speed limit is 35 through tiny town, cop sits behind curve and pulls out of state drivers over and writes you up for way more than you are driving to pay his salary.
Also tries to write you up for no seat belt even when you have it on.
Update: Locals also warm about same situation of a town to the north and town to the south.
Goodman is just north of Anderson and is said to be even worse.
Noel is town to the south with a strip of bars on the river.
Updated with a link.
Will put up more pics as well as details for the other two nearby towns with speed traps.
Lanagan Speed Trap
Poll added:
Do you support Speed Traps?
Yes
No
4-10-07 Update
I called the little town to confirm the Sunday 4-15-07 6pm court date the officere wrote on the ticket and the clerk said the Officer must have looked at the wrong calendar that they have court once a month and it is on 4-19 thursday night at 6pm.
This guy should not be on the street, he has an obvious vision and accuracy problem.
The clerk was very upset when I told her about the website.
She said they are trying very hard to clean up the image of their town.
I told her that rogue cops like this officer is not helping their cause.
Cliffs:
Cop writes up for nearly 50 in a 35 when was no where near 40 on the speedometer.
Take off seat belt in front of the guy and he tries o srite up for no seat belt.
He writes down wrong court date.
Edit: 4-19-07 Court is tonight at 6pm CST
Will update tonight. Drove all that way just to plead Not Guilty, Trial is set for May 17th.
Edit 5-17 Today is trial
Also Oklahoma re-instated Speed Traps because little towns are being hurt by high gas prices. Also now allowed to generate 50% of revenue from tickets from previous 20% limit.
I will add these towns such as Big Cabin Oklahoma to my speed trap page.
Edit: Here is history of Big Cabin Oklahoma Speed Traps:
7-26-2005 Oklahoma Shuts Down Speed Trap
Police in Big Cabin, Oklahoma will have their ticket-writing privileges suspended for six months beginning next Monday.
This action follows a state Department of Public Safety investigation that found nearly three-fourths of the town's revenue -- $492,826 of its $681,028 budget -- came from traffic citations in the last fiscal year.
Under Oklahoma law, a city may not receive more than half its income from such fines.
The majority of the revenue came from enforcing the speed limit on US highway 69, which is 55 MPH through the town -- except for one quarter-mile stretch where it drops to 45 MPH. A local truck stop owner who believed the excessive speed enforcement was hurting business erected a large "speed trap ahead" sign to warn motorists. After the problem continued, the owner filed the successful speed trap complaint against the town.
State troopers will enforce the laws on US 69 until February 1, 2006.
Article Excerpt:
How to report a speed trap
Legislation approved in 2004 allows the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety to investigate communities that gain 50 percent or more of their operating revenue from writing tickets on state or federal highways within or on the outskirts of that town.
The state can legally prevent cities from enforcing traffic laws on the highways if they are viewed as abusing that right.
The DPS must have approval from the state attorney general before designating an area as "special traffic-related enforcement."
All complaints against alleged speed traps must be filed with the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety in writing.
Complaints should be mailed to the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, P.O. Box 11415, Oklahoma City, Okla., 73136-0415.
Online complaints also can be filed at: www.dps.state.ok.us
Source: Speed trap snaps on town (Tulsa World, 7/22/2005)
============================================
8/8/2006 Oklahoma Fights Speed Trap Towns
Speed trap towns are under fire in the state of Oklahoma where a 2003 law forbids municipalities from generating more than half its revenue from traffic citations. Already, Shamrock and Big Cabin have been stripped of their authority to issue tickets. Now, Stringtown and Kiowa are in the crosshairs.
Department of Public Safety inspectors spent two weeks going over records in those towns. A Tulsa World audit of 73 eastern and southeastern small towns found that one out of five -- fifteen towns -- relied upon tickets as the primary source of revenue in 2005.
Kiowa has adopted changes in light of the state police investigation. The town previously used only unmarked police vehicles. Now patrol cars will be painted. Kiowa has released five miles of territory it had annexed in order to ticket drivers on US 69. The police chief also pledged to start issuing warnings to motorists.
The towns that earn more money from traffic tickets than the sales tax are as follows, listed by the percentage of cash earned from tickets: Caney, Moffett, Kiowa, Stringtown, Sportsman Acres, Marble City, Talala, Tupelo, Big Cabin, McCurtain, West Siloam Spring, Boynton, Gans, South Coffeyville and Shady Point.
