Police Radar
Misreadings and Errors

While many police departments effectively use radar to control traffic, there are still numerous instances of improper use. To operate traffic radar does not require genius, but it does require proper training as well as a basic understanding of this precision instrument.

Unfortunately many people have the misperception that police radar is infallible, it is not. This document is intended to familiarize the reader with the use and misuse of police radar by examining basic scientific and engineering principles in detail. There are numerous instances of unintentional (and a few intentional) abuses. Observing speed limits does not guarantee immunity from an undeserved ticket.

Includes microwave and laser radar operation - how radar works, proper use, limitations, potential operator errors, and common misreadings and mistakes. General situations are analyzed for potential, probable, and sometimes inevitable speed errors. In many instances errors are predictable knolwing just the general setup.

Basic radar theory, physiics, and mathematics are use to prove all findings. All technical information and conclusions quantifiably described using illustrations, graphs, tables, or mathematical formulas - based on or derived from fundamental scientific and engineering principles, published factory specifications, empirical data, or U.S. Government documents.