Heading south into Benton on Hwy 411

Benton, Tennessee•Jul 30, 2013•5 Comments

After construction in recent years, almost the entirety of Hwy. 411 is a very wide 4-lane road, at least in the many miles between Maryville TN, south through Benton, and on toward GA. Any modern car on such a road would be perfectly comfortable doing 70 on such a wide and straight and lightly traveled road, so the 55MPH speed limit on most of the road will feel normal to the vast majority of drivers. This sets up the perfect speed trap traveling south on 411 in Benton (as well as north, but my incident was traveling south), where the speed limit goes from 55 to 40MPH just as you crest a hill outside of town.

I rounded the slight bend at the crest of the hill and saw the police car and the 40MPH speed limit sign at the same instant, and he put his squad car in drive faster than I could even move my foot from the gas to the brake pedal. This was not the "officer’s" first dance at the ball. He was shooting radar over his shoulder so his car could be lined up with southbound traffic, so he could just speed out onto the highway without turning. I pulled over and in seconds "officer friendly" was at my window saying, "I got you doing [x] in a 40; how come?" Yes, he’s just mystified and bewildered, and the world is so lucky that he just happened to be in a position to catch me speeding and be able to save the poor town from my reckless endangerment. He took my credentials and was back at my window in a flash, cutting me a big break, because he’s so nice, and all I have to do is send in my check, presumably for being such a bad boy for having driven at highway speed on a highway, and have a nice day, and drive safe. I held down my vomit and crept along on my last journey through Benton TN.

The cops in Benton are not interested in investigating crime or catching criminals. There are not enough people in town to have any crime that the county sheriff’s office couldn’t handle, so they can not justify having a police department at all. The department exists solely to rake in revenue from motorists passing through town who fail to promptly notice the ridiculous 40MPH speed limit sign soon enough.

I do not admit guilt in this matter other than knowingly choosing to travel though a town that I KNEW had a speed trap racket, against my better judgement. I live 3 towns north of Benton and we all know that Benton has a crooked police force whose only purpose in life is to fill the town’s coffers with the loot they "legally" extract from motorists.

AVOID BENTON TN!

Vote for this Speedtrap below:
Yes! This is a speed trap. (158 votes)
No, this is definitely NOT a speed trap. (22 votes)
Comments:
First, let's define a "trap" as presented on this forum. My dictionary defines a "trap" as "any device, stratagem, trick, or the like for catching a person unawares". I was raised in Polk County and graduated from Polk County high school, in Benton, over thirty years ago. Currently, I'm a resident of Georgia and although I don't live in the area anymore, I still make frequent trips back to the area to visit friends and family. In all the years I have passed through Benton I have never been stopped, and cited, for speeding. This afternoon I traveled both North, and South, through Benton and observed one police officer conducting radar operations. When traveling North I observed the speed limit change from 55 mph to 40 mph just after I crossed over the Ocoee river. There were at least six speed limit signs that posted a 40 mph speed limit from the bridge to the one, and only, traffic signal the city has. Going South there are no less than three speed limit signs posting 40 mph but, it's been posted here that the speed limit changes from 55 mph to 40 mph just after the crest of the hill where a police officer was waiting to catch a speeding driver. If I interpreted the posters comment correctly, the police officer that stopped him/her for speeding would have been sitting near the Benton Shooters Supply store... where the third 40 mph speed limit sign is posted. The total distance from where the speed limit changes from 55 mph to where the driver was cited for speeding is adequate distance to slow down before being stopped. The distance between the 55mph sign and the first two 40 mph signs, both located at the same location on the left, and right, side of U.S. 411, is approximately 300 feet. More than enough time to slow down to meet the speed limit requirement. How is this a trap? I'm not biased just that I feel that the information recorded here is erroneous. These signs haven't been added since I last traveled through Benton in May 2013. Am I missing something here? A speed trap only exists if a driver doesn't pay attention their driving.
#1•Apr 14, 2014•Report Abuse
A friend and I was passing thru Benton one night about 2:00 am. We already knew about the reputation it had, so we slowed down to 35 mph just to be safe. We saw a patrol car off to the right of us and figured well we are doing every thing correctly, nothing to worry about. We stopped at the red light, waited for the green light and slowly got back to 35 mph. Looking behind us noticed the patrol car following us. About a mile out of town he flipped on his blue lights and pulled us over for no reason. He asked what we were doing and for our I.D., and to shut off the engine. Which we told him the battery was bad and might not start back. Which he replied to still cut it off. Checking everything he found nothing wrong, so got back in his car and waited for us to leave. My friend tried to start the car and like we thought didn't start, so we asked him for a boost (thinking that he might be a good cop) that it was just the battery. Seeings he did pulled us over for no reason and made us turn off the engine after we had prewarned him about the battery. He just said that it wasn't his problem and left. (Guess we were wrong). A mile outside of Benton is nothing but darkness. After 4 hours of sitting in darkness we finally got his father to come about 40 miles and boost us off. What ever happen to serve and protect. Is it now hinder and reject. Cause we got no help or protection.
#2•Oct 20, 2014•Report Abuse
A speed limit that drops abruptly from 55 to 40 is by definition an illegal speed trap. It is illegal for the speed limit to drop in more than 10 MPH increments. Benton has operated an illegal speed trap racket for decades. You don't even have to be speeding if you have a tag from a distant state. In 1990 I was living in Maryland and went through there with a Maryland tag on my truck. Knowing the town's reputation as a speed trap, I was running under the 35 speed limit (back when 411 went through the middle of town). Barney Fife was sitting at the bank, spotted the MD tags on my truck (Maryland has tags front and rear), and gave me a ticket for 51. I knew he was lying and asked if he had locked in the radar reading so I could see it. He was rude and smart-alecky and said he didn't have to show me anything. The truth was that he couldn't show it to me because that 51 reading never existed--he saw a tag from out of state and made up whatever number he wanted to. The mayor's wife was the kangaroo court judge at the time, so she just rubber stamped whatever the bunch of crooked cops did. She was not a lawyer, and it showed. She was incompetent and was wrong on several points of law when I tried to fight the ticket in court. The Benton PD and municipal court needs to be the subject of a criminal investigation by the TBI.
#3•Jun 26, 2015•Report Abuse
After a fun day rafting and going home to Nashville, I was nabbed. THREE cars in front of me doing well over 55 MPH and I was just trying to stay in the flow of traffic. Two children in car seats, tired. Labor Day traffic through Chattanooga pending. Allegedly the officer didn't "track" the three cars to my front...but turned on his radar just was I was coming down the hill. 15 years of perfect driving record down the drain because it was Labor Day, my plates are not local and Benton (I wouldn't even call it a town) needs more funds. Was I speeding, maybe...was I aware the limit dropped like the apple onto Sir Isaac Newton's head, no. The officer didn't have to cite me...but he did. I will never spend money at a Benton business again and I've been through that tow for the last time in my life. If Benton were unincorporated and ceased to become a town nobody except for the crooked cops and the establishment that encourages them to "keep the streets safe by ticketing visitors" would notice.
#4•Sep 09, 2015•Report Abuse
I got ticketed a month ago for going 66 in a 55 on my way back from hiking...It was at night, going downhill around a bend with my girlfriend in the car and the speed limit suddenly changed to 40. The officer pulled me over, knocked off 10 miles, and gave me a $131 ticket. I have been putting it off for awhile and the court date is tomorrow night. Should I drive over there and pay it or do you think I have a chance to get it appealed?
#5•Mar 20, 2016•Report Abuse

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