Staff Reports
The Bartholomew County Sheriff Department is among 162 state and local police agencies receiving new radar equipment to catch speeders.
The sheriff’s department is receiving 10 dash-mounted RADAR systems that may be used while patrol vehicles are moving or stopped, which are also capable of measuring traffic speeds in the same or opposite directions, said Indiana Criminal Justice Institute officials.
The department is also receiving one LIDAR speed-enforcement devices, which is hand-held radar equipment which will help deputies spot speeding drivers through several lanes of traffic or obstructions such as trees or bushes, according to the institute.
Adding the new LIDAR unit will bring the sheriff’s department total to three, said Sgt. Jim Stevens, who also said all three have been acquired this year. In addition to the hand-held units precision in measuring speed of vehicles through various obstacles, the devices can also be used at accident reconstruction scenes to accurately measure distances, he said.
The RADAR units for the sheriff’s department will be used to replace several aging units and also added to vehicles for three new deputies the department is hiring.
The institute is distributing 1,000 of the RADAR and LIDAR units among the 162 police agencies, purchased with $1.6 million in funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In addition to the equipment for Bartholomew County, the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department is receiving five of the RADAR units and one LIDAR unit, as is the Seymour Police Department. The Shelby County Sheriff Department is also receiving five of the RADAR units and one LIDAR unit.
The Indiana State Police are receiving 50 of the LIDAR units, according to the institute.
Federal grants administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institutes’ traffic safety division fund training, equipment and overtime enforcement of Indiana traffic laws to reduce crashes, injuries and deaths.
In the past two years, the institute has distributed:
2,600 portable breath tests among 150 police agencies to evaluate alcohol impairment in drivers
Android tablets and an app to the more than 230 police officers trained in recognizing drugged drivers
Speeding statistics published by the institute and Indiana University Public Policy Institute show:
Nearly 29,000 people were in speed-related crashes on Indiana roads in 2017, resulting in 207 deaths and 6,428 non-fatal injuries.
Speed related violations such as following too closely and unsafe lane movement are among the top causes of Indiana crashes.
Young drivers, particularly young men, are more likely to be speeding before a crash.
For more information about the institute, visit in.gov/cji/.
