Legal Question in Traffic Law in Virginia

Re: billboard

Probably not, you do have limited First Amendment rights, but I doubt you would want to make yourself a target in that manner. They are just doing their jobs and enforcing the law. Ticketing likely makes our roads safer and we can all be thankful for that.

Re: billboard

I think it is legal, but you are likely to get hassled.

There is a town in Florida that PAYS (THE TOWN PAYS) for a billboard warning of THEIR OWN speed trap, 5 miles ahead!

In order to persuade people to slow down, they have a billboard about 5 miles before the town warning of the speed trap ahead. The goal is safety, not money.

So, the police SHOULD understand that you are HELPING THEM to get the public to slow down and drive safely.

However, they may instead try to say you are obstructing justice or interfering with their work. They would be wrong, but they could make your life difficult while you have to fight about it. You might be "right" but still have to fight over it or prove charges against you wrong, etc., etc.

I suspect that you want to vent your frustration about your treatment by the police, perhaps criticizing them, but -- while you have a right to do that -- it would increase your chance of getting hassled.

If you are determined to do this, I would recommend that -- whatever you REALLY feel -- you send many letters to the State Troopers, to the local police, and maybe even to the Chief Judges of each County Circuit Court, describing how to promote safety and compliance with the law you are planning on putting up a billboard reminding people that they can and will be ticketed for speeding, and they need to slow down.

For example, most people along that stretch from other States do not know that if they drive over 80 they are commiting a C R I M E (misdemeanor). VA does not publicize this fact, so a lot of people get stuck with a CRIMINAL record for going over 80 MPH, not knowing they are committing a crime (driving through from other States). Letting people know that over 80 MPH is a crime, might serve your purposes while also benefitting public safety.

If you have a "paper trail" of doing this in the public interest, to promote safety, then if they try to hassle you, it would then become transparently clear that they are just in it for the money.

And that ultimately might be a more dramatic and clear victory for your frustration than anything else. If they object, and it is obvious they are OPPOSED to safety and encouraging people to slow down, then you might expose them as simply wanting money, not the public safety.

NOTE: I don't have any money, but you might partner with a local lawyer to pay for it and refer people who get ticketed to the lawyer, to make your money go farther. But that might be too much information on the sign.

If you have that much money, I might suggest you talk to some of my friends in small business with some opportunities!