Chief Elrod seeks portable speed displays to slow traffic around Coffee County schools
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Summary
Chief Chris Elrod asked the board for four trailer‑mounted speed display signs to rotate through school zones, citing instances of dangerous speeding (one device recorded 74 mph in a school zone); the boards discussed data collection, possible sharing with enforcement agencies, and non‑ticketing uses for graduation or registration events.
Chief Chris Elrod presented a proposal at the Jan. 29, 2026 Coffee County Board of Education work session for portable speed‑display signs to slow motorists near school zones.
"I got a student going 74 miles an hour in the school zone the other day," Chief Chris Elrod said, urging the board to consider devices that display vehicle speed with attention‑getting blue lights. Elrod said he is requesting four units that can be moved to problem locations such as Coffee High, Gaskin and the George Washington area. The units described are trailer‑mounted, include cameras that can be activated on high‑speed or tamper alerts, GPS, Bluetooth and cloud‑based reporting for speed summaries and alerts.
Board members and staff discussed whether the district would share collected data with law enforcement agencies that have ticketing authority and emphasized the devices’ role in slowing traffic rather than issuing citations. Speaker 5 expressed concern about data collection and suggested using the information to show enforcement partners when problems occur. Elrod said the signs could also be used for operational needs such as traffic direction at graduations and registration events.
No decision or vote was recorded in the public work session; Chief Elrod and staff will provide pricing and deployment recommendations for the regular board meeting.