Tupelo, Oklahoma Speed Traps

I ran into a roadblock at 12 midnight you know the kind were they ask for your drivers license and insurance. That night it was very dark no moon out and I had my hi-beams on. As I came into sight of the roadblock at first I thought it was a bad accident because of all the flashing lights. I left my hi-beams because of the dark street, and little lighting offered by street lamps and felt it was safer doing this. Well as I pulled in the cop asked if I always drove with my hi-beams on, I said of course not but saw the lights and was worried. Well he took my drivers license and insurance and asked me to pull to the side. I did and in about 10 minutes he comes over and issues me a citation for �failure to dim headlights� at a cost of $99.00. He also tells me I can come to court there in Tupelo in April at 5:00pm. Now I am not sure but 5:00pm sounds a little out of the ordinary for a court time. The ticket had no phone number and only an address so after about 15 minutes on Google I found a phone number for the town hall, with the same address as the alleged court house listed on the ticket. Called the number got an answering machine that said hours of operation M-F 8:00am-5:00pm. I have contacted a lawyer and I plan to fight.

Level of enforcement is unknown by me. Type of enforcement is also unknown by me and is not indicated on the ticket. The Officer observed me enter into the town city limits of Tupelo. Observed me slow my vehicle to the posted speed limits. The first speed zone was 45mph and the second speed zone posted very close was 35mph. By the time I reached the 35mph speed zone I was traveling at 33mph. The officers vehicle was headed in the opposite direction and stopped on the side of the road. As soon as I passed him, he made a U-turn and started pulling up behind me. Of course, I was watching my rear view mirrow and very well might have missed the blinking (if it was) light indicating a School Zone. At no time did I accelerate my vehicle until I started up the hill going out of town at which time he turned on his emergency light. This is a very small rural town. I am charged with doing 46mph in a 25mph School Zone and the City Fine is $200.00. After going back through Tupelo and looking the area over real good, there is no way I was traveling at 46mph. I might possibly have been going 30mph. I spoke with a city employee who related the Mayor was please the town had not made the Speed Trap list this year. I personally believe persons from other areas passing through this town are selected to be ticketed (rightly or wrongly).

The officers in this town hide out in the car wash. They will stop you for going 1 mile above. I have seen too many people stopped. I drive 5 miles under – just to be sure. We have been stopped for not dimming our lights going through town (this isn’t a well lit road and there wasn’t any oncoming traffic)

These officers pull there car into the alley(ditch)behind a house in the the middle of town. They rely soley on out of town tickets to pay their salary so you know there are no breaks. This is a very small town.