Senate Committee Approves Solobay Speed-Timer Bill

A state Senate committee on Tuesday gave its approval to a bill sponsored by state that he said will help local police departments save some cash.

“Municipalities have been struggling to balance their budgets and it’s important that state lawmakers look at mandates that have been passed down to see if they still make sense financially,” Solobay said. “This one needed to be fixed.”

Solobay’s Senate Bill 1179 lets local police departments re-calibrate speed timing devices every six months, rather than every two months as required under current law.

“Improving technology calls for this requirement to be relaxed," Solobay said. “I’ve talked to industry experts and I’m convinced that accuracy will be maintained and local police departments will save money.”

The bill now heads out to the full Senate for a vote.

According to a 2009 study by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, extending the time between required calibrations for speed timing devices could save local police departments between $500 and $2,000 per year, Solobay said.

Under law, the Pennsylvania State Police is the only police organization authorized to use radar guns to enforce speed limits. Local police are limited to other electric devices. 

Two years ago, the General Assembly relaxed the recalibration requirement for state police radar guns from every two months to every year, the senator added.

“It makes sense to make things consistent and save money,” Solobay said.

If approved, the bill would go into effect in six months, to allow departments and recalibration companies to adjust schedules, paperwork and recalibration cycles.