How does a cop know his radar is on a particular vehicle in crowded traffic?

Question

how can you be 100% sure you have the right vehicle? and how far can those radars detect at 100% accuracy?

I didn't ask about training ...I asked how are you 100% sure? My guess is you just guess....am I right?

Answer 1

It's called training and experience. Radars are a calibrated instrument and the Officer should check every day at least, and by some police department policies after every stop, to make sure the calibration is correct. The officer does this with a tunning fork set to a particular speed.

Radar can be off by up to one mile per hour if the officer is running stationary radar and by up to 2 miles per hour for mobile radar even if the calibration is checked and working normally.

Then there is a tracking history the officer has to follow.

Step 1: The officer has to visualy estimate your speed and guestimate that you are traveling at a rate faster then the posted speed limit. An officer learns to do this by looking at a vehilce, guessing the speed, and then verify the speed by radar. Most officers through training like this can guestimate a speed to within 2 miles per hour.

Step 2: The officer uses his radar on the vehilce in question. When the radar is being used, it will give an audibale tone. The higher the pitch the faster the vehicle. The officer has to verify that the tone is solid and steady. If the tone is scratchy then something is interfering with the radar such as the radar has locked on two vehicles at same time, other radio traffic from cell phones, computers, alarm systems, etc. If the tone is steady then the officer goes to step 3.

Step 3: The officer reads the digitil display showing the speed of the vehicle.

Step 4: This step is for running mobile radar. The officer looks at the digitil display of the patrol cars speed and checks it with his patrol cars speedometer.

Through training and experience the officer can tell which vehicle he is looking at. If i am watching a road and guestimate a vehicle traveling at 58 mph in a 40 zone, I use my radar and lock onto a vehicle traveling at 59 mph with a steady tone, and all the other cars I guestimate to be between 40 and 48 mph then I can be pretty certin that I am locked onto the right vehicle.


I know you did not ask about training, but training is your answer. No we do not just guess. We use our training and our tracking history to determine we have the righ vehicle. At first I thought this was a serious question, but now I am begining to think you are not looking for the answer and just want anti police types to tell you that police guess when using the radar. The only "guessing" comes to play before we ever turn the radar on.

My "guess" now is that you got a speeding ticket and you are looking for a way out of it.

Answer 2

good question..I actually got a ticket when a state patrol car was pacing traffic.He didn't use the radar gun but noticed me going a little bit faster than most vehicles.even though all vehicles were going about 65 in a 55 zone including the unmarked car.After I zoomed by him he pointed the radar gun on my vehicle to get my actual speed. I was going 74 miles an hour.

Answer 3

If there's a lot of traffic and cars are really close to each other for a mistake to be made, why would the cop even need radar if they're all going really slow anyway?



Point and shoot.

Answer 4

THanson has it absolutely correct! The training and testimony he talks about it is absolutely spot on. I was a radar instructor (certified) and he obviously had an excellent training course and does a very conscientious job.
If I had ANY doubt, I would always give the benefit of the doubt to the violator. There are too many tickets out there, to ever write one I wasn't positive.

Answer 5

right that's what he probaly did. He radared the 1st motor vehicle if the vehicle at the back of it replaced into perfect at the back of it that's needless to say going the comparable speed. Or if it replaced right into a distance at the back of the different motor vehicle he could desire to of have been given the two he did the 1st motor vehicle then he did the 2nd perfect after the 1st. i replaced into married to a cop for a jointly as i recognize the countless tricks they did.

Answer 6

I was the instructor for thanson73. It's nice to know SOMEBODY was listening! I also agree with the other instructor who answered this question, and taught the same principle. When in doubt, take no enforcement action (this means don't write a ticket). I also agree with thanson...sounds like somebody got a ticket. I've got a novel thought for you-try taking responsibility for your actions!

Answer 7

some claim to have dash cam radar lock but I guess you can not be 100% otherwise,unless you were using laser as well.

Answer 8

I've seen cops using the hand-held device --probably LASER-- with rife-like scopes on them so, with those at least, it seems like a pretty sure thing.