Coopertown, Tennessee Speed Traps

Generally the Coopertown local cop is set up on Joe Dowlen road which is a back country, rural road with no lines due to the small size. The car is sitting there at night generally after dark with no visible lights on the car. The officer is primarily looking to target people not stopping at a 3-way stop traveling on Errel Dowlen Road but also targets people speeding over the posted 30 mph limit.

This is no longer the speed trap that it once was. Coopertown police no longer patrol the interstate highway, though the state patrol and sheriff occasionally set up enforcement at the same old hiding places. Whereas enforcement was 24/7 100% of the time, it is now only emplaced occasionally. The Coopertown police force was disbanded for a while, and now has its eleventh chief in as many years.

The officers hide on the eastern side of the overpass (the “Coopertown” side), however this is NOT in their city limits, and should be considered county area. Regardless, they sit in the trees waiting for people to come up the pleasant view side to get on the highway, and pick them off for doing +/- 2mph or greater, and you are definitely getting a ticket. This department is an infamous and notorious revenue-grabber and already had the last mayor charged for it. (Google “Coopertown TN Mayor ousted”) so the bad news is, only a few years later, they’re back at it folks.

A Coopertown officer usually takes his position near the end of the on-ramp to the eastbound lanes heading towards Nashville.

As you out from under the Hwy 49 overpass, the trees between the on-ramp and road shield him from view until he has you in sight of his radar which is shot thru the rear driver’s side window.

Traffic is slowed once he has someone pulled over since he angles his vehicle with the left front corner typically above the white shoulder line.

Coopertown police sit along the Interstate and at Exit 24 on I-24 to catch people as they get off the Interstate and go more than 30 mph as they cross over the Interstate.