For pinpoint accuracy at catching speeding motorists and issuing tickets, lidar – short for light detection and ranging—is unbeatable. That's the feeling of the Ossining, New York Police Department, which, like so many law enforcement agencies today, has adopted laser speed detectors over the once coveted radar method.

Until about 15 years ago, the Ossining PD used radar (which is radio detection and ranging) as its only speed enforcement tool. Radar uses radio waves to locate moving or fixed objects. When applied for tracking the speed of vehicles, the radar beam is usually 12 feet wide and 100 feet long. Radar presented Ossining PD with too many limitations as traffic increased along with speedsters, so the department purchased two of the LTI 20-20- Marksman speed lasers. This particular model has since been replaced by the LTI UltraLyte series, and Ossining PD now uses both.

"The trouble with radar is that the beam that it emits is going to get the entire roadway, the sidewalk and everything else," notes Ossining Police Officer Peter Carpenter. "So, you really have to rely on your speed estimation to get an accurate speed on a vehicle." Officer Carpenter adds that the radar system was bulky and had to be mounted to a patrol car window.

Officer Carpenter has found the LTI UltraLyte to be much more exact than radar, especially considering the system’s 500- to 1000-foot beam shot, with a diameter of one to three feet. "The laser is very accurate for pinpointing the actual car targeted," Carpenter reveals. "And it's instantaneous! Even if the laser is aimed at a car in traffic, so long as you have a clear line of sight for the front of the car you can still get a speed on that car."

Ossining PD uses the Ultra-Lyte laser for ranging, as well, to get exact distances. In fact, the department recently had to write a village ordinance for reducing speed limits around schools. The Ultra-Lyte laser was successfully used to shoot ranges within these speed zones. Officer Carpenter cites several other aspects that he and fellow officers like about the Ultra-Lyte laser: portability, which allows the laser to fit snugly into motorcycle saddlebags; light weight; battery power (requiring only two "C" batteries); and a compact design, enabling officers to stay hidden when shooting motorists with the laser. Radar is a thing of the past as a speed enforcement tool in the Ossining PD. "The LTI lasers are now king of the roads," says Officer Carpenter.

Eight years ago, when it took Grayslake Police Department Officer Joe Manges more than six hours to map and diagram by hand a two-car rollover crash scene on an Illinois roadway, causing a lengthy road closure, he knew a quicker mapping method was needed.

Following the crash, Officer Manges researched various forensic mapping equipment and drawing programs that would require less time, boost accuracy, and make his work more professional. He chose a mapping package from Laser Technology, Inc., since he already was using an LTI UltraLyte laser, used for both speed enforcement and mapping crash scenes.

In addition to working for Grayslake PD, Officer Manges also serves with the Lake County (IL) Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT). As one of the team leaders, he introduced LTI’s equipment to the other MCAT members.

Since using this battery of equipment for subsequent accident scenes, the MCAT has achieved several benefits. "We just use fixed points at the scene, or we can create our own fixed points or control points," explains Officer Manges. "That's how we can triangulate our position and map the scene to scale."

A Mapstar Encoder that is part of LTI's mapping system precisely calculates a turned, horizontal angle that is referenced to a fixed point. "The angle encoder is a huge time saver," Officer Manges notes, adding "it also allows us to do crush measurements on the cars."

MCAT has approximately 60 accident investigators who work among various police departments throughout Lake County, Illinois, as well as with the county coroner's office. Once they receive a call, measuring the scene and reopening the roads as fast as possible are top priorities.

Using the LTI mapping equipment and field software has helped MCAT investigate crash scenes quicker and easier. For example, Officer Manges says he recently responded to an accident scene involving a single vehicle crash on a busy, four-lane state road. The road had two curves throughout the 1,000-foot crash scene. Using the LTI equipment, Manges was able to map the scene and reopen the roadway within two hours after his arrival.

Once a diagram is ready to be created with the mapped points, Officer Manges says he can include helpful details in diagrams completed with the CAD Zone's CrashZone program (also part of the LTI package) such as houses, trees and shrubs in addition to other basic aspects that are part of an accident scene—cars, gouges, scratches, roadway, and skid marks.

