There is a widespread belief that police officers must display you their LIDAR or RADAR devices when they pull you over.
A police officer may display you a radar/lidar device as a courtesy or to dissuade you from speeding again, but they’re not required to show a driver the actual device on the side of the roadway.
However..
If you challenged the violation an officer will have to conclusively prove beyond a reasonable doubt the exact speed listing on the citation which is much more complex that a flashing radar/lidar reading on the side of the road.
Let’s dig into the details and learn more about the circumstances and the type of radars that police officers use.
So, What Does the Law Say About It?
It’s not required by law that a police officer displays their radar gun.
It’s not necessary for a police officer to show you the laser or radar gun because it’s positioned in the front seat of the police car. Most police officers don’t want citizens to have access to their front seats because they’re afraid they’ll take or touch something they shouldn’t.In certain places, police officers are unable to even lock the speed of your car. The police officer’s word against yours is the most common kind of evidence in traffic court.
In California, a large number of traffic stops are based on lasers or LIDAR, while the majority of police use RADAR.
What Are the Different Types of RADAR and LIDAR Devices?
Stationary RADAR
The information collected by RADAR units is gathered using a larger beam. There is no guarantee that the object with the strongest signal will be the fastest. Doppler Tone Detection is one of a number of techniques used by police officers to determine the strength of the signal. Signal strength increases when the Doppler Tone is louder and its pitch is higher.
Moving RADAR
The same technology used in stationary RADAR is used in moving RADAR. The RADAR antennas on the gadget, on the other hand, operate at two separate frequencies. In order to confirm that the gadget is working properly, it is necessary to perform a number of tests. While in moving mode, the officer must verify that the speed detected by the RADAR equipment matches that of a cruiser speedometer that has been properly calibrated and approved.
Getting a speeding ticket dismissed is possible if you choose an legal expert who knows how to take advantage of these cases’ flaws and flaws alone.
LIDAR
Vehicle-specific LIDAR equipment is standard.
Police officers aim the red dot towards the target’s car’s grill or license plate and then press its trigger to shoot the vehicle in its entirety. Three light pulses from the LIDAR device will then bounce off the target vehicle and be reflected back to the instrument.
There are three laser beams that go a certain distance, and the time difference between each pulse is used to compute speed. Using this information, the police officer can determine the distance between your vehicle and his/her vehicle to within a tenth of a foot.
In The Event That I Am Stopped By a Police Officer Using a Radar Unit, What Should I Do Next?
When you’re accused of speeding, you have certain legal protections. It is possible to challenge the officer’s training in radar use, as well as demand the calibration records— for the laser/radar gun used in estimating your speed.
You may win your case if you can show that the radar device has been utilized for longer than a certain number of days since it was modified. You have a good chance of beating a speeding ticket if the radar unit was last adjusted 11 days prior to when the officer issued the ticket, and the device was intended to be adjusted every 10 days. Visit the state’s website or call the police department to learn more about your state’s calibration legislation.
Some police officers assume that they can adjust the radar equipment without the use of a tuning fork; however, this is a common misconception among officers. As a result, you have the right to inquire in court about whether a fork was used in the calibration process.
You’ll have another chance to show that the speeding ticket was issued based on incorrect evidence and should be dismissed if that’s the case.
Before police officers can utilize LIDAR or RADAR, most states require them to go through a certification or approval process. In this way, you may verify that the officer who issued you the ticket had the necessary training. A higher speed reading could be the result of an operator error rather than you speeding as claimed.
What Can We Conclude?
If an officer’s radar device shows that you exceeded the speed limit, you don’t have to pay a speeding fine. Even when properly maintained and operated, radar equipment does not deliver failsafe or 100 percent accurate results. It’s always important to keep yourself alert against all possibilities and face the situation as best as possible.
Please contact us at Ticket Snipers if you have any questions about Radar or LIDAR devices and how to defend your vehicle against speeding citations. We are available 24/7 if you’d like to chat with one of our trained consultants about speeding ticket defense.