New radars target speeders

Published 10:57 pm Monday, April 9, 2012

Daily Star photo/AARON MUELLER The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department’s new radar equipment is better at tracking speeding motorists.

Speeders beware.

The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department has some new equipment that should help officers track down drivers going over the speed limit.

The department recently purchased and installed a new radar system for Niles Township patrol cars. The Stalker Dual SL radar system, which is also used by the Michigan State Police, has been installed in two township cars and two patrol cars in north Berrien County.

“It gets the reading quicker and from a greater distance,” Sgt. Steve Campbell said. “They are more efficient and reliable.”

The old radar system was 10 years old and was regularly needing maintenance and repairs. If at the end of the day, a radar is found to not be making accurate readings, all of the tickets issued that day are voided, Campbell said, making the upgrade valuable to the department.

The system has dual antennas — one in the front of the car and one in the back — that can track two targets at the same time. Old technology would track the speed of just the bigger vehicle.

The system not only displays the speed of oncoming vehicles but also features sound technology that rises in pitch based on the speed of vehicles. The radar is also capable of tracking targets going in the same direction as the patrol car.

The radar system cost the department about $5,000, which Campbell says was a significantly reduced rate.