Police Scanners illegal, but not radar detectors?

[teedee911]

Those laws are basically outdated, with the enhancements of digital and encrypted radio communication most of those states could easily scrap those laws. Anyone with a smart phone can easily download live police scanner feed apps for most US states and even though there is
a time delay you can still listen to tons of highway patrol action. I got pulled over in Upstate NY at 3:30 in the morning for speeding and had
my SDS200 mounted in the console but turned off. He flashed his light on it and said "do you have your license and registration available?".
After a quick check he gave me a warning and I was on my way.

 

[iMONITOR]

Those laws are basically outdated, with the enhancements of digital and encrypted radio communication most of those states could easily scrap those laws. Anyone with a smart phone can easily download live police scanner feed apps for most US states and even though there is
a time delay you can still listen to tons of highway patrol action. I got pulled over in Upstate NY at 3:30 in the morning for speeding and had
my SDS200 mounted in the console but turned off. He flashed his light on it and said "do you have your license and registration available?".
After a quick check he gave me a warning and I was on my way.

They don't enforce law and order in NY anymore.

 

[teedee911]

They don't enforce law and order in NY anymore.

Well....I try to keep things neutral in Radio-World, reality is what it is, let us enjoy the few fun escapes left.

 

[garys]

The only thing harder to do than get a new law enacted is to get an outdated one repealed.

 

[hp8920]

Do your research and you will find states band scanner’s shortly after someone recorded newt Gingrich talking down south somewhere on his phone and posted it.

That was passing the law which blocked cellular frequencies from scanners. Which is also obsolete, since digital cell systems have been encrypted.

 

[dave3825]

Once in New Jersey, after a particularly high speed part of route 80, a police car in front of everyone turned their flashers on and weaved back and forth across the highway to slow everyone down before a new construction zone. I don't know if that's standard practice, but in this case it worked.

Known here as a rolling stop or a slow roll, it's used on our roads to force cars to slow down and be forced to exit the roadway via an exit ramp due to accidents. The slow roll is used more for slowing traffic down to let large (usually pd or fire) funeral processions enter a highway and stay together.

 

[chrismol1]

.....They call that a traffic break in california..The C....H....P sometimes also a rolling roadblock

In NY the VTL 397 for scanners in cars illegal states "Equipping motor vehicles with radio receiving sets capable of
receiving signals on the frequencies allocated for police use" dunno if a cop or prosecutor could stretch that to not only voice but also radar radio signals as written. "allocated for police" whats that mean, maybe so, maybe not, someones interpretation and arguments ah the beauty of law. whats the spirit of the law

 

[bob550]

A radar detector is one of the few devices legally built that is designed to help you break the law.

Yet, detector manufacturer's promotional material would have you believe that you would be contributing to safe driving by mounting their detector in your car, LOL. Buying a radar detector to promote "safe driving" is the equivalent of reading Playboy Magazine for the articles.

 

[bob550]

Embarassingly enough, I've been stopped for speeding a couple of times in New York State and the LEOs never mentioned the radar detector sitting on my dash.

 

[garys]

Up here, they just block the exits and on ramps for that.

Known here as a rolling stop or a slow roll, it's used on our roads to force cars to slow down and be forced to exit the roadway via an exit ramp due to accidents. The slow roll is used more for slowing traffic down to let large (usually pd or fire) funeral processions enter a highway and stay together.

 

[garys]

The same can be said about using Waze, flashing your headlights, or having a CB radio in your vehicle.

Yet, detector manufacturer's promotional material would have you believe that you would be contributing to safe driving by mounting their detector in your car, LOL. Buying a radar detector to promote "safe driving" is the equivalent of reading Playboy Magazine for the articles.

 

[dlwtrunked]

This is just the weirdest thing. So, as you know in the states of, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, and New York; Having a police scanner that is active in your car is illegal, because it will make it easy to circumvent speed traps...which is literally the same exact thing radar detectors do but there legal in those same states? I just don't understand, i've had this question for a while ever since I learned about this. To me, this is the weirdest legal bias i've ever seen. Could anybody explain why this is a thing?

The laws in some states against scanners in cars has very little to do with speed traps. They were more against those committing other crimes and trying to get away from police.

 

[dave3825]

Up here, they just block the exits and on ramps for that.

They do that here to but do the slow roll to get everyone off the highway/parkways.

 

[northstarfire0693]

If you have a radio in your car and get stopped, just put it onto a zone that doesn't receive any public safety freqs. If the cop ask, tell him its a work radio.

 

[avaloncourt]

Even radar detector laws are silly now that Police use lidar for the most part instead.

Or you could live in a state stuck in the stone age (Pennsylvania) where only the state police can use radar and they are limited to fixed K-band only. No high tech needed here. You just need a model that manages the surrounding vehicle anti-collision systems falses.

 

[kd8bsg]

Or you could live in a state stuck in the stone age (Pennsylvania) where only the state police can use radar and they are limited to fixed K-band only. No high tech needed here. You just need a model that manages the surrounding vehicle anti-collision systems falses.

Be very glad that only the staties can run radar (on interstates and no rolling radar). It keeps the locals from turning the interstate into a cash cow. Look at Linndale, Ohio. 422 yards of interstate keeps this Village of a little over 100 people going with 80% of it's $1 million budget.

 

[dlwtrunked]

...
Even radar detector laws are silly now that Police use lidar for the most part instead.
...

 

[MUTNAV]

I was under the impression that some radar detectors can detect lidar.

Thanks
Joel

 

[bob550]

I was under the impression that some radar detectors can detect lidar.

Thanks
Joel

They can. However, due to the narrow nature of the lidar beam, and the fact that said beam is aimed at your front license plate (if you have one), your detector is next to useless. Only if that beam incidentally hits the sensor on your detector would your unit alert.

 

[redbeard]

They can. However, due to the narrow nature of the lidar beam, and the fact that said beam is aimed at your front license plate (if you have one), your detector is next to useless. Only if that beam incidentally hits the sensor on your detector would your unit alert.

And due to the nature of LIDAR being light and not a radio signal, jamming is also legal. Active LIDAR jammers are pretty effective I hear.