Keller Police Are Now Announcing Their Speed Traps on Facebook and Twitter

By Eric Nicholson Tue., Mar. 11 2014 at 7:10 AM

Keller PD

Keller Police Chief Mark Hafner

That moment when you spot the red-and-blue flashers in your rear-view mirror, emerging from behind a conveniently large shrub, is not a pretty one. Wouldn't it be nice if you could avoid it, and do so without the bother of having to obey all traffic laws all the time?

The Keller Police Department is here to help. On Friday, it announced that it will now preemptively post speed-trap locations on Facebook and Twitter.

"Yep, you read that right," the department wrote on Facebook. "In Keller, Texas, traffic enforcement is about public safety, not revenue. So with that in mind, and in the spirit of transparency, KPD followers will get a heads up on officers looking for speeding, seat belt violations, illegal turns and more."

The data, which ranks Keller slightly below the median for traffic citations per capita, backs up the department's claim that it's not overly concerned with tickets as a revenue source.

The claim that this is motivated at least partially by a desire to improve public safety also seems legit. If the current system were working as intended, there wouldn't have been a 27-percent jump in car crashes in 2013, a year that also saw a 17-percent increase in traffic tickets.

But will posting speed traps on social media actually make a difference? It might to the small minority of Keller residents who follow their police department on Facebook and Twitter, who may drive more carefully down a particular stretch of road (likely) or may become safer drivers (less likely). For the everyone else, Keller's speed traps will be the gotchas they always have been.

The biggest impact is probably on the department itself. It gets a nice dose of positive PR and boosts its reach on social media.

Send your story tips to the author, Eric Nicholson.

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Mervis_Earl

Like any of you people go to Keller anyway.

_nctrnl

I wonder which will have the trap noted first, Waze or Keller's Facebook/Twitter accounts. Who's to say that they might "forget" to post a couple of them.

NewsDog

Is it really a 'trap' if it's been previously disclosed?

Montemalone topcommenter

So now all the self-absorbed idiotmorons in oversized SUVs and Pickups will be driving through town with their faces buried in Facebook to see if there's any cops on the street up ahead.

Fun.

ScottsMerkin topcommenter

It is good PR for Keller but if you know anything about the town you live in, or your normal route to work, you already know where the speed traps are. More transparency is always good though

ruddski

As per my suggestion in this venue recently.

Top Commenters have clout.

JUSTAGUY

@bvckvs ARE YOU INSANE?

ruddski

@bvckvs

The internet is global.

markzero

@_nctrnl They may start posting some places where they might be, and then get the benefit of increased adherence to the law without actually being at every location.