Originally Posted by
chakeubeam
So what do the local police use then?
Local police will use VASCAR / ENRADD (mostly VASCAR). On a very seldom basis, sometimes they will use a calibrated speedometer but that's virtually non-existent. To use a calibrated speedometer, they must have it recalibrated monthly and departments don't want to spend the time nor money having it done and redone continually. Calibrations must be done monthly.
I worked for a police department in the late 80's and early 90's and they initially were doing spedo calibrations but they abandoned it quickly. They had to wait for the calibrator to be working at the local state police barracks doing their cars and run our cars up one by one to wait for an opening. It wasn't something they could ever plan for with anything more than a day or two notice.
Red Light cameras are in use in PA but almost to the point of no threat at all. PA recently passed a law allowing for them but, as typical for PA, the law is written around a preference for Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Only those two cities and departments in their associated counties (with very specific restrictions) can have them. They are nearly non-existent.
There have been repeated attempts to get laws passed in PA to allow municipal use of radar (as recently as last year) but they are always defeated. The Pennsylvania State Police is a powerful force in the state and they always get their way. They want to be the only agency allowed to use radar... period and they always get their way. Oddly, they are restricted to fixed K-band radar. The state laws have a specific list of allowable units and it has to be updated with new approved units. Every allowable model is on the list.
PSP has a handful of helicopters and fixed wing aircraft that are capable of air-based timing but they haven't written a ticket since 2005.
Bookmarks