Another urban myth: Georgia State Patrol planning 'speeding frenzy' crackdown

By Rhonda Cook

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Is the Georgia State Patrol about to start a month-long “speeding frenzy” to raise $9 million for the state? Nope. Not true.

And none of the other states said to have had similar campaigns  did either.

It’s an urban myth that began circulating electronically as far back as 2006 and has resurfaced this week.

The warnings are the virtually the same except for the name of the state and the interstates and highways that will be targeted.

The warning making the rounds now cites an article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on July 19 as the source; but there was no such article.

And there’s no plan for a “30-day speeding frenzy” on metro Atlanta interstates, said Gordy Wright, spokesman for the Georgia State Patrol.

“We’ll be doing a media advisory statewide. It’s a hoax,” Wright told the AJC on Friday.

This same warning has been spread via e-mail since at least 2005 but for other states.

A check of Snopes.com, a website that tests the veracity of claims appearing in e-mails, on blogs and Web sites, results in an article with the headline “Speeding ticket frenzy.”

The claim: “state police are about to launch a 30-day speeding ticket frenzy in” and it lists a dozen cities or states -- New Jersey; Tri-Cities area in Tennessee (or all of Tennessee); Dallas (or all of Texas); Orange County, Calif.; Detroit (or all of Michigan); Honolulu, Hawaii; Pittsburgh (or all of Pennsylvania); South Carolina; Oklahoma; Louisville, Ky. (or all of Kentucky); Portland, Oregon; and Atlanta.”

There also are warnings on the Internet for Alabama and Florida.

Georgia is the only one current; the GSP month-long crackdown is supposed to start Aug. 1.

The warning is being distributed mostly via e-mail but it also appears on message boards for Lexus, BMW, Pontiac G8 and Harley Davidson.

The purpose of the speeding crackdown is allegedly to generate $9 million. The warning says $1 million will cover overtime for troopers and “the rest [will go] to help with dwindling budgets.”

Under Georgia law, revenue from speeding fines goes to the counties where the stop was made and not to the state, Wright said.

And there are other inaccuracies, at least as Georgia is concerned:

-- “Five mph above the limit can justify a ticket and every state trooper is supposed to pull a car over and write a ticket every 10 to 20 minutes.”

“A trooper can write a ticket for 1 mile over the speed limit,” Wright said, adding that local police agencies can write tickets only for drivers going at least 10 miles over the limit.

-- “They have issued 30 brand new unmarked Dodge Charger police cruisers and are bringing in all of their part-timers on full time.”

First of all, Wright said, GSP doesn’t have unmarked cars. Secondly, there are no part-time troopers.

-- Targeted roadways are Interstates 20, 75, 85 and 675. I-285, the Perimeter, is not included. The list also includes “Georgia 985,” which is an interstate and not a state road.

-- “Look for city and county governments to adopt similar polices in the near future.”

Wright said GSP has been getting calls from the media as well as “several concerned citizens’ asking if it’s true.

It’s not.