By Michael Butler

The Tallassee Police Department issued over 400 citations alone in December, more than four times the amount from the same period a year ago.

“Everybody considered Gilmer the Talladega Speedway,” said Tallassee Chief of Police Todd Buce. “We, the TPD, got a grant to do traffic enforcement. The reason we qualified is because of the number of accidents with injury. The faster you go when you have a collision, the more you like you are to have serious injuries.”

In 2024, there were 168 total accidents in the Tallassee Police Jurisdiction. The number of accidents in 2025 dropped to 141. The correlation, according to Buce, is stricter enforcement.

The department wrote 213 speeding tickets in 2024 and 277 in 2025.

“We reduced the number of accidents,” he said. “I would say there were less injuries involved. That’s how we were able to get the grant.”

State reimbursement comes from written citations and warnings that go on a driver’s record. Verbal warnings do not quality.

“It’s working,” Buce said. “People are actually slowing down.”

Along Gilmer Avenue, Tallassee’s primary corridor, the speed limit on the four-lane portion is 35 miles per hour. Buce noted that the city is not a speed-trap town and that there is no quota.

“We’re not trying to be overbearing. We try to be as empathetic as possible,” he said. “We’re not out here trying to give people a hard time. We’re out here trying to save lives. If it weren’t for the bad accidents we’ve had in the past, we wouldn’t qualify for the grant. The numbers prove, it’s making a difference.”