The New York Times reports the town of Smyrna, Tennessee has posted life-size, corrugated plastic cutouts of cops holding speed guns at busy intersections in town:

From the AP report:

The idea for the posed patrolman came from Jim Gammon, whose sign company sits on busy Front Street. He suggested it as a way to slow drivers and then printed up the two-dimensional police officer. After less than a month on the street, the cutout is working so well the city has asked Gammon to make another.”Any time they’ll see it, (motorists) immediately slow down,” Gammon said. ”The trick is to keep them guessing.”

Sometimes Miller even stands behind his plastic twin and catches speeding drivers who apparently aren’t fooled by the cutout.

Here’s a shot of Real Cop (Miller) standing behind Fake Cop:

I love it.  A guy with speeders outside his sign shop decided to take a stand.  And what better way than with a little creative advertising?

It seems to be catching on.  The town of Pflugerville, Texas - a suburb of Austin - has recently followed suite and posted their own Fake Cop:

This guy is posted in front of several schools and will make rotations throughout the entire I.S.D. over the next few weeks.  Fake Pflugerville police will then make their way around town as sort of a mobile billboard campaign against speeding.

This got me thinking…there is a stop sign posted in my front yard.  It could use a little somethin’ somethin’.  Maybe a symbol that, on this block, all is well.