unfortunately i got a prick judge when i got a ticket via radar in traffic... i said theres no way she (female officer) KNEW it was me with a fcking radar emitter in traffic... <eyeroll> heres your fine sir
Looking for radar detector, lidar/laser detector
- Thread starter mikeyg03ls
- Start date
unfortunately i got a prick judge when i got a ticket via radar in traffic... i said theres no way she (female officer) KNEW it was me with a fcking radar emitter in traffic... <eyeroll> heres your fine sir
haha nice story. makes me want to get one.
the fact that you long time members have to use such a disclaimer when communicating with ea other says alot.
So is instant-on usable in your state? I know it isn't in The People's Republik. They can use instant-on, but not the speed derived from it for prosecution. As near as I can tell, on the open road I get at least a 2 mile warning. I have received warning about 3/4 mile around a bend. The V1 gives me quite a bit more warning than my old STi Driver.
G-RELL
FULLY DIPPED LS
why are you selling
mikeyg03ls
Active LVC Member
It makes me want to get one as well. I think ive seen two cops in a row once ever in ma
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Upstairs Chris
Dedicated LVC Member
I would like some proof that "instant-on" is not usable, I can't turn up anything in Google that supports this. In fact, I read an Escort radar detector thread where the administrator commented about how much this "Instant on not usable for tickets" is false. I have heard about this "Instant on" from a few folks outside the LE community, mostly people obsessed with this stuff but absolutely no one in the LE community knows what the hell they are talking about. "Instant on" as you refer to it is not some super feature used to get people with radar detectors, it's simply how they work. The only thing radar does is emit waves very similar to a radio. Do you need to wait when pushing the mic on a radio? No.
First things first. This "instant on" thing, isn't even called that. Hell it doesn't even have a name, its simply a basic function of the unit. I've been through 3 units so far and have read the manuals on each of them. Nowhere do they mention the term "Instant on". This is a phrase coined by internet radar "experts"
Secondly, the only time this "Instant on" feature would be unusable, or at least difficult is when their are a large number of vehicles in the target path, and I mean a large amount. Someone above posted about contesting a ticket due to traffic congestion. It takes an extremely large amount of traffic to make radar unusable. Also, if you are approaching me and I think you are speeding and I "instantly" turn my radar on, and I get you at 85 or whatever, and your radar detector goes crazy, and my radar shows you at 85 and then doing a brake stand to get back to 60, that means you can get a ticket for 85, it is most certainly usable for court.
Modern radars are highly advanced. Mine plugs into my card OBDII port and gets my vehicle speed from that, in addition to getting it's own speed from the radar unit. If the two deviate, it means something isn't right either with the car or the radar and it wont give me speeds until it's fixed. I can also track 4 cars at once and my radar will always show me the speeds of the fastest and the strongest objects in the target path, and it will do so instantly. I can do same direction moving also, meaning if you are ahead of me traveling the same direction I can get your speed, and same for coming up behind me. The time it takes for me to push the button, to get a cars speed is literally instantaneous, I couldn't measure it with a stop watch. So in an "instant on" situation where you had no prior warning, no detector is going to help, it is simply going to notify you that the cop that you didn't notice, now has your speed. What does help is when the officer is ahead using "instant on" on the cars ahead of you and you'll get the short alerts from the residual radar waves.
Either way we (cops) could care less that a small percentage of people on the road use radar detectors. Really, couldn't care less. I promise there are people behind you going just as fast without them.
mikeyg03ls
Active LVC Member
There's multiple things in this post that kind of crack me up. As far as the not usable thing I haven't heard much about it either besides on the valentine website there a quote about the possibility of inaccuracy and shouldn't be used as the sole source of speed for a ticket. That setup is pretty badass I'll admit, makes me second guess whether it's really worth the money.
Upstairs Chris
Dedicated LVC Member
It's an extremely mundane job responsibility and the only real enjoyment is you usually get to see some nice cars. I am not trying to come off any particular type of way but there are just so many fallacies out there about law enforcement it's mildly hilarious from this side of the fence. Like when people say cops can't hide when they run radar because that's entrapment. Ridiculous.
mikeyg03ls
Active LVC Member
Thanks everyone, I appreciate the experience, opionions and info but since I know what I'll probably need for my tranny I can't afford a detector anymore.
Never heard of that, I've always wondered if police must have at least their parking lights on to pull someone over though?
Never heard of that, I've always wondered if police must have at least their parking lights on to pull someone over though?
