Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!genrad!decvax!harpo!floyd!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!fowler
From: fowler@uw-beaver.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Radar detectors for everyone?
Message-ID: <678@uw-beave.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 24-Jun-83 15:30:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: uw-beave.678
Posted: Fri Jun 24 15:30:00 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 27-Jun-83 17:46:03 EDT
Lines: 30

There have been several instances of police deliberately setting up
dummy radar traps that I know of:

1) Official policies of keeping the radar on, even when the cops are
eating lunch, etc.

2) The policy of the RCMP in B.C. (circa '77) of announcing where their
radar traps are for the day.  (The rationale is that they didn't want to be
accused of cruelly ambushing anyone who cares enough to find out where they
are.  The morning traffic reports on some radio stations would tell you
exactly where these alleged speed traps are.  Of course the RCMP wouldn't
lie, but on the other hand, they don't actually have to stay at that spot
all day.  I never saw any sign of radar at the announced locations.

3)  The practice of at least one highway patrol organization
(between B.C and California, inclusive. I forgot where I saw it)
stripping the guts out of a trashed-out patrol car, putting a dummy
(other than one of their regular officers) in the driver's seat,
and towing it to a likely speed trap location.  The one I saw even had a
phony radar horn made out of what looked like tar paper and held on with
a piece of scrap lumber.  The fun comes
when they remove the hulk a week later and put a real patrol car there.

4)  In conjunction with 3), I heard mention of very cheap radar frequency
transmitters (no receiver, just a transmitter) that can be scattered around
the highways, especially around danger spots.  Again, the idea is that you
(an alert, radar detecting speeder) will detect the signal and slow down (at
least initially).  To make it effective, the dummy transmitters are also
used as the sites for real radar traps.  I'm not sure whether this has been
actually used, but the devices have been manufactured.