A grant will help a local police agency better enforce speeding law violations.
The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute awarded the Edinburgh Police Department a $17,330 state grant to add in-car radars to patrol cars. The criminal justice institute received funding from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant. The grant is often used to pay for items such as crime prevention initiatives, equipment and supplies, and the hiring and training of personnel, according to an institute news release.
Once installed, the devices will read the speed of vehicles both in front of and behind patrol cars, according to the release.
The new radars will greatly help the department’s speed enforcement efforts. Currently, the department only has handheld devices, which means officers can only stay stationary for radar enforcement, said Doyne Little, police chief.
“The problem with it is, we are not out moving around. Believe it or not, a (patrol) car moving deters (speeding),” Little said.
Having in-car radars will help the department with speed enforcement in all areas, including school zones, and when it comes to intoxicated drivers, who often drive slower than the speed limit in an attempt to avoid police attention, he said.
When it comes to traffic infractions, the cameras will help the department with presenting evidence of speeding in court. Right now, if an officer were to see a speeding car, unless they took the time to get the handheld radar ready, the only way to get a near-accurate speed of the car is to try to keep pace with it, Little said.
“The only thing I can do is pace them close enough to know we are going the same speed,” he said. “Obviously the (new) machine is going to tell me the exact thing.”
Little hopes the new radars will lead to fewer court fights over traffic tickets. He also hopes it will deter speeders, Little said.
The radars will be added to the department’s 13 in-service patrol cars, he said.
Edinburgh was the only Johnson County law enforcement agency to receive funding from the grant this year. Statewide, the criminal justice institute awarded $3.3 million to 50 law enforcement and government agencies for public safety and crime prevention initiatives. The money will be distributed later this month, according to the news release.