Ive used a V1 for over 10 years easily. In my LS I have it velcroed on the rear deck adjacent to the third brake light. I purchased an extra third brake light cover to sit over the V1 (open end facing the front of the car to allow the lens of the V1 to "see" forward without the plastic of the cover in the way) to keep it discreet. 20% tint on the rear window and 38% tint on the rest. You'd have to be looking for the V1 to know its there. In fact, the car was broken into 3 years ago and while the thieves grabbed my made in china purchased from ebay aftermarket headrests that had LCD monitors in them (that had horrible pixilation by the way)they totally ignored the $400 detector sitting there ready for the taking by just pulling it up from the rear deck. LOL. I have it hardwired to a small red power switch that's just below my trunk release button and I have the remote display w/mute button in the upper left corner of the windshield so the arrows are right in my peripheral vision. Sure laser is most likely impacted but who cares about laser detection (as opposed to laser jamming). I still detect radar with PLENTY of advance warning.
It's at it's best on open highway. The combination of the V1, staying out of the left lane, and not being the first speeder upfront in the pack has kept me radar based speeding ticket free for more years than I recall. The arrows are truly great when you are cruising on the open highway 15-20mph above the limit and the slow beep kicks in..do I hit the brake and take it off cruise and become paranoid? Oh wait..the arrow is from the REAR, and a quick glance shows that no one is coming up behind me. Cruise control stays on, and I keep moving at 85mph+ in the right or middle lane as the music plays. 20 miles later another beep this time the arrow shows from the front...cruise still on, but hold on..now the beep is becoming quicker in pace and with no exit/entrance ramps approaching, Im suspicious so let me slow it down. 40 seconds later the beeps are furious and the arrow is pointing ahead still..I KNOW there is a cop somewhere. Ok, rounding the bend and sure enough off to the side, local SHeriff running radar. As I pass him the arrow goes from front to side to rear. Still a "1" in the counter so Im now going to hit "resume" on the cruise in a few seconds and get back to 85 or so. The beep starts fading down but I hear a double beep and now the counter shows "2" and the beep is still medium strong...Let me slow this thing down again to be safe..whoa whats that over on the left side this time up ahead in the median but facing towards me....ANOTHER cop running radar. Pass him doing the limit and "whew"..thanks V1.!
The above may sound like Im exaggerating, but no, it's happened and more than once especially on I-85 south of Richmond VA and north of the North Carolina state line. The V1 also came in handy a LOT on 295 aka the B/W Parkway in the DC area near Greenbelt, MD where Federal Park Police often would run their radar units within 1/2 mile of the multi use portable highway sign that would let you know about upcoming road construction. BUt since that same sign could also be used to display a "your speed is" message, it had a radar gun mounted underneath that would be left powered on even when it was just a road contstruction message. So I knew that if the bogey counter was more than "1" when approaching that sign on the way home from work? I needed to slow down due to upcoming Park Police radar trap. If the bogey was only at "1"? I knew I could keep the LSE cruising at 80-90(if no traffic..this was pre Arundel Mills Casino days..lol) comfortably.
Yes, love the V1. Not just because it lets you speed in comfort, but because I don't have to take the cruise off needlessly. LOL.
Around town, it comes in handy on routes where I know the local units setup. Example there is a pull off where they tend to hide right at the bottom of a hill (they LOVE spots like that, where the momentum carries you over the speed limit) on a boulevard that I traverse regularly. They set up right where the posted speed limit drops from 45 to 30mph. RIGHT there. I HATE slowing down there for no reason..and unless the V1 beeps? I don't.
As far as laser Ive yet to see a unit in my jurisdiction running laser. And why would they go to that trouble of having to aim and point, when they catch sooo many detectorless speeders with radar gun hanging off that drivers side back window glass as the cop chills out crouched down in the drivers seat with one hand on the coffee mug and the other god knows where as he casually watches the readout from the gun as lone cars approach.
