The news today announced the speed limit on Rollandet was just lowered from 35mph to 25mpg and that the Idaho Falls police department have been aggressively patrolling the road.

I remember growing up being taught that Police are your friends, there to help you, people you can trust. “If you ever get lost, look for a policeman.” I can remember my mother saying. There is a lot of good things that can be said about our local police department and the good they do – and I think they get overly criticized for the decisions they make while in intense situations. But one thing that burns my behind is the all-to-common police speed traps located throughout Southeast Idaho. Few things get my blood boiling more than seeing a police car parked behind a fence waiting for someone to pass by at 27 mph in a 25mph zone.

I don’t think anyone uses speed control all the time . I’ll admit I can drift between 24 and 28 mph pretty easily in a 25 mph zone.

I have no quarrels with someone getting pulled over and ticketed if officers were to see someone breaking the law speeding while going out and about their duties of protecting the peace. But to have an officer just sit and wait – wasting valuable (and expensive) time – hoping to catch an otherwise law-abiding citizen traveling slightly above what the posted sign has declared to be safe is deplorable. I believe these traps have created a real gap in the trust and image of police.

If there was a way I could notify everyone that there was a “sneaky-cop” (as a friend once called them) waiting for a citizen to pass by a little fast, I would. If I had the time, I’d park a lawn chair ¼ mile down the road with a big sign saying “SLOW DOWN – LIVE SPEED TRAP AHEAD!”

There are several common speed traps in Idaho Falls. Just about any school zone just before school starts and right after school ends. Heading south on Yellowstone Highway coming to Shelly there is that 25mph strip of death that you’ll get nailed at every time. And driving south on I-15 just before you get to Pocatello, the police seem to love to drive circles round there just to catch out of towners passing by who didn’t notice the quick drop in reduced speed limit.

For everyone’s education, I’d like to invite you to share your thoughts on speed traps in Southeast Idaho. How do you feel about them? Do you think speed traps damage the relationship between the local police and the citizens?

Officers, please chime in. I have a lot of respect for you and the service you provide (just not for this particular activity). Who decides where and when speed traps are set up? Is it done by the officers themselves, or they instructed where and when to set up the trap?

Are officers expected to meet ticket quotas? If quotas are in place, could that increase the aggressiveness of an officer who is behind in his/her quota.

And finally, where have you seen speed traps recently in Southeast Idaho?

If you liked this article, you might also enjoy reading: Speed Traps in Southeast Idaho, High Definition Television - Worth Its Cost?, Win A U.S. Green Card?,

The High Definition revolution is in full swing. High definition televisions, High definition video players, etc.

Guest 007 recently wrote:

I recently got rid of my cable service and started using rabbit ears. I rarely watched the numererous stations from cable other than a few shows on the local networks and I felt it was a big waste of money. (I watch more movies via DVD than anything) I get perfect reception with my digital rabbit ears and receive all the local channels (7 channels altogether) 3 of which come in HiDef. (Ch. 6.1 NBC, 8.1 ABC and 10.5 PBS) It may seem hard to believe for some, but personally I think my reception is much cleaner on my High Def channels “over the air”, than it was through Cable One. I also find that I don’t miss all those other channels, as I usually spent more time “surfing” through them to find something decent to watch, than actually watching them.
So for now it’s over the air reception for me. The money I’m saving on a cable bill is being put aside for a new BluRay Dvd player.

To accompany the new poll, what is your television viewing pleasure consist of today? Do you use high definition in your home? Does high definition really make a difference, or is it the same quality with a higher price tag?

AND, while we’re on the topic of television, what is your boob-tube show of choice today? And how much time does southeast Idaho spend watching television?

If you liked this article, you might also enjoy reading: Speed Traps in Southeast Idaho, High Definition Television - Worth Its Cost?, Win A U.S. Green Card?,