How can you tell if the CHP (California) are using LIDAR to clock your speed?

Question

What exactly is LIDAR and how does it work? Is there any special equipment that is used in this process. Is it possible that a cop can say he clocked you using LIDAR when actually he did it by visual guesstimation? If so, how can you prove this in court? Thanks.

Answer 1

LIDAR is an acronym for LIght Detection And Ranging. It sends out a series of pulses, which bounce off the target and return to the unit. They usually document this somewhere on the ticket. The unit can measure both distance and speed.

They do make commercial LIDAR detectors, but they have limited effectiveness, as the light beam is very thin and can be aimed at the headlight or license plate of the car without setting the detector off.

If you want to contest the ticket, you can request a copy of the officer's notes through open records laws.

It is probably too late to ask to see the unit. The officer may not be required by law to show you the reading, but most of them will comply.

As far as visual guesstimation, that can be legal, but a specific speed will not be put on the ticket. It will read something general like "unreasonable speed" or "too fast for conditons"

Answer 2

LIDAR has been explained in the previous posts, so I won't go into that.

LIDAR or RADAR is supplemental confirmation of an officers observations. Basically, identifying a speeder with these devices consists of three parts. He visually observes, and estimates, your vehicle speed. He directs the device onto your vehicle and confirms, via tone or target indicator, that your vehicle is the one the device is targeting. He confirms his visual observation with the readout on the device.

You can always request an officer's training in the use of RADAR and LIDAR, the survey for the street or roadway you were on, and the maintenance and calibration records for the LIDAR/RADAR unit. Officers are trained to reference this info in their testimony. The court also is known to make judicial notice of an officers qualifications or surveys if the officer has testified in the court before or survey is on file with the court or familiar to them. Calibration records must be subpoena'd in advance and are not expected as part of an officers testimony.

Part of the training for RADAR/LIDAR certification is a full day of visual speed estimation. This is form a stationary and moving unit with vehicle coming toward you and moving away. Officers, with a deal of experience monitoring traffic and just plain driving, are able to estimate speeds within 5 MPH above or below the actual speed (10 MPH window). Because of this, if the speed is beyond 10 MPH above the speed limit, a visual speed estimation alone is sufficient, depending on the circumstances, to sustain a speeding conviction.

Officers have no obligation to show you the RADAR/LIDAR unit. Most will if you ask.

I may have not answered all of your questions, and if I didn't, I apologize. Hopefully this information gives you more insight to the training and utilization of the RADAR/LIDAR versus a simple answer.

Answer 3

LIDAR is the technical term for a laser speed detection device. You get a radar detector that detects laser. As for proving a cop wrong, you won't. All he will do is testify he gunned you at that speed limit and YOU have to prove you weren't.

Once again sensible_man doesn't know what he is talking about. The cop will NOT let you look at the equipment, DOES NOT have to let you look at the equipment, and what are you going to determine by looking anyway?

Answer 4

Lidar California

Answer 5

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How stupid would you have to be to go speeding up the road and pass a cop anyway?If there is one thing I know after 48 years of living is that Big Brother is watching!

Answer 6

Ask him when he stops you. You can walk back and look at the equipment.