Another benefit that Officer Manges cites with using the LTI equipment is the ability to just gather more data points at the crash scene compared to manual mapping. "We can include maybe 300 times more points with this method than we could measuring it by hand," Manges said. "It just makes you more thorough and professional in your job, and more accurate." And, best of all, roads usually are re-opened more quickly, reducing the risk of secondary accidents.

Sergeant John Naccarato of Clackamas County, OR has performed extensive field testing and has taken the initiative to execute a pilot program with a new technology called DBC (Distance Between Cars). This patented software code is programmed into LTI's UltraLyte 100 LR speed laser and provides officers with the ability to collect accurate measurements between vehicles, both in distance and time. This data allows an objective argument to be made, using the vehicle’s speed, perception, and reaction time to determine a safe following distance.
 
Until now, only visual observations could be made by the traffic officers to determine if a vehicle was traveling too closely behind another vehicle. Since adding DBC technology to their speed lasers, Clackamas County has issued about 200 violations for speeding and for following too closely. According to NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, "the economic cost of speeding-related crashes is estimated to be $40.4 billion each year". Sgt. Naccarato is one of many advocates of this new technology in the U.S. Other states are adopting DBC technology and beginning to promote tailgating enforcement campaigns through the local media and electronic billboards placed along the highways.

Earlier this year, the French Gendarmerie added an additional 200 UltraLyte lasers to their fleet following an even bigger order placed last year. The 3-year tender is being handled by LTI's European subsidiary, based in Bordeaux, France and originated from the government’s decision to strengthen its policy against road violence. The French Metrology Institute required custom features to be implemented into the UltraLyte's internal software before they could accept the bid.

One of the features requires the officers to select the direction of either approaching or departing vehicles, prior taking a speed measurement. The laser allows officers to enter a specific speed limit directly into the UltraLyte. If a speed measurement exceeds the entered value, a higher pitched audio tone is activated, giving the officer a visual and audio indication that the vehicle is speeding. Both of these features were required to ensure the compliance of the speed enforcement laws established in France.

The UltraLyte laser has received approvals for use in the U.S. and other countries across the world. LTI has also lead the way to establish judicial precedence for lasers.

Assistant Chief Bobby Jones was called in to assist investigators with mapping a fatal crash scene. Jones arrived on the scene at approximately 2:10 p.m. Preliminary photographs of the entire scene were taken, prior to taking field measurements. Jones then proceeded to set up his LTI QuickMap 3D (QM3D) mapping system and began taking measurements of vehicle positions, skid marks and surrounding landmarks to obtain a point of reference.

The mapping system included an LTI UltraLyte 200 speed laser, an Angle Encoder (AE) and data collector. Combined, it measures distances, heights and horizontal angles. This enabled Jones to set up one control point and remotely measure all the aspects of the scene.

The QM3D field software offers 3 mapping methods: baseline offset, range/range triangulation, and radial with angle - the most efficient method (requires the AE). Jones collected 110 data points and was able to map the entire scene by 2:54 p.m. Prior to leaving the scene, Jones downloaded the collected data to his laptop with CrashZone's diagramming software to ensure a successful transfer.

He then returned to his office and began reconstructing the crash scene at 3:19 p.m. If Jones had used a pencil and clipboard to record the measurements of the scene, it would have taken him hours, having to recreate all the points in the CAD program. By transferring all the data points electronically, it took Jones less than 30 minutes to manipulate the CAD file into courtroom-ready diagrams.

At approximately 4:22 p.m., Jones completed his summary report and a preliminary speed analysis. "I was amazed when I noticed the time, after completing the diagrams. With LTI's QuickMap 3D, I was able to map and reconstruct a 110-point crash scene in less than 2.2 hours," Bobby Jones explains. "The QuickMap 3D software is easy to use and adapts to any scene because you can choose among three different mapping techniques."

The latest version of QM3D software now runs on a Pocket PC platform. Investigators can now collect data on a TDS Recon, which is considered one of the most rugged handheld computers on today’s market.

Hundreds of departments have replaced the tape wheel and clipboard with LTI's QM3D system. It has proven to save time in the field and the office, in comparison to the conventional tape wheel and clipboard.

LTI offers complete mapping packages, including CadZone's desktop diagramming software and TDS Recon data collectors.

Tech Tip on the Angle Encoder