Kalamazoo, Michigan Speed Traps

One cop on Cork with a hand laser unit and several cars parked on side street.

During the Fall and Winter semesters at WMU, K Zoo and WMU PD LOVE to park at a little patch of pavement right on the enterance to Frat Village Drive. Most of the time it is a motorcycle cop clocking students as they go to campus. Speed limit is 30, and is easy to go above when late for class. Watch out!

they hide around a curve and zap you as you come around several police waiting in a parking lot to write tickets, while one uses the laser and stands in the midle of the road and waves you over

The corner of KL Ave and Drake Rd. is a HOTSPOT. Beginning at Drake and continuing west, the speed limit climbs to 45mph from 35 mph east of Drake Rd. I drive past it several times a day and always see at least one cop here. Within a 1/4 mile, there are 5 usual spots. The first 4 spots are all on the south side of KL Ave. Beginning with the eastern-most, the first is the on the corner of Drake and KL Ave at the Speedway Gas Station in the parking lot close to KL. Just west of the Speedway is an unnamed do-it-yourself carwash with a big parking lot that they often park in, well off the road farther than you would expect to find a speed trap, but aimed out toward KL. The next spot just west of the car wash is the entrance to a U-Haul storage facility. They are here most often, backed in next to the barbed wire fences that hide them pretty well, facing north at KL Ave. Continuing west of the U-Haul, there are some trees that surround a small building and parking lot for the "KL Cat Hospital." The cops like this spot because they can pull in pretty far and angle their cars out facing north, toward KL Ave. The last spot is on the north side of KL on the corner of KL ave and Drake rd. directly across from the Speedway. It is the parkinglot for 7-11, Cottage Inn, and Big Burrito. They park in front of the 7-11 and are pretty visible. I think they use this spot for writing reports or waiting to be dispatched mostly, but their presence here is nearly constant. Watch out, a tricky stretch of road to navigate.

Emajean Street is only about 1/4 mile long, 2 way street that goes up a hill,with entrances to several apartment complexes on either side. Cars are always parked along the sides of the road. The speed limit is not posted, but it is supposedly 25 mph. At the top of the hill, police cars often sit there tucked away on the side facing down the hill toward West Michigan Ave. and clock cars heading up the hill into the complexes. Always stay below 25, because it is all college apartments and the cops like to bust them in Kalamazoo like crazy, especially because of the parties and bars in the area. They are always looking for drunk drivers, especially. I was pulled over twice there, 5mph over and 10 mph (at 2AM monday morning/sunday night, the most random time for a speed trap) over by the same cop. He also pulled me over another time elsewhere, and once came into my apt. and committed various unconstitutional actions. I wrote a report to the WMU PD about his abuse of power and he was suspended for 3 months. Don’t know if he still has his job, but be on the lookout for this speedtrap and him, because he will try to screw you over as much as possible.