Benton, Tennessee Speed Traps

What is the Speed Trap Capital of The World??? Need a hint? Ok. . . a little hick town with only one working traffic light. Need another hint, ok. A four lane Interstate style highway running through it. Ok, but just one more hint! A little City Hall building by the side of the highway that looks like a condemned building waiting for the wrecking ball to show up, but has several brand new police cars sitting in front of it. GREAT, you guessed it . . . The City of Benton Tennessee, the Speed Trap Capital of the entire world!

The Benton police shoot radar from the parking lot in front of the old City Building and have several chase cars sitting in both ends of town to "run you down." I was cited for doing 51 in a 40 mile per hour four lane Interstate style highway that runs directly through the center of town. The standard ticket price for any out-of-state vehicle is $84.50. The officer did not even ask for my Title, Registration nor any proof of insurance on my truck. He just wanted to give me the ticket, threaten me about paying the ticket, then return immediately to his "chase" position on the way out of town!
My advice, stay out of The City of Benton Tennessee! Buy you gas, food, and anything else you need in any other town except Benton Tennessee! They truly are, the "Speed Trap Capital Of The World!"

this is a very small town which uses it’s speed enforcement as it’s main means of revenue. they will go beyond the city limits too. if you decide to fight the case, court is held in the police dept office with a silent judge presidinge over the proceedings and a police detective doing all the talking making such statements as "you wouldn’t have been ticketed if you weren’t guilty". this dept preys on out-of-state tourist traveling through the area.

Officers will park on the hill, or off to the side sight unseen. it is frequently out of town cars who are the targets,but the locals are not left out. As soon as you get into town slow down and try to avoid changing lanes,or anything that looks odd.Believe it or not that is reason enough to get pulled over in this place.

The Benton Police commonly work radar in the parking lot of City Hall. Going north on U. S. 411 leaving town, city hall is on the right. The best landmark is Higgins Funeral Home on the left – city hall is right after this on the right. If you’re speeding, you’ll be right on top of City Hall before you know it. Coming south on U. S. 411, you won’t see City Hall at all until you’re almost even with it, and may not see it or the police there at all if you’re not familiar with the area until it’s too late! If traveling south, the best idea is to obey the speed limit until you go through the one and only traffic light in town.

Police set up north of this little town on an open road stretch of Hiway 411 where the speed limit is allegedly 40 mph, although, I completely missed any signs indicating that to be the case. A considerable distance ahead, I saw a vehicle which I suspected was a police car parked just off the road. I checked my speed and was going slightly over 50 mph. I felt this to be well within legal, as well as reasonable, limits so did not attempt to adjust downward. When I passed his position, he could clearly see my out of state tag. Now I have no evidence or information that he took that into consideration when deciding what to do. I do, however, have and opinion. He promply pulled out into the road behind me, pulled me over and ticketed me for allegedly going 60 mph in a 40 mph zone. He instructed me to send a check for $84.50 to the Benton Police Dept. or personally appear in court by a date certain or face additional fines. I plan to send a check. Being an out-of-stater, I don’t have a snowballs chance in hades of prevailing even though right and truth are on my side. I have over time known of these types of traps in many small towns throughout the south. But this is my first time to be personally victimized. The modus operandi is nearly always the same. Take a nice stretch of open road that any rational person would think of as having a normal 55mph speed limit, sneak in an unrealisticly low speed limit, place it under police surviellance, and ticket out of area drivers who are otherwise driving carefully, safely, and behaving normally. All perfectly legal. So be careful out there. These kinds of places have long existed and will no doubt continue to exist long into the future. The states seemingly have no stomach for cleaning them up and in some cases even share complicity.