Sumter, South Carolina Speed Traps

Depending on the direction you’re going, the road goes from 35 to 55 or 55 to 35. Sheriff’s cars are often parked beside a little white church (Covenant Bible Church) right across from the Stamey Livestock Road intersection. The flow of traffic coming out of the 35 is usually going 45, or even 55 in anticipation of the speed change. The cops stay back out of sight using the church as their cover and catch Shaw AFB traffic going to work and coming from work. I travel that route very often and have seen numerous cars pulled over.

Morning traffic is very prone to law enforcement. Law enforcement wait for the motorist to cross the railroad tracks before they pull you over. As you approach the railroad track, the road curves so it is very hard to see whats at the end of the street towards Wedgefield road. It’s a common occurance to see motorist being issued tickets on this road.

Got nailed by moving radar. Cop was coming towards me (I was going west toward sumter, he was going east). Cop made a u-turn and switched his blue lights on. Got a warning for doing 74 in a 60.

Sumter city police dept. has several "unmarked" units. One, in particular, is a reddish/maroon color Ford Crown Vic with regular SC license plates. The blue light configuration is in the car, located on the front passenger visor. Two additional blue colored "strobes" are mounted on the rear deck, inside the the back window, down low, with a "nylon" stocking pulled over each one to help conceal the lights from view. The officer that runs this unit is part of the "Traffic Division of the city police dept. and is a "two striper" (Corporal). He frequently uses the Kustom Signal/Electronics radar called the "Golden Eagle," which has two antennas: one mounted inside the front windshield on the driver’s side and one mounted on the rear deck, driver’s side also, next to one of the blue strobe lights.

This officer has been known to use LIDAR (laser) from time to time, along with the radar, on Hwy 378. Usually he runs in the "moving mode" with the radar on 378 between Alice Drive & Broad St. Extension (Hwy 378/76) and the actual "378 Bypass" down to where Hwy 76 comes up and crosses under the bypass. You can usually find him in the morning (7:30-9:00 a.m.) or in the afternoons (3:00-6:00 p.m.). Sometimes he’s sitting still near the Hwy 401 (Oswego Road) exit of the 378 Bypass and will "shoot you in the back" with the laser as you go by his off-road position.

Tickets usually range from about $75 to $200, depending how fast you were going and how thick the other traffic is. The fines are "doubled" in work areas that are marked with signs – even on Sundays and holidays that the road crews aren’t working.