Camp Verde, Arizona Speed Traps

In my opinion, I believe I was shot with radar on the downhill area just before the speed limit actually switches from 45 to 35. My opinion is that the officer, hiding with a motorcycle on a side road, shot the radar gun while I was probably still in a 45 zone and wrote it up as if I was at the higher speed when I got to the 35 speed limit zone. He was right near the switch of the speed zones. The reason I posted this is that I had actually looked at my speed on the downhill when I saw the posted changes from 45 to 35 and I do believe I was only around 3-5 miles over the 35 after the zone change. I told the officer, but he had it on the radar gun. I felt I knew right away what that meant, so I feel he could have wrote me for 3-5 plus in the 45 or 3-5 plus in the 35, and that would have been fair. In my opinion he did not use the proper gap, writing me for the speed over in the 45 as if I was in the 35 zone at that same speed. My opinion is he was running an unfair speed trap. My opinion is the City must be after funds from tourists or gamblers to do things this way. I had decided to take a tour of Fort Verde (a disappointment). I suggest avoiding Camp Verde altogether except for seeing the Castle or the Casino, after checking out the town, so you’d best drive 5 miles per hour under the speed limit while you are in this area to avoid being trapped (I stayed below the speed limits for the rest of my vacation after this one). You may want to only stick to the 17 exit areas and the Castle. My opinion is it isn’t worth driving into the town and there really is not much you can do to avoid this type of "speed trap".

Traveling north on I-17; about one mile before the exit toward Prescott to 169 (should be about exit 278), there is a turn out and the police hide in the trees on your left and you cannot see them until it is too late; this is just as you are starting down a slight hill. Also traveling north going down the hill into Camp Verde, as you come around the turn there is a radar trap that is in the center Median catching the cars coming down the hill after the speed is reduced to 65.

Officers are on Stolen blvd a lot at the request of the residents, myself included. Drivers will go as fast as 60 on this residental road that has a 25mph limit.

4/2008

On the 260 bypass between Finnie Flats Road and Cliff’s Parkway, this area has moderate patrol in the early morning hours, between 3 and 5 am. The officer generally sits off to the side near Oasis Street or General Crook Trail, lights off and silent. If you’re lucky, you will see amber lights but don’t count on it. Speed limit is 45 MPH, but easy to go at least 10-20 over without knowing it. Not worth the ticket.

As you are going from Phoenix to Flagstaff, Arizona Highway Patrol runs a speed trap as you are coming off the mountain and going into Camp Verde. You usually only see the patrol cars in freeway exit on ramps waiting for suspected speeders as you enter Camp Verde. Now thay usually have one patrol car running radar in the diesel emergency pullout area which is hidden as you speed down the mountain into Camp Verde. Usually this officer clocks the speeders and radios ahead to other waiting officers sitting on the freeway on ramps.