Patrol Car Radar Unit/LIDAR Project

The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG) allows states and units of local government, including tribes, to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime based on their own state and local needs and conditions. Grant funds can be used for state and local initiatives, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, and information systems for criminal justice, including for any one or more of the following purpose areas: 1) law enforcement programs; 2) prosecution and court programs; 3) prevention and education programs; 4) corrections and community corrections programs; 5) drug treatment and enforcement programs; 6) planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs; and 7) crime victim and witness programs (other than compensation).

The city of Ferndale will use JAG funding to purchase radar units and a handheld laser device for the police department. The department currently has eight marked patrol cars in their fleet. Each car has a radar unit permanently mounted in them, but the units are approximately ten years old and in a constant state of disrepair. These units are the backbone of traffic enforcement for the community and can no longer be relied upon for consistent use. The city of Ferndale, like many communities in Michigan and the United States, is suffering from severe budgetary constraints and cannot afford to replace all radar units. This project will replace all units at one time, allowing the police officers that use them to be trained and maintain only one set of protocols for their use. Further, the replacement units will be the most current technology and will provide the motoring public with the most accurate speed measuring devices available. The results of this project will improve the safety of the motoring citizens. The police department plans to augment their speed enforcement program with a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) handheld laser device. This device measures motor vehicle speed with the use of laser instead of radio waves. This allows users to measure motor vehicle speed accurately, and it will also disable radar detectors used by offenders.

NCA/NCF