Police Seek Compact Lasers

For Speed Enforcement

By Andrew Gorosko

The police department is seeking to obtain two compact laser-based devices that police would use to measure the speed of vehicles in their traffic law enforcement.

Police Patrol Officer David Kullgren on April 1 displayed to Police Commission members a lightweight device that he has been field-testing for possible acquisition by the police department.

Town police typically use larger radar-based speed measurement units when enforcing traffic speed laws.

A police officer using the laser-based unit has the advantage of singling out and tracking the speed of an individual vehicle as it is traveling, unlike radar, which cannot single out vehicles, Officer Kullgren said.

Also, the laser unit is small, versatile, durable, and easy to use, he said. It is able to track a vehicle that is up to 2,000 feet away. Police look through lenses encased in the device to spot approaching vehicles and measure their speed. The unit is powered by two AA batteries.

“It’s a great tool,” Officer Kullgren said of his field-testing of the device.

The policeman pointed out that motorists using a laser detector could determine that police are using a laser-based speed measurement device.

The Kustom Signals, Inc Pro-Lite has a dark rubberized coating. The unit is about the size of a paperback book. It is smaller than previous laser units that police have used.

Use of such a device would broaden the police’s ability to find illegal speeders, Officer Kullgren said.

Each unit costs about $2,300.

The manufacturer terms the device a LIDAR unit, which stands for Light Detection And Ranging. It employs an infrared laser to detect vehicle speeds.

Police Chief Michael Kehoe said the police department has some funds remaining in its radar replacement fund budget. That money typically would be used to buy replacement radar equipment, but now might be used to acquire the laser units, he said.

During the past several weeks, police have been conducting a heightened traffic law enforcement campaign in response to continuing public complaints about traffic violations. During that project, many motorists have been issued fines for violating traffic speed laws.