It's at it's best on open highway. The combination of the V1, staying out of the left lane, and not being the first speeder upfront in the pack has kept me radar based speeding ticket free for more years than I recall. The arrows are truly great when you are cruising on the open highway 15-20mph above the limit and the slow beep kicks in..do I hit the brake and take it off cruise and become paranoid? Oh wait..the arrow is from the REAR, and a quick glance shows that no one is coming up behind me. Cruise control stays on, and I keep moving at 85mph+ in the right or middle lane as the music plays. 20 miles later another beep this time the arrow shows from the front...cruise still on, but hold on..now the beep is becoming quicker in pace and with no exit/entrance ramps approaching, Im suspicious so let me slow it down. 40 seconds later the beeps are furious and the arrow is pointing ahead still..I KNOW there is a cop somewhere. Ok, rounding the bend and sure enough off to the side, local SHeriff running radar. As I pass him the arrow goes from front to side to rear. Still a "1" in the counter so Im now going to hit "resume" on the cruise in a few seconds and get back to 85 or so. The beep starts fading down but I hear a double beep and now the counter shows "2" and the beep is still medium strong...Let me slow this thing down again to be safe..whoa whats that over on the left side this time up ahead in the median but facing towards me....ANOTHER cop running radar. Pass him doing the limit and "whew"..thanks V1.!
The above may sound like Im exaggerating, but no, it's happened and more than once especially on I-85 south of Richmond VA and north of the North Carolina state line. The V1 also came in handy a LOT on 295 aka the B/W Parkway in the DC area near Greenbelt, MD where Federal Park Police often would run their radar units within 1/2 mile of the multi use portable highway sign that would let you know about upcoming road construction. BUt since that same sign could also be used to display a "your speed is" message, it had a radar gun mounted underneath that would be left powered on even when it was just a road contstruction message. So I knew that if the bogey counter was more than "1" when approaching that sign on the way home from work? I needed to slow down due to upcoming Park Police radar trap. If the bogey was only at "1"? I knew I could keep the LSE cruising at 80-90(if no traffic..this was pre Arundel Mills Casino days..lol) comfortably.
Yes, love the V1. Not just because it lets you speed in comfort, but because I don't have to take the cruise off needlessly. LOL.
Around town, it comes in handy on routes where I know the local units setup. Example there is a pull off where they tend to hide right at the bottom of a hill (they LOVE spots like that, where the momentum carries you over the speed limit) on a boulevard that I traverse regularly. They set up right where the posted speed limit drops from 45 to 30mph. RIGHT there. I HATE slowing down there for no reason..and unless the V1 beeps? I don't.
As far as laser Ive yet to see a unit in my jurisdiction running laser. And why would they go to that trouble of having to aim and point, when they catch sooo many detectorless speeders with radar gun hanging off that drivers side back window glass as the cop chills out crouched down in the drivers seat with one hand on the coffee mug and the other god knows where as he casually watches the readout from the gun as lone cars approach.
there has been a innocent 8 year old little girl missing in the DC area for days now. The other day they had like 100 cops or so searching a park for her or her remains. Literally 20 feet from that park? A cop on New York avenue sitting in his car running radar in the usual spot cops catch people leaving DC heading over to the Maryland state line. Should have been 101 cops searching, but no, important to get that ticket revenue I guess to pay for the OT of some of those 100 cops
Telco
Dedicated LVC Member
This is true. People think detectors make them invisible to radar guns, if they don't flat out ignore the detector because it's always going off so they tune it out. There are strategies to running a detector to make them effective, which I've damn near perfected. I have saved some 50 grand or more in tickets, counting each instance where my detector picked up a signal, I slowed down, then saw a speed trap as a 200 dollar ticket avoided. As often or not though, I've spotted the cop before the detector did. If you treat the detector as another set of eyes instead of stealth technology, and understand that the extra set of eyes will only see what comes to it, detectors are of much greater benefit.
So far as the Valentine's multi-counter unit goes, you simply wait until the detector stops going off before picking up speed again. You aren't racing other traffic, you are racing the clock so it doesn't matter if you keep up with the pack or not. What matters is that you get from A to Z, travelling at the speed you want, without an 800 dollar an hour chat on the roadside with Chris (assuming a 200 dollar ticket and average 15 minute stop). Not to mention that in some parts of the country, a traffic stop might mean getting your car searched which can take an hour or more.
I normally use Bel remote detector units, because I don't like crap hanging off the glass. Not a good picture, but here's the one in my truck. I didn't bother with a remote in the Lincoln as I don't see it as a keeper.
Andrizzle
Dedicated LVC Member
Obviously claiming entrapment is not valid.
But the real real argument is revenue generation... If the point is to prevent speeding, then why are there unmarked cars and why would you hide? If someone sees you parked in a black and white in plain sight, they will slow down to speed limit. This has accomplished the goal, no?
Like anything else, most of police "work" is about the $.
