Six reasons to let local Pa. cops use radar

Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation that does not allow municipal police officers to use radar to enforce speed limits.

Only state police officers are allowed to use that law enforcement tool.

Legislation proposed by state Rep. Mario Scavello, R-Monroe County, would permit full-time police officers employed by full-service police departments to deploy radar on local roads.

Why should state lawmakers approve this idea, which has failed many times over the years?

1. Because … Machine guns. We trust local police with real guns but not radar guns? That’s offensive and demeaning. As Southern York County Regional Police Chief James Boddington once noted: “I can have a machine gun but I can’t have a radar gun? That’s like a brain surgeon using a screwdriver and a pair of pliers. It’s a total insult.”

2. Because … Laughingstock. In a news story on this issue last year, police officials from across the nation said they were stunned to learn that our municipal officers couldn’t use this tool. That revelation gave the impression that our Keystone State cops are like, well, the bumbling Keystone Kops of silent film fame.

3. Because … Barney Fife is just a TV character.

Most local police officers are well-trained and competent to properly use this speed-enforcement method. The legislation also has some protections to prevent municipalities from operating blatant speed traps.

4. Because … Speed kills. In 2011, Pennsylvania had the second-highest percentage of speeding fatalities in the nation, and the number of speeding fatalities on roadways where police are prohibited from using radar were three to six times higher than the number of speeding fatalities on roadways where police are allowed to use radar, according to the website of the “Coalition to Eliminate the Prohibition Against Municipal Police Using Radar (that group gets an F for naming, branding and acronyming: CTETPAMPUR?).

5. Because … Popular demand. The legislation is supported by Pennsylvania State Mayors’ Association, Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, the Pennsylvania Municipal League, the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs, the Pennsylvania Association of Township Commissioners, the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors and the Pennsylvania State Mayors’ Association.

6. Because … VASCAR sucks. VASCAR (much better acronym: Visual Average Speed Computer And Recorder) is the method most local cops use to enforce speed limits. Basically, they paint two lines across a roadway, then hide somewhere and use a stopwatch to time cars crossing the lines. Travel that distance too quickly and you’re busted. Yep. Then the cops can file the citation using a fax machine — or maybe a teletype or a smoke signal. This is old technology. It’s time-consuming to set up. It relies on humans to start and stop the watch, so it might not be accurate. It’s just, well... it sucks.