Speeders could soon face a new threat in Pennsylvania: local police armed with speed radar.<\/p>\n
Pennsylvania is the only state that bars local police from using radar to enforce speed limits.<\/p>\n
Since 1961, only Pennsylvania State Police troopers have been allowed to use speed radar.<\/p>\n
Local police have to rely on other tools. Those tools measure how long it takes a vehicle to travel between two points.<\/p>\n
Sen. Nick Miller, D-Northampton, said it is time to bring local police into the modern age.<\/p>\n
\u201cModern radar technology is a proven, nationwide standard that helps officers do their jobs with precision and efficiency,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n
Speed enforcement with teeth<\/p>\n
SB1237<\/a> would allow municipal police officers to use radar to ticket drivers who are speeding.<\/p>\n But the bill puts several limits on how local radar could be used.<\/p>\n For starters, police could not issue a ticket unless a driver is going at least 10 mph over the posted speed limit.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n There has long been another concern with local speed radar.<\/p>\n Critics worry the technology could become a cash machine for local governments. Miller tries to address that concern with a 90-day warning period.<\/p>\n During the first 90 days of enforcement, officers could issue only written warnings for violations.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n An officer also could use speed radar only while operating a \u201cclearly marked\u201d law enforcement vehicle.<\/p>\n The bill puts another brake on ticket revenue.<\/p>\n Money collected from speeding tickets could not exceed the previous year\u2019s speed enforcement revenue by more than 1%.<\/p>\n Any revenue above the cap would go to the state\u2019s motor license fund. That money is used for statewide road and infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n The push for radar comes with a simple argument: speed kills.<\/p>\n Sen. Greg Rothman, R- Mechanicsburg, is one bill cosponsor. He said speeding is costing lives in communities across Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n Rothman added that police officers are working hard to protect those communities. But they cannot do it alone.<\/p>\n He said local police need the right tools to spot dangerous speeding and help keep drivers and families safe. \u00a0SB1237 also includes a requirement for municipalities to first pass an ordinance approving the use of speed radar.<\/p>\n Pa. Senators announce another attempt at letting local police use radar https:\/\/t.co\/FJqO9chEUp<\/a><\/p>\n