I have been running this route to work and back five days a week for about eight years. I generally drive my VW new beetle and set my cruise at 35 which is 5 miles below the posted limit. However, due to snow, I was not able to get the bug out of my driveway for 3 weeks and had to take my blue Ford F-150 to work and back daily and it is not equipped with cruise. On the morning of January 7, 2010, I was traveling east on U.S. Route 60 and an officer was traveling west in a white Jeep with no markings other than a blue light bar on top. At the point of Dales Photography we met and since I had no cruise and was not paying close attention I was traveling at 50 which is 10 over. I looked into my mirror and seen him touch his brakes but not blue lights so I thought I was in the clear. The speed limit goes to 55 about 1/4 mile past the point I met this officer so I accelerated to the speed limit. When I got to Boomer, I slowed to 45 and as I pulled into the Go-Mart in Alloy for gas, I looked into my mirror to see a white jeep running at a high rate of speed with it blue lights on. The officer cited me while I pumped gas into my pickup in Alloy. I know that a local officer can persue out of his jurisdiction to make a traffic stop but I’m not sure if he can travel two miles out of his jurisdiction to initiate the stop.

I did not fight the ticket for jurisdiction because I’m sure that my story and the officer’s would probably be different and I’m sure that it’s a no brainer whose word would be the loudest in court. In addition, they did reduce the fine to 43 with no points. The locals say the Smithers jurisdiction ends at the large Catholic Church in Boomer but that in not true, it ends about 1/4 mile west of the church. I have not run a radar detector for 15 years because I have realy tried to be in compliance and it worked well until I met this officer in Smithers. So I purchased an Escort Passport 8500 x50 and a uniden beartracker a few days ago – well worth the money. If I had that Escort on Jan 7, the officer would have had no reason to run that Jeep so hard to catch me all the way in Alloy, WV, well out of his Smithers jurisdiction.

Also beware that a Smithers police officer used radar on me west of their Jurisdiction underneath the overpass that takes you across the river to Montgomery. Maybe he had no intention of enforcing that 50mph speed zone but I’m sure that Mongomery probably needs the help. Yes, I’m paying attention to what you are doing down there now.