PA Police Chief's must have gotten the March revenue numbers yesterday, & sent the boys out today to make up for it.

Had to make a trip out to pick up our car from the shop, and cops were EVERYWHERE.
Saw 3 of our local cops as we left (I think we only have 3, total)... Noticed an unmarked cop car sitting at the far side of the eastbound rt30 overpass ramp(by the downramp) at Wrightsville PA. Then when we crossed over the river saw 2 more in Columbia, and 2 on prospect rd heading towards Mount Joy and then 2 more as we pulled into the dealer in Mount Joy. Then on the way home we passed all those local cops again, still staged along the local roads... When we got back onto 30 heading back to York, we saw what that cop on the bridge was doing... he was using hand held radar... from the driver seat... across the passenger seat out the passenger window at west bound traffic an easy 200yds away on a hard angle as they crest the hill. I've seen them on top of that bridge shooting straight down the west bound lane... but never from the east bound down ramp across the ramp median, west bound lanes,.. 100+ ft center median at the far lane traffic. Never knew radar was even accurate at that steep of an angle... let alone the distance.

Anyway... I knew he was up there, so I was probably the only one going anywhere near the speed limit of 55 when I hit the top of the hill. (Normal flow is 65, and when traveling that speed you will get passed by cops on most days) When I got on the west side of the overpass it looked like Christmas.... 6 State Cops with people pulled over along the road, and 2 more waiting on the down ramp... No idea if any were returning back on the east bound side for another go... as I wasn't looking across the wide median to the left while passing all the cars pulled over on the right hand side...

From time to time the State cops have set up traps there before.... maybe once every few years... but I've never seen more than 4 chase cars and 1 spotter before at that location.... or for that matter any of the other spots they target along 30.


Odd that they figure now is the time set up the biggest speed trap in the history of our tiny town along route 30.
But it is one of the few spots on 30 that's at the top of a hill, that easily hides flashing lights from pulled over cars out of view.
In other words... and easy $$$ generation spot, when times get tough.

The few major accidents that have happened along that section have been on the other side, heading down the hill.
But they clearly weren't targeting that... they were on the uphill $$ side.

So if you happen to live in the Lanc-York area... keep your eyes open & make sure you slow down today.

Law enforcement enforcing laws. And?

X2 . Crime is way down nationwide, like after a blizzard. Police are keeping them self busy enforcing VTL.

Crime is down because even small time crooks watch their local news.,,,
And they all saw people lined up around every gun shop in the State last month.
You'd have to be a complete idiot to try and break into a house now.
Even Grandma is all set to bag her limit of bad guys,

Speed limit enforcement is always proclaimed to be "For Safety"...
But speed is not an issue, when the roads are virtually empty. It's like driving in Utah around here now, a car every 1/4mile.
And one cop getting breathed on by someone with Covid-19, has the potential to spread those germs to the next 100 people he pulls over... that very same day. So explain exactly how that tips the scales towards making anything safer. Speed traps are just that... traps. They are not looking for someone driving recklessly like most local cops... they are there strictly for the $$$. IF they were interested in saving lives... They wouldn't risk spreading more deadly germs, and they would pick a spot where lives have actually been lost... not just where it's just easy to hide. The only accidents that happen in that area involve rodents, and the occasional deer at night.

Ya ever drive through KS, its the norm to have one on the gun and 10 or more making stops.

Here in a county of 10k people drive the speed limit on there own because 3 over, your looked at, 5 your gonna get talked to, 6 or more and your a winner.

A bit unrelated, but ive never seen my monthly bills I send out checks for be cashed and cleared my bank as fast as this last week., everyone needs there funds.

Radar doesn't have to be accurate, it just has to generate revenue.

Traps? As in a trap to catch people breaking the law? Don't speed, don't have to worry about it. Break the law, pay the consequences.

Seems to be normal here. When weather warms up for the first couple weeks or so, they come out of the woodwork.

People gripe when the cops don't do their job and gripe when they do. Make up your minds.

