The Jefferson Police Department recently purchased and started using a new piece of equipment.

Chief Dave Morlan says they bought a new Lidar Radar Unit.  It is a hand held speed radar for vehicles.  An officer looks into a display and points an infrared crosshair at a vehicle’s license plate.  A signal is then sent back to the radar, telling the officer the vehicle’s distance to the officer as well as the speed.

Morlan notes the most important difference between the Lidar Radar and their current K Band Radar is that the Lidar can accurately read a single vehicle’s speed instead of reading multiple vehicles coming at an officer.  He talks about other benefits the Lidar provides.

“(It) has an exceptional range.  If you’re in a heavy rain or something like that, you might not be able to get a normal radar to display a speed (of a vehicle).  But this is much more accurate and has a lot better sensitivity to it.”

The department recently received training to use the new radar.  Morlan points out that the Greene County Sheriff’s office has a deputy who is a certified Lidar instructor as well.  The deputy and troopers with the Iowa State Patrol were in Jefferson last month teaching the class.

One Lidar Radar cost the department $1,770.  Morlan adds that they used funds from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau with their participation in the Special Traffic Enforcement Program.