Rafferty bill will save tax dollars

A bill sponsored by state Sen. John Rafferty Jr., R-44th Dist., to reduce the number of inspections for equipment used by police officers to catch speeders will save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

The bill has passed the House and is on its way to Gov. Ed Rendell's desk.

The bill amends the Vehicles Code to change the calibration testing requirements for radar guns utilized by the Pennsylvania State Police and police car speedometers for state and local police departments, according to a release from Rafferty's office.

Under the current system, radar guns and all police car speedometers must be tested every 60 days. Under the new legislation, the time requirement is moved to once a year.

State police should realize a savings of up to $420,000 a year, according to Rafferty. Local police departments across Pennsylvania should also see hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings, too, Rafferty says.

"With a looming budget deficit, every little bit of saving for the taxpayers must be looked at," Rafferty says. "I'm happy to assist both the state and local municipalities with this savings to their budgets."

The 60-day testing requirement was established in 1961, and has not been changed to keep up with the new technology standards, Rafferty says. Some states have established a standard for such testing at two-year intervals, he said.

As an example of the savings, each radar calibration test costs $82 every 60 days with over 850 radar guns used by the State Police – not to mention the cost of manpower to package and ship these guns every two months for testing, Rafferty said.