WASHINGTON – Wicomico County Sheriff’s deputies have yet to take their new laser gun out at night. And they’re not likely to anytime soon.
The laser, officially known as lidar, is the latest weapon in the police arsenal against speeders and some local departments have found it particularly useful at night. But Wicomico will not be among those departments.
“To work a laser at night is just not a safe thing to do,” said Chief Deputy Kirk Daugherty. “At night, if you’re using a stopping team, if you have an officer flagging down a driver, it’s definitely a hazard to that officer.”
But Lt. Thomas Ledwell, commander of special operations for the Frederick City Police Department, said night speed traps are better suited to some areas. His department already sets up speed traps at night and is considering buying a laser.
“We’re a municipal department, so we don’t have highways or lots of high- speed roads,” Ledwell said. “It’s a safer place to do it.”
Lidar is useful at night because it emits a narrow beam of light, allowing officers working in the dark to target a specific car for a speed check. The system has been in use for several years, but has only recently begun to move into most local police departments.
Stephanie Faul of the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety said she sees a need for night enforcement.
“Nearly half of all fatal crashes are single vehicle crashes after dark with speed as a factor or alcohol as a factor,” Faul said.
But she remains concerned for the safety of individual officers.
“It’s a great hazard to the police officers,” Faul said. “I’ve heard several stories where motorists hit stopped police cars or officers got hit while giving tickets [after dark].”
A Maryland State Police spokeswoman said she did not know of any accidents involving officers who were using lidar for a nighttime speed trap.
Montgomery County Police Officer Derek Baliles, who personally likes setting up laser traps at night, said his department has not had any incidents since increasing the frequency of night speed traps either.
“We’ve been very fortunate,” said Baliles, adding that officers take care not to put themselves in harm’s way when setting up a speed trap at night.
But there are other dangers lurking at night, he said, and there’s only so much an officer can do to protect himself.
“At night, we can’t see inside of cars,” Baliles said. “We can’t see what drivers are doing. People could be fumbling for their registration or a machine gun.”