Speeders could soon face a new threat in Pennsylvania: local police armed with speed radar.

Pennsylvania is the only state that bars local police from using radar to enforce speed limits.

Since 1961, only Pennsylvania State Police troopers have been allowed to use speed radar.

Local police have to rely on other tools. Those tools measure how long it takes a vehicle to travel between two points.

Sen. Nick Miller, D-Northampton, said it is time to bring local police into the modern age.

“Modern radar technology is a proven, nationwide standard that helps officers do their jobs with precision and efficiency,” Miller said.

Speed enforcement with teeth

SB1237 would allow municipal police officers to use radar to ticket drivers who are speeding.

But the bill puts several limits on how local radar could be used.

For starters, police could not issue a ticket unless a driver is going at least 10 mph over the posted speed limit.

The threshold would be lower in active work zones. There, a driver would have to be at least 5 mph over the posted limit before getting a ticket.

There has long been another concern with local speed radar.

Critics worry the technology could become a cash machine for local governments. Miller tries to address that concern with a 90-day warning period.

During the first 90 days of enforcement, officers could issue only written warnings for violations.

The radar devices also would not be available to every police agency. They would be limited to full-time police departments that operate 24 hours a day.

An officer also could use speed radar only while operating a “clearly marked” law enforcement vehicle.

The bill puts another brake on ticket revenue.

Money collected from speeding tickets could not exceed the previous year’s speed enforcement revenue by more than 1%.

Any revenue above the cap would go to the state’s motor license fund. That money is used for statewide road and infrastructure projects.

The push for radar comes with a simple argument: speed kills.

Sen. Greg Rothman, R- Mechanicsburg, is one bill cosponsor. He said speeding is costing lives in communities across Pennsylvania.

Rothman added that police officers are working hard to protect those communities. But they cannot do it alone.

He said local police need the right tools to spot dangerous speeding and help keep drivers and families safe.  SB1237 also includes a requirement for municipalities to first pass an ordinance approving the use of speed radar.

Pa. Senators announce another attempt at letting local police use radar https://t.co/FJqO9chEUp

— PennLive.com (@PennLive) March 21, 2026

Safety tool or ticket machine?

Pennsylvania State Police officials have said speed radar is the most effective and accurate speed-control device available.

Critics are not convinced. They say Pennsylvania should instead follow the 85th percentile speed rule. That standard sets the speed limit at or below the speed traveled by 85 % of vehicles moving freely in traffic.

The bill is awaiting consideration in the Senate. LL

More Land Line coverage of Pennsylvania news is available.