===============================================
5-16-2007 New Law ends towns' speed trap designation ...
Police in towns once deemed speed traps will again be allowed to patrol state and U.S. highways in their city limits.
The Legislature passed a bill this session that does away with speed trap designation. An amendment to House Bill 1616 allows city police officers to patrol and issue tickets on portions of state and U.S. highways that run through their city limits. The bill does not pertain to interstate highways.
The bill, written by Rep. Paul Roan, D-Tishomingo, includes numerous pages of updates to statutes and clarifications requested by the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety.
Bill was changed late in the process
But Rep. Glen "Bud? Smithson, D-Sallisaw, said Roan made a shrewd move to change the law to benefit cities in his district.
Smithson, also a retired state trooper, called Roan's amendment a "woolly-booger,? a colloquial term for last-minute language inserted in a bill that has far-reaching impact.
"He's a very sharp House member, and he saw an opportunity to get a woolly-booger right in the middle of this bill,? said Smithson. "Nobody bothered to read it because it was a clean-up bill.?
Smithson, whose district includes Moffett, opposed the change in the law and said he's making plans to file legislation next session to limit a community's ability to issue tickets.
Smithson authored the bill that set restrictions on how much money a city can get from issuing traffic tickets. After Moffett was declared a speed trap and barred from issuing tickets along U.S. 64, the city asked for bankruptcy protection.
"I don't think public safety should solely be used to build revenue for a community,? Smithson said. "It should be to protect the public. That should be its sole purpose.?
Preventing crime?
Traffic stops are integral to stopping other crimes, Roan said.
During a year's time in Caney, routine traffic stops resulted in 102 felony arrests, Roan said.
"Must of those were drug-related,? Roan said. "U.S. 69 is the new pipeline for dope that's coming out of Texas.?
People who are following the law shouldn't have to worry about the change, Roan said.
"I look at it as a user fee,? he said. "If they're not speeding, they don't have to pay. I think what I did was speak up for law enforcement. People need to learn to obey those speeding signs and not pay the fines.?
Edit 5-18-07 Update - Trial results, it went away
Speed limit is 35 through tiny town, cop sits behind curve and pulls out of state drivers over and writes you up for way more than you are driving to pay his salary.
Also tries to write you up for no seat belt even when you have it on.
Update: Locals also warm about same situation of a town to the north and town to the south.
Goodman is just north of Anderson and is said to be even worse.
Noel is town to the south with a strip of bars on the river.
Updated with a link.
Will put up more pics as well as details for the other two nearby towns with speed traps.
Lanagan Speed Trap
Poll added:
Do you support Speed Traps?
Yes
No
4-10-07 Update
I called the little town to confirm the Sunday 4-15-07 6pm court date the officere wrote on the ticket and the clerk said the Officer must have looked at the wrong calendar that they have court once a month and it is on 4-19 thursday night at 6pm.
This guy should not be on the street, he has an obvious vision and accuracy problem.
The clerk was very upset when I told her about the website.
She said they are trying very hard to clean up the image of their town.
I told her that rogue cops like this officer is not helping their cause.
Cliffs:
Cop writes up for nearly 50 in a 35 when was no where near 40 on the speedometer.
Take off seat belt in front of the guy and he tries o srite up for no seat belt.
He writes down wrong court date.
Edit: 4-19-07 Court is tonight at 6pm CST
Will update tonight. Drove all that way just to plead Not Guilty, Trial is set for May 17th.
Edit 5-17 Today is trial
Also Oklahoma re-instated Speed Traps because little towns are being hurt by high gas prices. Also now allowed to generate 50% of revenue from tickets from previous 20% limit.
I will add these towns such as Big Cabin Oklahoma to my speed trap page.
Edit: Here is history of Big Cabin Oklahoma Speed Traps:
7-26-2005 Oklahoma Shuts Down Speed Trap
Police in Big Cabin, Oklahoma will have their ticket-writing privileges suspended for six months beginning next Monday.
This action follows a state Department of Public Safety investigation that found nearly three-fourths of the town's revenue -- $492,826 of its $681,028 budget -- came from traffic citations in the last fiscal year.
Under Oklahoma law, a city may not receive more than half its income from such fines.
