LiDAR lies?
 

Ok, so...i'm going to Costco, on my way long sweeping turn. See Trooper pulling out way ahead of me, like 400 feet, turning left onto the same road i'm on, Mind you, there's a hill so by the time the intersection that the Trooper is pulling out from is even visible, he's already half way through his turn, (4 lanes and a median). Now I get closer to him, I am 40 in a 35, so technically, yes, speeding, I am in the right lane, he is in the left, approaching turnabout, I'm turning right, slow to check for oncoming traffic, drop it in 2nd, make a fairly mild turn (but this is a 1LE so...) now onto straight, get up to 40 MPH (according to PDR), and he lights me up. Says he got me going 51 using LiDAR.

I'm not an expert, but I thought that LiDAR was really needed to be aimed really well, like they look through a reticle and all that jazz. I do know Ka band is on during driving for a lot of the non trooper, local city police cars, maybe Sheriffs too.

I have an Escort MAX 2 with laser band turned on, never alerted.

I was of course very compliant and nice, When the officer told me he got me going 51, I mentioned I have a dash cam and I got up to 40.

takes my papers, goes back to his car for 3 minutes, comes back and tells me the standard, please slow down.

I gotta say, I think he just didn't like that I took that turn faster than he liked and I think he was just fishing, otherwise, 51 in a 35 is an easy ticket.

Here's a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og6jYOTzPYs

I once got pulled over for doing 31 in a 30 :bellyroll: because "you took that corner really fast". Then he wants to know why.

I tell him, politely, because the car is built to take corners fast and its fun.

He gives me the standard speech about what if a child had been walking across the street (at 6am, yeah, right - and I could have easily stopped) and sends me on my way.

But I think if I were a young kid I would have gotten a ticket for something.

Shoulda locked you up for that!

Now, I know different areas, states, counties have different standards and all that, but I've lived here in the Denver Metro for 42 years, 5 over is really safe bet not to get a ticket, 10 over on the highway (55+ posted) is really safe too.

I think he saw the "hot car" and he did mentioned that exact term during the stop, and thought...why the hell not, let's light him up. I think the LiDAR stuff was made up to make it sound like a legit stop.

I mean it needs to be aimed but it's literally just point and shoot.

I was hoping you would chime in, Trooper.

I don't think he ever had the chance to do anything, I was behind him the entire time up to the turn-about circle, we were side by side, his lane technically isn't allowed to go right at that point, I went right, and within 5 seconds he's behind me cherries and berries.

Also, as I mentioned, my detector never alerted and PDR video shows 40MPH.

I think he just didn't like my driving and decided to pull me over, not sure why he had to lie about the 51MPH on LiDAR, but ok, maybe he does that often, IDK.

I was curious about how the LiDAR worked though, wasn't sure if they have something mounted to the car, pointing back and front (but again, if so, how does it aim).

I can't speak for other agencies but our laser is literally a handheld system, looks like a giant sci-fi gun. Our radars are vehicle mounted in the windshield/rear window.

LiDAR has to be stationary to work, correct?

I think you were dealing with an officer that is conducting illegal traffic stops, he probably has a history of doing this and no one complains. He realized that you had him on PDR camera and let you go.

I would think he may have got you a bit before you noticed him, he may have laid back a bit to see if he could get you for more. lol Typical around here. Were you going 51 a bit before you noticed him?

nope, as i mentioned, there's a hill, as soon as the intersection he was entering was even visible, he was already half way into it. I think if he really had me 51 in 35 i would have been cited. I guess i could be wrong, but adding up everything, i think he was bluffing.

Cops gotta pay for their pot somehow.

I don't know his motives and don't paint all with same brush, I don't often get pulled over, last two times in Camaro no ticket though; first time I got up to 60 in 45, short little pull up a hill, nothing extended, guy gave me an "official warning" something in the record cuz he printed it out. Last ticket was 5 years ago in a Honda Pilot 90 MPH in a 75, passing some slow poke, but i guess timing was bad and got me right at that time. I don't drive slow, almost always over just a bit (except on interior streets with houses, I'm under almost always, especially on my street).

IDK, maybe i deserved it, had it coming or something. Probably needed it to check me a bit and just to slow me down a bit, my luck might run out.

No Denver Taco you didn’t deserve it, with Lidar it must be stationary and not pointed through a glass. It also must be checked for its distance of 25 and 50 feet at the beginning and end of shift. There are plenty of moving violations out there to get without conducting illegal traffic stops. This officer probably has a history of doing this and no one confronts him for it, you are correct for not painting all officers with the same brush. This is what law enforcement is fighting against every day. You need to be vigilant on your driving habits and drive safely, but again when you told him that you had it on PDR camera he knew what he had done and let you go.

You run the Dragoneye system?