

A young Tennessee computer network designer now has a high-profile outlet to complain about speed cameras: He bought the expiring website name of the Bluff City Police Department that gave him a $90 ticket, the Bristol Herald Courier reports.

"It's kind of surprising that they'd just let it lapse like that," says Brian McCrary of Gray, Tenn., who grabbed the domain name http://www.bluffcitypd.com after going to the site and noticing that it was to expire in late May.

He uses the website to post links about speed cameras -- and people who don't like them.

Bluff City Police Chief David Nelson tells the newspaper that he doesn't know much about computers and left the site in the hands of a officer who has been out on medical leave.

That officer apparently didn't see the e-mails from the hosting company warning that the domain name was expiring.

Nelson says the city is working with a different hosting and will soon be up with a new website.

Meanwhile, McCrary says he's gotten 1,200 unique visitors to his new site -- and most seem to share his views about the speed camera out on U.S. Highway 11E that nabbed him: "Mot of the people think it's a speed trap."

(Posted by Doug Stanglin)