Runnertogo, look up cosine effect for traffic radar. That cop catches someone going let’s say 70, with a steep angle like you mention, the driver is actually traveling faster. He gets a break if the radar showed 70, he was actually going faster.

As for accuracy, traffic radar is accurate. As long as the operator is trained and uses it correctly.

Traffic radar class - you spend more time in class learning all the anomalies and how to prevent them.

Around here, if you drive less than 10-15 mph over the limit, you are putting your life at risk because other drivers will either rear end you, or cut in front of you trying to space their vehicle so that that miss you by less than a foot, or even brake check you, to “teach you a lesson” for driving so slow.
When I drive in other states, I try to pace myself with the other traffic and hope that keeps me out of the crosshairs of the area police.

^ this.

Now, I will admit that I was largely being tongue in cheek in my reply, because I agree that there are agencies and communities who use traffic enforcement to generate revenue. I just enjoy the hypocrisy of some who have no problem when police overstep in other instances, but boo hoo about speeding tickets. That's a general statement, not directed at the OP.

Left work at 11 PM one night after a 16 hour day fixing a cut telephone cable. I am on my motorcycle in the left hand HOV lane doing about 63 MPH in a 60 zone. A car come up in the far right lane and crosses over three lanes to get right behind me. Then it starts tailgating me so close I could only see the headlights in my bikes mirrors and the roar of the engine. The most commen thing to do on a bike is punch it and pull away. I did NOT. I slowed down to 50 MPH. The driver honked the horn so I pulled over 1 lane, so did he. So i pulled over to the slow lane and dropped down to 45 MPH and the "Washington State Patrol" driver gave up and sped off.

Common thing the Military Police on Ft Gordon GA were doing is to point the radar gun down the defrost vent in the Ford Granada cop cars. With the defrost motor on low it was 32 MPH so 7 over in a 25 MPH zone. On high it was like 60 MPH so if out on the 'Range Road' with a 45 MPH zone they had you at 15 MPH over.
Lots of young female trainee's that had cars were pulled over doing 32 MPH in the 25 zone and offered a special way NOT to get a ticket.

And as an aside, my 1984 Shelby would be doing 35 MPH on the MP's radar sitting dead still with the Shelby's windshield wipers on high.

The speed thing: there are people who are incapable at any speed, and there are cars & drivers who are capable at well over the posted limit.

The Germans have it figured out better than anyone, but also have a culture & requirements to make their deal work as well as it does.

Anyone driving through Spokane Valley on I-90: the cops use unmarked, non-typical-LEO vehicles, with hidden lights.
For a few miles, Limit drops to 60, although the freeway should still be 70; natural 95th-percentile flow is usually 70, too.
To me, that's not only "cheating", but if something doesn't present itself as law enforcement, it may not seem - or be - legit to other drivers.
There was a problem a while back where some bad guys were posing externally as LEO to get up to the cars who'd pull over.

The WSP in the Bellevue WA area have a few SNEEKER cars too. A few F150's and a few 2003-2005 Buick LeSabers.

The best comment I ever heard from an LEO is " we're trained to "estimate" the speed of a moving vehicle," was told this when I confronted an officer and received a ticket for "estimated speeding", it was eventually dismissed in court after I questioned the Judge on the need for States to purchase radar equipment if officers are so highly trained they can estimate the speed of a vehicle simply by eye contact?

Personally I've never had the need/assistance for/from any LEO for the last 5+ decades, but it does bother me when they turn a town into revenue collection trap by petty vehicle traffic law enforcement, or any kind of profiling stops, check points, etc

It seems a lot of people around here are taking this lockdown to mean they are driving Fury Road, road rules no longer apply. I've had a bunch of them blow by me at crazy speeds. Now I am seeing the officers set up checking the roads, kind of don't mind it.

Yeah, one of the F150's has a dirt bike in the back to blend in.

My SIL is a cop, just talked to him and he says it's been really quiet. I told him when this was all over the crazies will make up for lost time.