Jurisdiction

Fort Calhoun, Nebraska

Speed Trap Location

75 US Highway

Nearest Reference Point

n/a

GPS Coordinates

n/a

Time of Day

Any time of day

Level of Enforcement

Moderate

Type of Enforcement

Radar

Date

2/2006

Going through Fort Calhoun, speed limit changes from 60 (city limits) to 35, and then to 25 almost instantaneously. The change to 25 is evidently due to the presence of about three businesses along the highway through the town. The signs indicating the change from 35 to 25 are not well-placed, and are often obscured by vehicles parked along the road. Parallel parking is allowed on both sides of the road, so the sheriff's deputy on patrol in town will often park along the side of the road and blend into the parked vehicles, waiting for an out-of-towner to travel through town at 35 mph. (Ironically enough, the speed limit on Highway 75 past the school, on the north end of town, is 35!) Caught once, at 36 in a 25, played dumb and received a warning; however, I've had clients ticketed for the same speed in the area.

Comment (3/2006): There's another dirty little secret about this speed trap. They will often give you a warning if you're just a local. I used to live near Fort Calhoun and work in the nearby city of Omaha. Omaha is in a different county and has different license plate numbers. Once will driving home in a company vehicle, a deputy pulled me over because one of my brake lights didn't work when I slowed down to obey the speed limits through the town. When the deputy looked at my license he said, "Oh, so you're from around here?". We then went into a conversation about how he might have known my older brother or something. He simply told me to have my boss to fix the light and then let me leave. I can't imagine that such genuine hometown kindness would have been extended to an outsider.