12/4/2022 UPDATE: We have been informed from www.mosheimspeedtrap.com that all of Highway 11E within the city limits of Mosheim from near the Hawkins County line to the Greeneville city limits is now posted as a photo enforced traffic laws zone. The signage has small print and may be difficult to read. They also are actively stopping vehicles so if you are pulled over by an officer and issued a ticket, do not treat it the same as a demand letter you receive in the mail. Further research also reveals the signs may not be legal as they appear to not meet regulations in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways by the US Dept of Transportation for a federal highway.
Estimated Town of Mosheim Photo Enforced Speed Trap Zone as stated in a Greeneville Sun article published 11/14/2022. NO LONGER VALID AS ENTIRE CITY LIMITS ON 11E IS NOW POSTED. Used with permission from the webmaster of www.mosheimspeedtrap.co. UPDATE: Zone is now extended the entire length of 11E that is within the city limits of Mosheim, extending all way the way to the Greeneville City limits on 11E North several miles away. Please visit www.mosheimspeedtrap.com for the latest information about the manned speed cameras being used in Mosheim Tennessee. We assisted them in getting their site running and hope they are successful in educating the public about the camera companies and government agencies that are fleecing motorists for money.
At this time we would urge all motorists passing through Tennessee on Interstate 81 to avoid exiting at Exit 23 unless you must. Be very observant of the speed limits if you exit the Interstate. There are PHOTO ENFORCEMENT signs in the area of Exit 23 but they are small with small print and not very readable according to information supplied to us. The photo enforcement zone now extends to the city limits in both directions from Exit 23. This means several miles of highway going toward Greeneville where they can hide. It is also patrolled and regular speeding tickets issued. Do not ignore any speeding ticket issued in person by an officer.
The Town of Mosheim has a “strip” highway corridor several miles long which includes the area around Exit 23, Interstate 81 in Tennessee. The police department is now using “manned” LIDAR speed cameras. This appears to be a loop hole interpretation of the Tennessee Code Annotated that states “unmanned cameras” in the law. The officer uses LIDAR which is a laser that has limited range to determine the speed of the vehicle, takes several pictures, then uploads to the third party company for processing. The vehicle is not stopped for a violation so there is not any interaction with the officer for an official department citation to be given to the driver. The uploaded information is sent to the camera company and they notify the registered owner of the vehicle via non-trackable US Mail. The “citation” has the same disclaimer about failure to pay does not add points to your license, reported to your insurance, or affect your credit rating as the redlight camera extortion letters contain.
The camera tickets are paid to a different payment portal, phone number, or mailed to a Chattanooga address. There is a different payment portal for what we assume to be the officer issued tickets on the town’s website.
This is a variation of the same scheme as the redlight cameras with the “official” citations being issued by a 3rd party (Blue Line Solutions in Chattanooga TN) and sent through regular mail with demands to pay a $50 fine. They threaten increases of the fine for failure to pay it or offering the opportunity to go to court and argue the “citation”. The private company collects all the money and then sends a portion of it back to the agency it has the contract with. Usually its for half the money.
It is unknown at this time if throwing these fake citations issued by this new scheme in the trash can result in any actions against you, however since they are sent to you using a method that is not able to verify receiving it (certified or registered mail which must be signed for) and sent to the registered vehicle owner, it may be very difficult for them to issue a warrant for you based on not responding. The option to sue you in chancery court (a civil action) does remain on the table. Since it contains similar language to the redlight camera exhortation letters, it is doubtful they will pursue matters any farther than sending you a few demand letters.
If a Town of Mosheim officer stops a vehicle and issues a citation to the driver in person, DO NOT DISREGARD IT OR THROW IT AWAY! Either pay it or go to court to contest it with the judge.
DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is gathered from various sources that have not been verified as accurate. The content on this website and opinions of this website’s owners and contributors are not to be taken as legal advice as we are not attorneys. You should always talk to an attorney before taking any action and we are not responsible for any action you take.