PA State Police - New Radar Units?

[radarrob]

I have been shot just recently with a stalker II ka gun near Lebanon/Lancaster area on 76 Pa turnpike.I have also video of constant on ka of a psp car with a customer pulled over with ka antenna out passenger side window.

Often wondered if these reports of Ka in Pa. included any handheld Ka sightings. I don't see any handheld Ka on the approved list. But reports of handheld Ka are out there. The stalker II is indeed handheld Ka however it does not appear on the list of approved units. They are so specific in the way they list the guns, I can't see a "stalker II" being considered a "stalker"(which is on the list).
Anyway, appreciate the report and I don't mean to doubt your expertise. I guess maybe someday I will see handheld Ka in Pa. either in person or on someone's video. Until then it remains along with bigfoot and alien spacecraft, they may very well be out there but I gotta see it to believe it.

As long as its stationary radar dash or handheld it can be used.I have a family member who is a 911 dispatch and had a opertunity to asked the officer who is a psp about what they use he stated besides the new magnum chargers they got with led lights the grant they got the were able to Purches some new radar units and he mention stalker handheld.Brand new stalker SDR.

[pgb2]

I was always under the assumption that if the lines were thick and went up the barrier (link above)then that was for aerial use, someone please correct me if I am wrong.

Here's an excerpt from the latest PennDOT Traffic Engineering Manual re aerial enforcement markings:

Speed Measurement Markings

To assist the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) in speed enforcement, Engineering Districts should cooperate with PSP in the application of transverse speed measurement markings for the State Police Aerial Reconnaissance Enforcement (SPARE) program.

PSP has offered the following general criterion that is important in the selection of SPARE locations:
The site is on a tangent or near tangent section of highway, preferably 0.9 mile in length (minimum 0.6 mile).

Each set of SPARE markings is totally within one judicial jurisdiction.

The SPARE site does not cross under any structures.

Locations exist within several miles downstream where officers can park and wait, and where they can pull offenders over.

Posted speed limit of 55 mph or higher.

Sites are not in Philadelphia or Delaware Counties, the eastern part of Montgomery County, or at any location in close proximity of an airport.

Procedures regarding the development of new SPARE sites are as follows:
1. The local PSP barrack submits their request to their Bureau of Patrol for consideration.
2. The Bureau of Patrol forwards recommended requests to affected Engineering District.
3. After review, the District denies the request, or approves the request and prepares a layout under the direction of a registered Pennsylvania land surveyor. If the roadway is not a tangent section, survey crews should measure the distances between the markings along the outer edge of the shoulder on the inside of the curve.
4. The District prepares a site drawing that show the markings and the Speed Check Marker (I2-1) signs, and the location of the nearest SR markers and the distance to them. (See the TC-8600 Standard Drawing, Sheet 1 of 11.)
5. The District sends the original site drawing to BOMO for processing and certification. BOMO then forwards the site drawing and an Attestation Form to the Bureau of Patrol for their final processing and files.

When the State Police request an Engineering District to remark a site, the Engineering District should provide their best estimate of when the work will be complete, and then notify the State Police when the work is physically complete.

I am also pretty certain that the spacing on the lines must be the same as minimum distance (.3 miles) for pacing via cruiser's speedo, which would explain the above site length limitation (minimum .6 mile but preferably .9 mile.) Can't find the confirming doc yet but will when I find it.

[mikered30]

Thanks for that info, never read that before.

[krypton2]

I've never seen that before either, but I rarely deal with aerial speed enforcement... it's almost all on the road around here, where those guidelines definitely do not apply.

Thanks for the info, pgb2!

[pgb2]

Thanks for that info, never read that before.

Not a problem, it's amazing what a well worded Google search can turn up...and sometimes what it doesn't find. For the life of me I cannot locate any specific mention of required spacing for the lines. Thought it was in Title 75 (checked Chapters 33, 61, and 63) but there is nothing in it that specifically deals with aerial speed enforcement. Since they use stopwatches I guess that is the relevant section but there is no minimum distance required for that.

However, I know the "SPARE" lines on all the Interstates in my area are .3 miles because I've used them from time to time to check accuracy of the odometers in some of my cars. I used to drive competitively in Autocross and track day events and often had wheel/tire combinations on my cars that had smaller or larger rolling diameters than stock and wanted to know how far off the speedo was.

Krypton2, is there anyone you could ask to see if it is simply PSP policy to use .3 miles for SPARE details?

[pgb2]

Google Maps

MikeRed30, thanks for the above link. The lines shown in Google Streetview are north of that overpass and the Trooper was looking south to observe approaching traffic in the northbound lane. I used Streetview's ability to jump forward to check the northbound lane and was even able to get the view he would have had from the overpass. There do not appear to be any lines visible south of the overpass so I would have to conclude he was either using a Decatur Genesis handheld in short bursts or a Falcon HR and my V1 needs a tuneup on K band.

In the end, I was lucky that day. I am pretty sure that the car (a small SUV) he pulled over was a left lane bandit I had passed in the right lane just before becoming visible to the Trooper. I was still in the right lane (driving a compact car) and close enough to the SUV that he apparently mistook the speed he was getting from me as being the SUV. A good example of the advantages of staying in right lane, though!

[mikered30]

Did you think about upgrading your V1 or just a tune?

[krypton2]

Krypton2, is there anyone you could ask to see if it is simply PSP policy to use .3 miles for SPARE details?

I will see what I can find out.

I can say for sure that there are no statutory limitations on the distance between speed timing lines for road timing. I do not think that it would be any different for aerial timing, but who knows. I have seen as small as a 50 foot distance for timing on the road, although the "usual" distance is 100 or 200 feet.

I am not sure about case law though. Since most speeding cases do not make it much farther than the Common Pleas appeal process, I am not aware of any major case law that would have any effect on timing distances, but I will see what I can find. If I would have to guess, though, I would say that it is probably more departmental policy than it is law.

[pgb2]

Did you think about upgrading your V1 or just a tune?

Since it appears the crystal controlled tuning circuitry in the upgrade would eliminate or reduce the possibility of it going out of tune again, that would make the most sense. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position fiscally at present to justify the expense. Looks like I will simply have to wait until I can.

I will see what I can find out.

Thanks Krypton2!! BTW--I spent some time measuring known aerial sites in my local area with the Google Earth ruler tool and they are all bang on .3 miles.

[radarrob]

Weak signal due to the bridge i passed.Officer had antenna out the window constant on forward facing.

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