Nobody likes getting a speeding ticket. But when Brian McCrary, 33, received a speeding ticket in Bluff City, Tennessee, he didn't just complain, he bought the local police department's website and used it to complain.
After receiving a $90 speeding ticket earlier this year for cruising through what he called a speed trap, McCrary went to the Bluff City Police Department's website to reschedule his hearing.
When he saw that the site's content had been replaced with a notice saying that the domain name was on the verge of expiring, he saw an opportunity. He waited a few weeks until the name had officially lapsed, and then he pounced.
"I really thought for sure that the city would renew it," said McCrary, who lives in Gray, Tennessee. "I was surprised to find that it was still out there." Related
McCrary, who works for an Internet service provider and phone company, said he went to GoDaddy.com, a major domain name registrar, and bought www.bluffcitypd.com for $80.
McCrary: Police Website Is a Way to Raise Awareness
Since May 22, he said he's used the site to post stories about speed cameras in an effort to get them taken down. He also features comments from other camera critics supportive of his new cause.
"I wanted to get information out about the speed traps and what it's doing to the economy around here. ... I thought this would be a good way to get some exposure," he said, adding that a state representative for the district said the camera was pulling in more than a quarter of a million dollars a month from the small community of about 1,500 people.
Until Monday, McCrary said he'd received about 1,000 unique visitors. Since the Bristol Herald Courier wrote a story about him, he said traffic has jumped to 90,000 unique visitors.
"It's phenomenal," he said. "I hope this will [attract] the attention of the local representatives to get the cameras removed."
Bluff City Police Chief David Nelson said he didn't even know they'd lost their domain name until reporters started asking questions.
"I feel like he's doing it out of revenge because he got a ticket," he said.