Senator seeks green light on radar legislation in Pennsylvania

By Lauren Jessop, The Center Square contributor

HARRISBURG, PA – A renewed attempt to allow local police departments to use radar for speed enforcement is underway in the state Senate.

Pennsylvania remains the only state in the nation that prohibits municipal law enforcement from using radar systems, despite the state police’s routine use of the technology.

Over the years, there have been attempts to address the issue, but they failed to garner enough support to bring it to fruition. Though at least one lawmaker isn’t giving up.

Sen. Greg Rothman, R-Mechanicsburg, said he will soon reintroduce legislation he proposed in 2021 while serving as a state representative. Although the bill made it through several rounds of voting with bipartisan support, it died in the Appropriations Committee at the end of the last session.

Rothman told The Center Square although he has been working on this issue for the past six years, he remains optimistic.

“People do not like getting a ticket,” he said. “So, you don’t want to be the legislator that passed the law, and then that voter gets a ticket.”

“But let me tell you,” he added. “I don’t want to be the legislator that didn’t pass a law and a child is killed in the neighborhood because people were zipping through it.”

In the past, critics worried municipalities would misuse radar to increase revenue, but Rothman said his bill includes safeguards to alleviate that concern.

Speed enforcement revenue would be limited to no more than a 1% increase over the previous year’s amount. Additionally, funds collected from citations will be deposited into several state accounts. A portion of that revenue will then be shared with counties and municipalities.

When the previous bill was introduced, the Senate Appropriations Committee noted that on average, local municipalities received $17.50 to $21.50 for every citation issued that results in a disposition of guilty.

The bill also contains protections for drivers; during the first 90 days of enforcement, officers would be limited to written warnings, and no citation may be issued unless the driver is exceeding the posted speed limit by 10 mph or more.

Rothman says it is important to clarify that passing this legislation does not create a state mandate – it simply allows local police departments to use radar. Each municipality would need to pass an ordinance authorizing its use.

Proponents of the law include statewide law enforcement and municipal government organizations who say it will not only increase safety in communities, but save money. They claim the technology now being used is archaic and is a waste of money and manpower.

Current methods used by officers include using a digital stopwatch to measure the time it takes a vehicle to travel the distance between two painted lines on a roadway. Alternatively, officers use a device on the side of the road that deploys a beam of light to calculate speed.

Depending on the device used, two officers may be required ¬– one to track the speed, and a second to pull the speeder over.

In 2020, according to PennDOT, 26,596 crashes occurred on local roads resulting in 14,565 injuries and 209 deaths.

Although there would be an investment in radar equipment and training, Rothman has spoken to police chiefs who say they believe it will save money in the long run.

He said giving police the tools they need to do their job and increase community safety is his main motivation, rather than punishing drivers into submission.