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A friend told me yesterday about Hall County's Operation Thunder, another 90-day effort to arrest DUIs and those terrible speeders. I grew up in Hall County, lived for a while in Gainesville, but that was a long time ago. In those days there were murders, robberies, burglaries, embezzlement, rape, child molestation, drug labs and illegal immigrants. There may have even been a dreaded prostitute or two.
I am thrilled for the current residents of Hall County that all these crimes have been eliminated. It must be very satisfying to know that the only crimes in Hall County are speeding and DUI. It must be really hard for someone in law enforcement there to make a name for himself in such a perfect venue.
I will not be in Hall County for some time to come. I like to have a beer with my hamburger or a glass of wine with my steak dinner. I am concerned that some overenthusiastic, well-meaning police officer would pull me over out of sheer boredom and haul me off to jail to await a judge who would fine me to offset the lost tax revenue caused by these hard times. Speed limits these days have nothing to do with traffic engineering or public safety, and everything to do with local government revenue.
I am pleased that Hall County has achieved such a crime free society, but I'm afraid I won't fit in there. I just don't like speed traps, traffic stops or roadblocks where there is no probable cause to impede my travel.
Hall County must really be a nice place to live if the only crime there really is speeding and DUI. But I won't be spending my money there.
Richard Terrell
Norcross