The majority of the revenue came from enforcing the speed limit on US highway 69, which is 55 MPH through the town -- except for one quarter-mile stretch where it drops to 45 MPH. A local truck stop owner who believed the excessive speed enforcement was hurting business erected a large "speed trap ahead" sign to warn motorists. After the problem continued, the owner filed the successful speed trap complaint against the town.
State troopers will enforce the laws on US 69 until February 1, 2006.
Article Excerpt:
How to report a speed trap
Legislation approved in 2004 allows the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety to investigate communities that gain 50 percent or more of their operating revenue from writing tickets on state or federal highways within or on the outskirts of that town.
The state can legally prevent cities from enforcing traffic laws on the highways if they are viewed as abusing that right.
The DPS must have approval from the state attorney general before designating an area as "special traffic-related enforcement."
All complaints against alleged speed traps must be filed with the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety in writing.
Complaints should be mailed to the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, P.O. Box 11415, Oklahoma City, Okla., 73136-0415.
Online complaints also can be filed at: www.dps.state.ok.us
Source: Speed trap snaps on town (Tulsa World, 7/22/2005)
============================================
8/8/2006 Oklahoma Fights Speed Trap Towns
Speed trap towns are under fire in the state of Oklahoma where a 2003 law forbids municipalities from generating more than half its revenue from traffic citations. Already, Shamrock and Big Cabin have been stripped of their authority to issue tickets. Now, Stringtown and Kiowa are in the crosshairs.
Department of Public Safety inspectors spent two weeks going over records in those towns. A Tulsa World audit of 73 eastern and southeastern small towns found that one out of five -- fifteen towns -- relied upon tickets as the primary source of revenue in 2005.
Kiowa has adopted changes in light of the state police investigation. The town previously used only unmarked police vehicles. Now patrol cars will be painted. Kiowa has released five miles of territory it had annexed in order to ticket drivers on US 69. The police chief also pledged to start issuing warnings to motorists.
The towns that earn more money from traffic tickets than the sales tax are as follows, listed by the percentage of cash earned from tickets: Caney, Moffett, Kiowa, Stringtown, Sportsman Acres, Marble City, Talala, Tupelo, Big Cabin, McCurtain, West Siloam Spring, Boynton, Gans, South Coffeyville and Shady Point.
===============================================
5-16-2007 New Law ends towns' speed trap designation ...
Police in towns once deemed speed traps will again be allowed to patrol state and U.S. highways in their city limits.
The Legislature passed a bill this session that does away with speed trap designation. An amendment to House Bill 1616 allows city police officers to patrol and issue tickets on portions of state and U.S. highways that run through their city limits. The bill does not pertain to interstate highways.
The bill, written by Rep. Paul Roan, D-Tishomingo, includes numerous pages of updates to statutes and clarifications requested by the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety.
Bill was changed late in the process
But Rep. Glen "Bud? Smithson, D-Sallisaw, said Roan made a shrewd move to change the law to benefit cities in his district.
Smithson, also a retired state trooper, called Roan's amendment a "woolly-booger,? a colloquial term for last-minute language inserted in a bill that has far-reaching impact.
"He's a very sharp House member, and he saw an opportunity to get a woolly-booger right in the middle of this bill,? said Smithson. "Nobody bothered to read it because it was a clean-up bill.?
Smithson, whose district includes Moffett, opposed the change in the law and said he's making plans to file legislation next session to limit a community's ability to issue tickets.
Smithson authored the bill that set restrictions on how much money a city can get from issuing traffic tickets. After Moffett was declared a speed trap and barred from issuing tickets along U.S. 64, the city asked for bankruptcy protection.
"I don't think public safety should solely be used to build revenue for a community,? Smithson said. "It should be to protect the public. That should be its sole purpose.?
Preventing crime?
Traffic stops are integral to stopping other crimes, Roan said.
During a year's time in Caney, routine traffic stops resulted in 102 felony arrests, Roan said.
"Must of those were drug-related,? Roan said. "U.S. 69 is the new pipeline for dope that's coming out of Texas.?
People who are following the law shouldn't have to worry about the change, Roan said.
"I look at it as a user fee,? he said. "If they're not speeding, they don't have to pay. I think what I did was speak up for law enforcement. People need to learn to obey those speeding signs and not pay the fines.?
Edit 5-18-07 Update - Trial results, it went away