Local

Lawtey looking to get rid of its speed-trap reputation

The Lawtey Police Department is working to get rid of its famous reputation of being one of the nation's only speed traps.

A lengthy CNN article in 2014 described law enforcement in that part of Bradford County as "serve and collect."

The police department's Facebook page is also a place where other speed-trap horror stories can be found, like this one:

First time driving through Lawtey and the last. Pulled over at a stoplight with 5 cars in front of me and given a $240...

Posted by Tanya Roach on Sunday, October 23, 2016

Many of the speeding tickets written in the county are along Highway 301. The website SpeedTrap.org has a multitude of stories about motorists’ experiences after being caught speeding in the county.

Lawtey Police Chief Shane Bennett says when his officers write a $196 citation, the department only receives about $36 of that money.

Bennett says he wants their main goal to be drivers’ safety along Highway 301. There are other ways to do that, he said.

Bennett has asked AAA to reconsider Lawtey's speed trap designation.