Reminds me of the tens of MILLIONS of dollars DC generates from their speed cameras. Which are allegedly solely for "safety", but one of their biggest revenue generators is stationed along a 55mph highway that has concrete barriers on either side (straightaway) and the road is exiting DC. I could almost see if the cameras were on the side entering DC..but its on New York avenue 1/8 mile before the Maryland line. LOL. If the primary factor for the speed cameras is truly safety, then they should give 100% of every dollar made (above and beyond cost to maintain the cameras) to charitable organzations.
If that were the law, watch how FAST those cameras would come down. LOL
If that were the law, watch how FAST those cameras would come down. LOL
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
Better than that, the expense of the cameras should come from taxes. 100% of the fines collected should be rebated back to the same taxpayers at the end of each year.
One of the big shames of the camera programs is that usually the camera provider takes 1/2 of all ticket fines paid. Also usually, the camera providers are non-US companies. Politicians in their greed to get more money without raising taxes are willing to send so much money out of the country. It's a very bad long term strategy.
Upstairs Chris
Dedicated LVC Member
Speaking of black and white things in plain sight, have you seen some speed limit signs recently? They meet your criteria and are highly ineffective. Rules without actual punishments aren't obeyed and any simple 9 year old knows that, this really shouldn't even have to be explained. All those extreme fines and threats of many years in jail stop absolutely no one from illegally downloading media off the internet, because the probability of facing any of those penalties is almost 0. Ask any type of highway safety or insurance company what the leading causes of avoidable accidents is and guess what, excessive speed is always in the top 3 depending on where you are looking. Usually accompanied with impairment and distracted driving. Also your chance of dying in a car crash goes up by a factor of 3, for every 10 mph over 55. Additionally, if we did just sit in the median for a presence to make people slow down, I would how many people would be on the internet damning all the money we waste paying that guy to sit there and idle in that car all day, when people go back to doing 90 mph right around the next corner.
People don't speed for a variety of reasons, some because they know the 15 mph over that could easily raise their insurance rates really only equates to a very small amount of minutes of gained time and others don't because they are afraid of getting caught. They are afraid of getting caught because they know their might be an unmarked car (which is rare in itself) or their might be an officer not just sitting in the median like an ineffective waste that could easily catch them speeding. This is why tactics other than what you describe are used. Criminals wont commit crimes next to a police station, but they will still commit crimes across town. So no people wont speed in front of the guy in the median, but they will somewhere else. The fact you suggested such an elementary approach to combat excessive speeding is bothersome.
Also, a typical scenario where I work goes like this. The interstate speed is 70 mph. I don't start enforcing speeding until 85 mph. I catch someone doing 90 (or something else over 85) and I pull them over and 99 times out of 100 write them for 79 mph in a 70 zone. A specific subsection exists that states any speeding offense under 10 mph on a controlled access highway (interstate) will not be assessed points on the drivers license. So, you the speeder get a lesser monetary penalty, you don't get punished at the maximum extent, and your insurance rate remains unaffected.
Then
You take your ticket to the county magistrate court and are assessed a 5 dollar fine for speeding plus $175.00 court costs. HOLY COW you're thinking, look at that revenue generation. Well not so fast Mr.DontTreadOnMe, see I work for the State, and you paid your ticket in county court. The county took that fee and did many things with it like it does all tax revenue it receives, like pay the salaries of the magistrates who heard your case, the secretaries who work there, building utilities etc etc. One thing it did not do was give ANY funds back to my agency, or the state in general.
So lets recap. I....
1) Pretty much let you get off for 14 mph over
2) Finally stop you for 15 mph or more over, which 3 points minimum
3) Actually cited you for 9 over, which results in a comically low fine and no points.
4) My department receives exactly $0.00 in return.
THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL, POLICING FOR PROFIT HORROR.
Also, this scenario is not uncommon by any means. Obviously the system differs in many ways depending on where you are and whom you are dealing with, but as far as most state police agencies go, this is usually how it works. You don't go to a state level court for pay a ticket.
Revenue generation can be an extremely valid point, but claiming law enforcement as a whole is mostly for revenue generation is a complete fallacy. I've already said in another thread that I do not support red light cameras whatsoever, for a variety of reasons, mostly what Joegr has already posted but I also don't like the idea of a machine determining if you broke the law. All those things I described above are officer discretion choices, ones that a machine will not make.
