Police Radar Detectors in Newport News

A police radar detector is an instrument that is used by drivers to try to detect when a police officer is attempting to detect the speed of their vehicle. They work by using radar to detect the radar guns used by the officers before the radar gun can detect the driver’s vehicle’s speed. These detectors are illegal in Virginia and if you are caught using one you can face steep fines and how your radar detector confinscated for some time. To learn more about radar detectors and their use in VA, consult with a Newport News speeding ticket lawyer.

Legality of a Radar Detector in Newport News

It’s illegal to have any type of radar detector in Newport News that is accessible to any driver or passenger in the vehicle. It’s not illegal to just possess one, as long as it’s unplugged and inaccessible, which would be the case if it was turned off, unplugged and put in the trunk of the car. It doesn’t depend on the model. All of them were illegal as long as they’re accessible.

If you’re driving from another state where radar detectors are legal, the best thing to do is to unplug your radar detector from the power source. Turn it off and put it inside your trunk or anywhere in your vehicle where it’s not going to be accessible by anyone in the vehicle.

What About Radar Jammers?

Radar jammers are instruments that people use to cause a police officer’s radar gun to stop working or to jam up. When someone uses a radar jammer on an officer’s radar gun, the radar gun will no longer show any speed reading at all. It will appear to have malfunctioned completely. They’re not legal in Newport News. Additionally, because there’s no reading shown at all rather than an incorrect reading, the law enforcement officers can tell if someone is using a radar jammer.

Penalties For Possessing a Radar Detector

The penalty for having a radar detector is that you will be issued a fine. There are no demerit points typically awarded for having an illegal radar detector although the officer is permitted to take the radar detector if he decides that he needs it as evidence. Once the trial is over, however, if he no longer needs the radar detector as evidence, he is required to return it to whoever has been charged with the violation.

How An Attorney Can Help

A lawyer can help you get it back if the law enforcement officers did not give it back to you after your trial. However, if it has been 6 months or more, the court allows the officers to destroy the radar detectors if they haven’t been  returned at that time.