Law Enforcement Technology

AUG 2017

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www.officer.com AUGUST 2017 LAW ENFORCEMENT TECHNOLOGY 7 Tired of Being Jammed? and they have no prohibitions on the infrared LEDs or LASERs for consumer use. This means speed countermeasure companies are free to produce LASER jammers as they please, and consumers are spending anywhere from $400 to $2,000 to buy these popular items. Currently 11 states prohibit the use of LASER jammers: California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Despite the prohibition in these areas availability of these products is quite easy thanks to online ordering and delivery. Virginia and D.C. remain the last hold out for RADAR detector prohibition; however, approximately 15 percent of RADAR detector owners in portions of Virginia also have a LASER jammer installed as well. What is a LASER jammer? LASER jammers are small, electronic devices attached to a vehicle that reduce or eliminate the ability for police speed measurement LIDAR to obtain a reading. Jammers can be found in a few different sizes depending upon where they are meant to be mounted. Since license plates are a primary target for LIDAR operators, one form of jammer is a slim, rectangular shape so that it can be installed using the license plate mounting screws. Other jammers range in size from about three-inches wide to as narrow as one and a half-inches. These smaller, individual-head jammers are usually found in pairs on the front of the vehicle. You will find them within close proximity to the headlights of the vehicle. Y ou've selected a great spot for running LIDAR. There's good line of sight, no obstructions and you settle in to start hunt- ing speeders. Pull after pull of the trigger and speed readings flash in the display. Suddenly out of nowhere you spot him in the left lane, blowing past slower traffic like a 3,000-pound missile. Your visual estimate puts him at over 100 mph. You aim for a headlight and pull the trigger but the LIDAR gives you no reading. You pull the trigger for longer this time hoping for a reading. The LIDAR beeps rhythmically but still no reading. Suddenly the acquisition tone goes solid and the display shows 55 mph in a posted 55 mph zone. Was your visual estimate wrong? Is something wrong with the LIDAR? Were you aiming in the wrong place? The other possibility: your LIDAR just got jammed. RADAR jammers fall under FCC jurisdiction and are illegal in the U.S.; however, LIDAR jam- mers fall under FDA jurisdiction T R A ININ G A N D O F F I C E R S A F E T Y Police departments can benefit from anti-jamming LIDARs and jam-resistant operational strategies by Christopher Ihara Currently Washington, D.C. and 11 states prohibit the use of LASER jammers, including: California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia.

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