Where you really run into a system with many facets of revenue generation is when you are dealing with a municipality. Cities are notorious for this and I refuse to work for one. You have a city employed cop, citing you for city written statutes with city chosen penalties, and then are tried in a municipal court by a judge who works for the city. Also, many aspects of city policing aren't officer decisions like my typical stops mentioned above, but are actual polices that can not be broken by the officers without fear of reprimand. Compound all of this with the fact that cities have lower standards of entry because of the needed additional manpower to fill the positions, usually aren't paid as well as county or state agencies so the well qualified individuals like myself don't even apply, and in most cases mandatory training to be qualified as a city officer is less. For example, where I work there is one police academy run by my agency, the state police. This academy trains all officers regardless of agency. The course I went through to be a trooper was 30 weeks in a live in, military style academy. The basic course for all other officers is only 19 weeks. This discrepancy is because the fee other departments are willing to pay us to train their officers, they want the minimum. The combination of all these aspects, factored in with the fact that the majority of civilian/police interaction is usually with a city officer given the higher population of officers and civilians in cities and you can see where the complaints are coming from.
So ultimately, no it's not. Are there instances where the occurs, yes and its a fundamentally flawed system, but to apply the term "most" is incorrect.
Bonus tip: I've never met an officer with a quota.
I've had this happen to me the few times I have actually been ticketed; the worst being 97ish in a 65. Most of the time I've been given a warning, much to the chagrin of my wife!
BUT..... Don't you have to account for your time; which could be considered a de facto quota.
Upstairs Chris
Dedicated LVC Member
Yes, I have to show that I do something at work. How could anyone complain about that. I know people who pull over less cars then I own, and I only own the LS.
Soooooo...... Do you record warnings as a stop? Do you know if a driver has received a prior warning (unless of course you gave them the warning)?
Just curious..... I like to know as much as I can about a subject.....
mikeyg03ls
Active LVC Member
That's a very respectable thing to do but honestly I've never heard of that happening and I fid myself what's the difference between 85 and 90 or even 80 and 90. I mean is it really that big of a deal? I just don't get the law sometimes I guess.
Upstairs Chris
Dedicated LVC Member
The $5 fine and no points is an interstate only thing and applies only to speeds less than 10mph over. Outside of that, regular fines are $100 for 1st offense, $200 if you get another one in a years time, and then if you get a third in 2 years time its $300-$500 fine. Your state my vary of course, but most speeding laws are very similar. Also special fines are in place for speeds over 15 with children in the car.
Warnings are a stop, and no record of warnings are kept that are accessible by the officer during the stop but we keep copies of our warnings for 3 years in the office. However, if you open your glove box and a small collection of crumpled up warnings falls out, that isn't the best thing that could happen. This happens often.
We don't get written warnings here. At least I never have; they've all been verbal.
Telco
Dedicated LVC Member
I think the idea behind the speed trap is that as Chris says, when the cop is visible traffic only slows for 1 mile on either side with people who passed the cop warning those who are approaching. On the other hand, you never know where a hidden speed trap will be so any stretch of highway is suspect. Not only does this make most people go slower, but it makes most of us who do routinely speed far more vigilant than we might otherwise be as we have to keep a constant, active lookout for the police. I have to admit I find my attention to the road is not as vigilant as it might normally be when I'm puttering at the speed limit. I find the speed traps to be irritating, but they're a lot better than what they want to do, put sensors along the roads that talk to your car, and automatically assess you a speeding ticket or an emissions ticket when the car rats you out. Incidentally, this is also why I don't have a Pikepass, I don't want the government having a timestamp automatically logged in their system saying when I pass each toll booth. It doesn't take rocket science to calculate speed using distance vs time, and they know how far it is between toll booths.
I too hate the cameras, and feel them to be unconstitutional. What I really hate is how they make intersections less safe, since they cut the yellow time down so much that it causes accidents as people try to avoid running a red light when that light was green not 2 seconds before. If I am ever in an accident at an intersection like that I plan to bring legal action against whatever city installed the light. I suggest anyone else here do the same because a light that goes green to red in 2 seconds is a contributing factor in the accident.
I too hate the cameras, and feel them to be unconstitutional. What I really hate is how they make intersections less safe, since they cut the yellow time down so much that it causes accidents as people try to avoid running a red light when that light was green not 2 seconds before. If I am ever in an accident at an intersection like that I plan to bring legal action against whatever city installed the light. I suggest anyone else here do the same because a light that goes green to red in 2 seconds is a contributing factor in the accident.