Infamous Fla. speed trap town’s police force disbanding

Move comes just weeks after the chief and interim chief resigned because of state investigations into many issues

October 02, 2014 05:34 AM

In this Aug. 29, 2014 photo, drivers enter the town of Waldo, Fla., where motorists can encounter many different speed limits in a roughly two-mile drive. The AAA auto club named the tiny town between Jacksonville and Gainesville one of only two “traffic traps” nationwide. The other town is nearby Lawtey. Now Waldo is facing a scandal over its traffic tickets.

Associated Press

WALDO, Fla. — The City Council of a tiny north Florida town known as one of the nation’s worst speed traps has voted to disband its small police force.

The Waldo City Council on Tuesday voted 4-1 to eliminate the department just weeks after the chief and interim chief resigned because of state investigations into many issues, including an illegal ticket quota.

City Manage Kim Worley told the Gainesville Sun that a Florida Department of Law Enforcement audit found many expensive computer and facilities fixes were needed, a cost the small town cannot afford.

The move follows a revolt by five Waldo officers, who said that they were forced to meet an illegal ticket quota and that evidence was being stored improperly by the department’s interim chief.