University of Virginia Library

Student Charges Small Town Cop-ism
Describes Charlottesville Radar Traps

By Mike Russell
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Heavy radar traps have been
reported to be in use throughout
the entire Charlottesville area, and a
number of University students have
been unreasonably fined or have
had their licenses suspended, say
several students.

A University law student, who
for his "own protection" would
rather remain anonymous, first
alerted The Cavalier Daily to the
problems being caused by the radar
traps.

Having been arrested twice by
the Charlottesville police for
exceeding the speed limit by five to
ten miles an hour, the law student
investigated the use of radar in
Charlottesville. He said that Cherry
Avenue, Monticello Avenue,
Jefferson Park Avenue, Rugby
Road, and Park Street are the areas
where the police are most prone to
establish radar traps.

One of his arrests occurred at
the bottom of a hill along Cherry
Avenue near the cemetery. As he
rounded the corner, the police
waved him over and arrested him.
He was later fined $35.75 for
exceeding the speed limit by several
miles per hour.

The student felt that the trap
had been located there because
many people will unconsciously fail
to apply there brakes to maintain
the speed limit on a hill. Practically
every instance of the use radar he
found was located at the bottom of
a hill aimed at a point several
hundred feet above the bottom.

Monticello Avenue is another
favorite spot for radar traps, he
added. The street is "physically
very broad and has a speed limit of
only twenty-five miles per hour. On
such an avenue, a driver can
unconsciously exceed the limit."

Penalties are the same whether
the student has exceeded the limit
by five miles an hour or fifteen:
$35.75. If a student accrues two
fines within a twelve month period,
his license is suspended for sixty
days.

Further investigation was done
by the student into ways of
avoiding the fines and penalties of
these radar traps. He concluded
that rather than simply paying the
ticket the policeman writes out, the
accused should appear in court on
the day he is assigned. "Taking
your case to court costs no extra,"
he said, "but may save you from
being fined at all or from having
your record blemished. Once in
court, you may request that the
officer produce a public document
showing that the radar was tested
three times at three different speeds
at that location on that date. If he
cannot produce this evidence, your
ticket is invalid."

If a student doesn't stop when
flagged down by the policeman,
chances are there will not be a
second car there in order to pursue
the speeder, he noted.

"Charlottesville police usually
only put one car at a trap. If the car
is primarily a family car, or is
registered in the name of a parent
(as many student cars are) it
becomes the responsibility of the
police to prove which member of
the family was driving the car at the
time of the violation. If they can't,
then the ticket cannot be served."

Another of the charges made by
the student is that the use of radar
is typical of "small town cop-ism"
characterized by police using high
fines to increase the town's
treasury. Some residents of
Charlottesville have supported this
accusation that "high fines and the
strategic locations of the radar
further support the 'small town
cop' charges in Charlottesville."

The American Automobile
Association will be alerted to the
problem, the student said. When
they investigate and find the
conditions to be as a number of
students have found, they may
publicize Charlottesville in an
unfavorable light by either marking
the town as an area where the speed
limits are strictly enforced, or
worse, as a speed trap.

The consequences for the city
could be profound especially
concerning out of town tourists,
who because of the AAA's
recommendations may avoid
Charlottesville.

Due to the penalties for
exceeding the speed limit, the
University may suffer during its
Sesquicentennial Anniversary by
being avoided by travelers who
otherwise might have stopped.

Concluding his remarks to The
Cavalier Daily, the student felt that,
"in a time of civil disorder like that
which is now occurring in
Charlottesville, the police should
ingratiate themselves to the people
rather than alienating them. They
could more profitably spend their
time working in the ghetto than
insidiously trapping people."

Another student said, "for a
city that depends as much as
Charlottesville does on the
commerce of the University, the
city government has demonstrated
its gratitude to the students by
irrationally and unjustly fining
them. The city ought to remember
exactly how much it owes to the
University rather than trying to
drain the students further."