Peters Township police chief supports bill for radar to catch speeding drivers
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A local police chief is pushing to get radar for police officers across the state.
Pennsylvania is the only state that does not allow municipal police to use radar. That's why Peters Township Police Chief Douglas Grimes is pushing to change that. He said using radar is the most effective way to track speeders.
Grimes said the biggest complaint he gets from residents involves speeding, and he anticipates it getting worse.
"We continue to see increasing growth and population in the South Hills here, particularly Peters Township," said Grimes.
His officers track speeders using several devices like stopwatches, VASCAR, NRAD and trackers. But he said some of these devices are becoming outdated.
"They are so far behind the times in technology that we are losing the ability to effectively enforce speed in our communities," Grimes said.
Last Thursday, Grimes spoke from the Capitol steps in Harrisburg, alongside many supporters, to push for House Bill 606, which would make radar possible in local municipalities. He said it's currently up for third consideration.
If it gets through, the bill will go to the House floor for a vote.
Right now in Pennsylvania, radar is currently limited to state police. If the legislation passes, both part-time and full-time police officers would be permitted to use radar if they meet a few requirements, including passing an ordinance authorizing the use of the radar, installing signs advertising that radar is being used at the municipality's border and the money made by fines must not exceed 10 percent of the municipality's budget for the previous budget year.
"My officers would have to write an awful lot of citations to come even close to that," said Grimes.
However, making money from tickets is a big concern for people who oppose this legislation.
"When you have speed traps set up, it's really a way for cities, small towns, villages to make money. It's policing for profit. We can even call it taxation by citation," said Shelia Dunn, a spokesperson with the National Motorist Association.
"They don't get enough money from a speeding ticket to justify the officers' time either writing a citation or in court fighting the citation for defending the citation," Grimes said.
Grimes said according to the Pennsylvania Radar Coalition, fatalities related to speeding have also gone up nationally, adding that this is just another reason why radar will help when it comes to speed enforcement.
