Give me few moments to compose my thoughts.

 

That was my thought too liberty.


However, I am neither MP nor PD, and therefore cannot claim 100% to know how these things work. if he IS MP and says he DOES enforce at the civilian level, then im inclined to believe him

 

I really am an MP. I just done want to put a bunch of info out there and either confuse folks or sound stupid. He is right and wrong at the same time. I dont want to give a lesson in history and law is all, so give me a few to get it right.

 

In fact here is a pic I took of an accident we worked. It was done on US rt. 1. Public road way. Two civilians hit each other. We responded because it was at our gate. It became our case. Interesting how things work out even though we (MP) arent supposed to even be there as law enforcement since there were civilians. SO that is what I will explain.

[IMG]local://upfiles/5126/8CF9CB7D8BDC4608BFA5FAFB76C984CC.jpg[/IMG]

 

how come I have seen this picture before?

 

I have posted it before.

 

Posse Comitatus is an issue primarily for riot control against civilians (non military). That is Off Post. I think we are going to have issue with semantics, slightly. To say that 18 USC prohibits federal troops from conducting law enforcement is false, the PC law states more appropriately ‘against civilians’ – as in civil disturbances. To say that I am not a federal police officer is also false, this is where we get into semantics – all in the wording. Here we go – I am an MP, I enforce the law, my jurisdiction is ONLY on federal property, therefore I am a federal cop. My function is not to go into the city and enforce law against civilians. I deal with civilians every day. Often I will receive replies of ‘You can’t write me a ticket I am a civilian/not a Soldier’. Yes I can. The ticket is very real; you will see a real judge and pay real money. If not you get a real bench warrant and go to real jail. This will all happen even if you are a civilian. So, to say that the Military can not be used as civil law enforcement is correct, unless you are on Post. I hope this clears things up a bit.
Sorry for going off topic there, Back to the Radar…. There is a time, depending on the cop called ‘tracking’ this is an amount of time where the cop must visually see you-determine that you are speeding – determine, visually, what your speed is – THEN turn the machine on. It must be done that way. That amount of time can be 1 second or many, depends on the experience and training of the cop. So, if your detector is on and the cop has his gun off its ok, he is tracking you, then he propagates the beam and receives a reading on your speed – this is when your detector goes off. If done correctly it will be too late for you to react. Also understand that different cops have different tolerances. Mine is 20 over. If you are going 19 over the posted limit I will probably let you go with a warning. Why? Because I would be a hypocrite if it were otherwise.
If there are further questions on the MP / federal law thing, PM me so we dont hijack this thread any more.

 

Getting back to the detector bit:

Ya get what you pay for. I’ve got a BEL Pro 65, $400 + and worth every penny. Paid for itself several times over already. Gives a ½ mile or better warning with few false alarms. But enough of the sales pitch.

A radar detector works best on the roads you travel often. I don’t care how much you pay for one, you’re still going to get a few false alerts. And if you travel the same roads a lot, you get to learn where you get them. It’s when you get one you’re not used to, you pay attention. Also, know what band and kind of radar your law enforcement agents use. NJSPD for example use X band. Locals can use X or K, but most use X because the state does. FYI, most automatic door openers and home intrusion alarms use X band also. (giving you false alarms) In PA, only the State Police are allowed to use radar and most of their units are K band and are of the new low output - instant on design. Chances are even the best detectors will have trouble with these especially if the operator is well experienced.

The best ways to avoid a radar ticket is to change your driving habits. When somebody wants to blast past you on the interstate, let them go. Keep about a ½ mile (just in sight) behind him and let him trigger the radar gun. Stay out of the fast lane, that’s where they look 1st. Learn to use other cars and trucks as ‘blockers’. Radar picks up the biggest signal, not always the fastest. Police scanners in cars are legal in most states and most of them will now pick up CB channel 19 where most of the truckers hang out. Scanning is a fun hobby as is CB radio, been doing both for almost 40 yrs now and it’s helped my driving history a lot.

About the only thing I’m trying to say is, buy the best detector you can afford and learn to play the game. Good Luck.

 

I heard a story of a police that used his rearview mirror to reflect the radar gun towards the cars behind him. Would that even work accurately?? Kinda cheating if you ask me

 

Look at it this way.

If they laser you, you're going to get caught.