Smithville, Georgia Speed Traps

All I can say is that I have received, thus far, two speeding tickets in my lifetime (and I am in my 40’s). One of the tickets, from the GA State Patrol, I deserved. The other was in Smithville, GA, and almost every time I drive through Smithville I see blue lights flashing and someone pulled over receiving a ticket.
On this particular incident, I was in the middle of town, directly behind another vehicle. In the middle of town, the speed limit is about 25 mph, as best I recall. So, I drove 25 and the car in front of me must have done at least 35 through town, increasing the distance between us. I headed out of town, following that vehicle. As the speed limit signs changed (upward), I increased my speed. Heading out of town, the speed limit increased – I think to 35 and then to 55 mph, so, I increased my speed, slowly closing the distance between myself and the vehicle that, in my opinion, has sped through town at the 25 mph area. The police were hiding around a curve, clocking people. They pulled me over. The officer claimed that I was going 60 in a 35 zone, but I had easily cleared the 55 mph sign before the curve, so there was no way they had clocked me back in the 35 from where they were positioned. The officer claimed I was gaining speed on the car that was in front of me. Of course, I replied, but I was directly behind that car in the center of town, and that car clearly left me behind as I was observing the 25 mph limit there. At any rate, I repeat, I have received two speeding tickets in my life; one was legitimate, and the other was in Smithville.

There is a newly constructed bypass and as a result of it hardly anyone goes through the town anymore. The city police sit on the side of state Hwy. 19 which is the bypass, just inside the city limits on the south and north ends of town.

As a citizen of Lee county it is ashame that all the officers in Smitville do is set up speedtraps to catch people passing through our county in order to generate revnue for that city.I have friends and relatives that refuses to drive through Smithville because they’re afraid of getting a ticket for not speeding.I’ve seen patrol car hiding in a ditch and you can’t see it until you’re on it and I’ve also seen a patrol car hiding behind some peanut wagons at the peanut company on hwy 19 at Lee and Sumter county line.I wish that our officers was more visible in the neigborhoods and dealing with the drug problems.Someone needs to look into our speedtrap situation.I like to thank Lee county sheriff’s office for making our county safe and not making it a money making department like Smithville.I now lives in Leesburg Georgia and we have a wounderful police department and I now feel safe.

Smithville Police will stop you if you are traveling south on U.S. 19 north of Smithville. They will cite you for traveling 70 or higher in a 55 mph zone. That zone is in Sumter Co. not Lee Co. or the City of Smithville. The night shift officer sits in the ditch on U.S. Hwy 19 North. He is extremely hard to see. Beware. I am a Georgia Law Enforcement Officer and I know a Police Officer operating stationary radar has to be visible for 500 feet. The officer can sit in the dark and be "blacked out" but if was daylight, he would be visible.