Police confiscate RADAR unit

Posted by
Staff Writer
in Public Safety
Wednesday, June 20. 2012
Comments (5)
Officers of the Commerce Police Department, acting on advice of the Georgia State Patrol, confiscated a RADAR system from a motorist stopped for speeding on the U.S. 441 bypass.

The traffic stop took place at 2:15 a.m. when an officer clocked the offender at 71 miles per hour. But the 22-year-old white male argued that a RADAR system in the vehicle indicted he was doing 69 mph.

A passenger in the vehicle was the owner of the car. Unfortunately for him, the RADAR equipment is illegal. The officer contacted the GSP, which advised him to confiscate the equipment and contact the state unit that investigates RADAR incidents.

The owner told the officer he’d bought the system for $75 off the online site e-Bay, and helped the officer remove the equipment. The officer asked the man if he had any other “law enforcement equipment,” and got a negative response as well as permission to search the vehicle.

The officer found a Georgia license tag concealed in the trunk, but the report noted that the owner of the vehicle professed to be unaware of its presence, claiming to have purchased the vehicle about a month earlier from a man in Winder.

The report did not indicate that any charges were found, but the officer explained to the owner of the equipment that officers were on the lookout for a similar vehicle whose operators had been impersonating police officers.
Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry
No Trackbacks
Comments
Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)
#1 Confused on 06/21/12 at 06:08 AM [Reply]
Regardless of what the guy had in his car, I thought you could be pulled over for doing at least 11 mph over the speed limit. Is this saying that you can't be pulled over unless you are doing at least 16 mph over?
#1.1 Mark Beardsley on 06/21/12 at 07:11 AM [Reply]
Actually, you are correct, and the story will be updated to remove the error. An officer cannot write a ticket for speeding using RADAR or LIDAR until an offender is driving 10 mph over the posted limit (except in a school zone). Thanks.
#2 Confused on 06/21/12 at 12:00 PM [Reply]
Mr. Beardsley that sound like a legal opinion you are giving.
#2.1 Mark Beardsley on 06/21/12 at 01:40 PM [Reply]
True, but Legal Eagle posted the code, so I defer to him (or her).
#3 legal eagle on 06/21/12 at 12:06 PM [Reply]
Actual Georgia Code: the law : (a) No county, city, or campus officer shall be allowed to make a case based on the use of any speed detection device, unless the speed of the vehicle exceeds the posted speed limit by more than ten miles per hour and no conviction shall be had thereon unless such speed is more than ten miles per hour above the posted speed limit.

(b) The limitations contained in subsection (a) of this Code section shall not apply in properly marked school zones one hour before, during, and one hour after the normal hours of school operation, in properly marked historic districts, and in properly marked residential zones. For purposes of this chapter, thoroughfares with speed limits of 35 miles per hour or more shall not be considered residential districts. For purposes of this Code section, the term "historic district" means a historic district as defined in paragraph (5) of Code Section 44-10-22 and which is listed on the Georgia Register of Historic Places or as defined by ordinance adopted pursuant to a local constitutional amendment.
Add Comment
E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications.

To prevent automated Bots from commentspamming, please enter the string you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly.
CAPTCHA

 
   
 
Submitted comments will be subject to moderation before being displayed.
 

Recent Stories

Two Lady Tigers earn top-ten finishes at state
Thursday, May 23 2013
Tiger golfers take third at state
Thursday, May 23 2013
CPRD pool to open on Memorial Day
Thursday, May 23 2013
Rev. Charles Hardy (5-21-13)
Thursday, May 23 2013
CHS student arrested for threats
Wednesday, May 22 2013

Recent Comments

T Kitchens about Stopped by police, man vows to get cops fired
Fri, May 17, 2013 - 09:42 AM
I would be concerned about situations with more merit than an couple getting pulled over for t [...]
concerned about Stopped by police, man vows to get cops fired
Thu, May 16, 2013 - 08:01 AM
there seems to be a few cocky ones there that think they are above the law and that they can j [...]
Taxpayer about Graduation time
Thu, May 16, 2013 - 07:41 AM
"Commerce High School holding its graduation at 8 p.m. this Friday and East Jackson Comprehens [...]
Hunting a charter school about County schools fiscal issues worse than thought
Wed, May 15, 2013 - 08:24 PM
It's easy to figure what's wrong over there when a former bd member that caused this problem l [...]
cw about County schools fiscal issues worse than thought
Wed, May 15, 2013 - 06:49 PM
SAME STUFF. DIFFERENT PLAYERS
People People Please about Outburst at police station leads to arrest
Wed, May 15, 2013 - 04:42 PM
Goodness Gracious, such anger over a few statements. The key word here is "Police Property". [...]

Sister Sites

BanksNews TODAY
BarrowJournal
BraseltonNews TODAY
JacksonHerald TODAY
MadisonJournal TODAY
MainStreetNews OBITS
MainStreetNews SPORTS
MainStreetNews.com
Scan Jackson
Copyright © 2008-2011 MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.