RADAR LOVE

Police will cite 110,000 motorists for speeding this year in the San Fernando Valley, mostly with radar. Radar, which stands for radio detection and ranging, works by sending out radio waves toward an object and receiving the reflected waves. Recent advances include replacing radar with a beam of laser light, which remains narrowly focused instead of spreading like radio waves, making it easier to pinpoint targeted vehicles. The LAPD is using laser for test purposes in the Valley.

Another device is photo radar, in which a machine checks speed by radar, takes photos of the license plate of offenders, and automatically sends notices to the violators. The Metropolitan Transit Authority currently uses photo radar to catch drivers crossing railroad tracks illegally.

For now, there’s one place local motorists won’t encounter radar: Los Angeles County freeways. The California Highway Patrol uses radar on California 126 in Ventura County and on I-5 north of Woodland, Calif., to the Oregon border.

In Los Angeles County, the CHP uses radar only on county roads it patrols. However, the idea is being explored for local freeways.

We feel our normal enforcement is adequate, said CHP spokesman Sgt. Ernie Garcia. But when and if we use radar, it’s going to further enhance safety.

Los Angeles Police Department officers who use radar must complete a 40-hour course on radar in which they learn not only how to operate the radar gun, but also how to accurately estimate a car’s speed. In addition, radar guns must be calibrated annually, and every five years, streets where police use radar, with the exception of some residential streets, must have an engineering and traffic survey performed to determine the speed limit.

People think radar is the sole thing, but it’s not, said LAPD Officer Jack Jung, Valley Bureau radar coordinator. It’s a combination of the officer’s experience, what he’s been trained to look for, and the radar. All radar does is corroborate the officer’s speed estimate.

Writing A Radar Ticket

Before an officer even starts looking for speeders, he performs several tests on the radar gun. The gun is turned on and two buttons are pushed to ensure proper function and that there is no radio frequency interference. Another test with a tuning fork is performed before and after each ticket is issued.

1. Officer watches for speeders. When one is identified, officer watches car, making mental notes as to color and type and other details, something police call a “tracking history.”Speed visually estimated when vehicle is 800 to 1,000 feet away. Radar gun fired when vehicle is within about 250 feet, sending a continuous radio wave at a certain frequency.

2. When wave strikes car, it is reflected at a different frequency. Radar gun measuresfrequency difference to determine car’s speed.

3. If speed is excessive, officer gets on motorcycle, pulls over driver and issues ticket.

Tickets Written

Increased staffing in 1996 allowed the LAPD to write more tickets in recent years.

There was a 212% increase in average daily citations written per officer in the Valley from 1995 to 1996. . .

1995: 4.8

1996: 15

1997: 17 (estimate)

. . .and a 35% decrease in fatal accidents in the Valley from 1995 to 1996.

1995: 127

1996: 82

1997: 71 (as of Dec. 9)

Radar Detectors

Radar detectors, devices that alter drivers that radar is being used, are owned by an estimated 15 million to 18 million people in the United States, according to Radio Assn. Defending Airwave Rights. they are legal in all states except Virginia and Washington, D.C., but a federal ban has prohibited use nationwide in commerical trucks and buses since Jan. 19, 1994. Many drivers swear by them, but because the devices cannot function until the radar gun is activated, they may be of limited value, according to police.

Q&A; with an Officer

Interview with LAPD Officer Jack Jung, who overseas the use of radar in the San Fernando Valley.

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Q.: What is the advantage of using radar or other methods of catching speeders?

A. When speed increases, so does the accident rate. By using radar, we can reduce accidents and save lives.

Q.: How effective is radar on crowded city streets?

A.: Usually the speed problems are in areas like straightway streets. It’s easy to pick up your speed (in the San Fernando Valley) if you’re not paying close attention to your speedometer.

Q.: How does radar pick out a specific car, especially when several cars are traveling in the same vicinity?

A.: The officer will track the vehicle and start making metal notes as to its color, what type of vehicle, how many people are inside, anything that’s significant about that particular car. After about 1,000 feet, officer will activate radar unit, perhaps 250 feet from their location.

Q.: Does the LAPD have a quota system to encourage its officers to write tickets.?

A.: Absolutely not. It’s in violation of the vehicle code. Basically, it’s illegal to have a quota system.

Q.: Is there a particular day of the week or time of day that more radar tickets are written?

A.: The busiest hours are Monday through Friday, 7 to 9 in the morning, and 4 to 6 in the afternoon. Saturdays and Sundays can vary.

Top 10 Valley Radar Spots

Balboa Boulevard

Burbank Boulevard

De Soto Avenue

Laurel Canyon Boulevard

Nordhoff Street

Rinaldi Street

Sepulveda Boulevard

Vanowen Street

Victory Boulevard

Woodman Avenue

Sources: Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, World Book Encyclopedia; Researched by STEPHANIE STASSEL / Los Angeles Times