Charlotte police say speed detectors back in service after certification issue
Charlotte police say a certification issue with speed detection units “had to do with paperwork” and never concerned whether the devices worked properly.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said Friday it returned all radar and lidar devices to service and that “the units have functioned properly throughout the entire process.” Their effectiveness came into question last month when city staff said the units weren’t tested by properly certified technicians.
Of the city’s 230 radar and LIDAR detection devices, CMPD found 170 were tested by technicians who lacked certification required by the state, Charlotte Chief Information Officer Reenie Askew told reporters in February. CMPD motorcycles and cars typically use radar and LIDAR detection devices to determine vehicle speeds when conducting traffic stops, Sgt. Adam Jones said.
It’s unclear how many speeding citations issued will be affected, Askew said, but judges tossed some tickets in February because of the certification issue, The Charlotte Observer reported.
“In no way did this compromise our ability to enforce speed and traffic laws,” CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings said in a news release.
Manufacturer guidelines and NC law
Some of the testing was done by technicians in accordance with the device manufacturer’s guidelines, but they lacked certifications required by North Carolina law. The device testing was signed off by supervisors who had required certifications.
The city noted “many certifications” were done in compliance with state regulations, but not all. The division supervisors also should not have signed the certificates of devices they did not test, according to a news release.
“It’s important to note that we do not believe that radars and LIDARs were miscalibrated as the technicians were trained to do this properly and the supervisors signing the forms have full confidence that testing and calibration has been done accurately,” Askew said in February.
In a prepared statement, District Attorney Spencer Merriweather’s office said speed detection devices are used in court only to corroborate the opinion of a trained officer. The officer’s opinion is the primary evidence.
“We anticipate that we will be able to proceed on many of these cases in the absence of corroborative equipment-based evidence, but in other instances, cases may ultimately be dismissed,” the district attorney’s office said. “The DA’s Office will review pending speeding cases as they appear in court, as well as other cases that arose from traffic stops in which LIDAR or radar equipment is relevant, and take whatever action is appropriate.”
Technician raised issue
Charlotte’s Public Safety Communications Division discovered the issue after a technician received their certification in October and began to ask questions about the process, city officials said.
North Carolina legislation requires devices to be tested annually by a technician possessing one of two certifications from the Federal Communications Commission or by a laboratory established by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
City staff began developing a plan to address the issue Feb. 1, informed CMPD leadership Feb. 3 and removed speed detection devices Feb. 9. On Feb. 11, workers began recalibrating devices. The city expected to finish by the beginning of March.
“We must hold ourselves accountable to the fact that we did not adhere to the state requirements,” Askew said. “We believe this issue started as an incorrect interpretation of the requirements back in 2008 and has become a standard practice.”
This story was originally published February 15, 2023 at 2:14 PM.
