Criminal defense attorney Timothy Bussey of The Bussey Law Firm, P.C., offers commentary to KOAA News 5 on the use of radar guns versus laser guns to catch speeding drivers.
Tim Bussey, founder of The Bussey Law Firm, P.C., was honored to appear on KOAA News 5 to provide commentary on the issues related to using radar guns to catch speeding drivers during the news channel’s story about the growing use of laser guns to catch speeders. To learn more about Mr. Bussey and his practice, visit this page.
Radar guns have long been used to track vehicle speed and catch drivers who are traveling faster than the speed limit, but the future of speeding enforcement is moving in a different direction. Across the United States, law enforcement is investing in laser technology to replace radar technology.
In Colorado, many drivers speed along the I-25, sometimes over 80 mph. But even with a radar gun, police officers may not be able to accurately determine exactly who was driving that fast. According to Tim Bussey, “When officers are shooting radar at you, it goes out in a cone form and it can pick up many objects in that cone. The farther away, the more objects it picks up.”
Radar determines speed by sending out Doppler waves that bounce off moving objects. If a car is travelling next to other vehicles, especially bigger vehicles like a tractor trailer, it may not be able to get an accurate reading. This is why law enforcement agencies are moving toward laser technology, which they believe is more accurate.
Law enforcement believes laser technology is much more accurate. Laser guns, which use a narrow beam instead of a cone, have a limited range and would only be able to clock the speed of one vehicle at a time. But that one speed reading would be very difficult to fight, as opposed to a radar gun. With a 200 to 300 foot wide doppler cone, there is a much higher risk of error.
“The argument against radar is that it can detect more than one vehicle,” according to Tim Bussey. “It may be picking up a higher profile vehicle, such as a semi as opposed to your car.”
The use of technology, even more accurate technology, does not completely eliminate the possibility of error. At The Bussey Law Firm, P.C., Timothy Bussey offers his clients years of experience as a criminal defense attorney and former El Paso County prosecutor to build a sound strategy based on thorough investigation and evidence.
