Information on the Use of Radar Guns by Law Enforcement
Radar guns are useful and reliable tools for law enforcement officers to flag speeding vehicles. Today, with their precise measurements and long range accuracy, radar guns are depended upon by traffic patrol for the vast majority of their speeding citations.
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Definition of Radar
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Radar stands for radio detection and ranging. A radar device sends out electromagnetic frequencies in the form of radio waves that are able to locate moving or fixed objects and determine their speed and location.
Types of Radar Guns
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There are various types of radar: Doppler radar is the type used by most law enforcement officers. According to Radarguns.com, the Decatur model is the standard in law enforcement today, while alternative models such as Stalker contain extra features, such as the ability to detect the direction of moving objects.
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How Radar Guns Work
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Doppler radar guns function on the Doppler principle, which is a mathematical equation that is used to determine speed based upon changes in wave frequency. The radar gun sends out radio waves at a certain frequency that bounce off a given object and return to the gun's sensor. The contact with the object alters the frequency of the radio waves; with the difference between the original and the newly recorded frequencies, a Doppler radar is able to determine the speed of a moving object with precision.
Radar Detectors
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A major obstacle to the success of police radar guns is the growing popularity of personal radar detectors. Radar detectors are microwave radio receivers that search for radar signals within a certain area. The general idea is that these devices are able to detect the presence of radar beams before they are able to locate you and flag you for speeding. Part of the radar detector's advantage is that it is capable of detection over hills and around curves, whereas the beam of a radar gun may only travel in a straight line. When the beams are detected, the device delivers some kind of audio or visual warning. Radar detectors are illegal in some states, so it is important to check local laws before purchasing for use.
Radar Statistics
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Out of the estimated 20 million speeding citations issued annually nationwide, approximately 13 million of them originated from the use of police radar guns.
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References
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