Jurisdiction

Big Stone Gap, Va., Virginia

Speed Trap Location

US Route 23

Nearest Reference Point

n/a

GPS Coordinates

n/a

Time of Day

Any time of day

Level of Enforcement

Some

Type of Enforcement

Radar, Unknown

Date

9/2003

Comment (12/2003): You would think Barney Fife was still on patrol when you go to BSG

Comment (1/2004): I grew up in Big Stone Gap from birth till about age 18 and know more about these undertrained, undereducated, taxoholics cops than I care to. Trust me, if you drive anywhere near this town or the surrounding towns of Appalachia, Norton, Wise, Pennington, Coeburn, Dryden, etc., etc., drive 5 mph UNDER the speed limit and pray they dont notice you have out of state tags or you will get a ticket "just cause"

Comment (8/2004): BS alert. The person who grew up there needs to grow up. No speed traps there and the local sheriffs don't have radar or enforce traffic.

Comment (8/2004): There are no speed traps on US-23?You are either (a.)a cop (b.)a complete moron or (c.)a compulsive liar.Any combination of the 3 is also a distinct possibility.I lived in Big Stone Gap, Va. from birth until 19. My father and grandfather lived there their entire lives. The cops in Wise county (Big Stone Gap, Norton, Wise, Coeburn, Appalachia, etc.) are absolutely out of control with ticketing, pulling over out of state drivers, harrasing the public in general, and trying to find any way possible to fill the pitiful town coffers. Since most of the decent-paying coal mines have shut down thus squeezing the tax base the situation has only grown worse.There are at least 2 places on US 23 (one before you hit the 1st BSG exit and the other after you pass the 2nd) where you can be guaranteed there will be either a state trooper or a BSG cop radaring.And as a matter of fact, it's not just US23 that runs through Wise Co, that has radar traps and snuff spittin' cops everywhere...but all along US23 from the town of Norton north all the way south to the TN. border.Don't believe me? Go ahead speed on US23 and see what happens...then do the rest of the general public a favor and come back on this site and post that you wished you'd listened to me....instead of the moron above.

Comment (8/2004): In addition...the Sheriff departments NOWHERE in Va. radar or perform speed monitoring, that isn't what the Sheriffs Department does, so I don't know how that comment was supposed to have any bearing on anything...(unless it was to mislead the reader into assuming everything was peachy the next time they drive through the area)Besides, the Sherrifs Dept. doesn't need to Radar, every other Crown Vic, in the state IS enabled with radar. I know people that will go out of their way to LITERALLY drive AROUND Va. due to the pure fear of Virginia Law enforcement. I am not bashing Va., I am a 4th generation Wise countian and love my home state. But as far as radar/rules/taxation/laws etc...the place is a borderline Socialist state.For the record: Law Enforcement Agencies in Southwest Va. that DO radar and "traffic monitoring":Va. State troopersBig Stone Gap PDAppalachia PDNorton PDWise PDPennington PDCoeburn PDJonesville PD

Comment (10/2004): Actually, related to the comment about "sherrif's deputies don't do radar": yes they do. Wythe County in particular. Also, as long as it is within their jurisdiction, County police can do whatever they please. Town police however cannot perform radar checks on the interstate.

Comment (2/2005): As a current resident of BSG, I can tell you the town of BSG does not own a radar system. However, the Highway Patrol does have a radar system and they are not afraid to use it.

Comment (7/2005): The Virginia State Police work radar in Wise and Lee counties heavily. But they are very discretionary in their enforcement and you usually have to be a significant amount over the limit before you are stopped. The State Police in Scott are somewhat stricter in their enforcement of speed or the amount over that you may be stopped at. Not sure the difference or why. A few, and I mean few of the local PD's in these counties are somewhat nitpicky.

Comment (8/2005): I am lifetime resident of BSG and know most of the cops that work there and most if not all of the town officials. BSG is a haven of backstabbing paid under the table losers with the authority to do just about anything they want. I know for a fact that the highest town officials smoke pot and do other drugs and several of the cops live in houses that they could not possibly afford on their and their wives combined salaries. It's a joke to even consider that the town govt is in any way honest or has integrity. Further, thw sherrifs dept does not use radar but they can and will pull you over and ticket you for traffic violations ableit they mostly will not do so since most are lazy out of shape. Come to visit for a while and ask around and you will get all the answers you need from people who know.

Comment (8/2005): BSG and Norton city cops do use radar and will give a ticket for just having a radar detector. I have been travelling Rt. 23 for 20 years and they set up speed traps every year particularly when the Bristol Nestel Races are happening. Seems they are pretty short-sighted since this certainly is bad PR for the are and I haven't stopped to buy anything is Wise County Virginia ever. Hope they enjloy their ill-gotten highway robbery.