Whatu2019s the maximum targeting range of police laser?

Laser can be operated from very far distances, much farther than police radar, making it extremely difficult for the driver to know that they are being targeted.u00a0 Unlike police radar, police lidar can be operated at such great distances, police officers really donu2019t even have to hide like police radar operators, because itu2019s extremely hard to spot them from those extreme targeting distances.u00a0 Some laser guns can successfully measure your speed as far away as 4000 feet or more, though generally targeting distances are below 2800 feet.

Why is police laser more lethal than radar?

Lidar enforcement technology was created specifically to target a select vehicle from a pack of them at much greater distance and precision than radar.u00a0 It is not uncommon to drive in certain states and find yourself being targeted at greater than 2000 feet.u00a0 Itu2019s routinely done in Maryland and Virginia, for example (only New Jersey has restricted targeting to 1000 feet or fewer).nnSo at these distances the likelihood is that you wonu2019t even see the officer at all and by the time you do, it will be far too late.nnLong-distance targeting without advanced warning is what makes police laser difficult to beat without a countermeasure such as Veil or a jammer (where legal) or both in combination.

Police laser & police lidar traffic enforcement

Q: Are police laser speed guns accurate?

Yes, police laser speed guns are very accurate.nnA police lidar gun is very accurate and can often determine you speed to the 10th of miles per hour.nnUnlike police radar which directly determines a vehicleu2019s speed by measuring its doppler (speed induced frequency) shift, a police laser gun calculates speed by observing the changing amount of time is takes to u201cseeu201d a series of reflected pulses of light over a discreet period of time.nnPolice laser was first introduced as a traffic enforcement tool in the early 1990s as a better alternative to police radar and offers police departments inherent advantages, namely:nnPrecise targeting of vehicles out of a busy roadwaynDifficult detection by motoristsnFarther usable operating range than police radarnHigher conviction rates than police radarnnTodayu2019s fifth generation police laser guns provide superior construction quality with improved optics, circuitry, and speed detection algorithms that are far more advanced and are proving to be especially lethal to drivers on the roadways, including those who use expensive laser jammers.

Q: What police laser speed guns are currently being used to conduct lidar traffic enforcement?

The most popular police lidar guns currently in use are:nnKustom Signal Pro Laser 4nLTI TruSpeednLTI Truspeed SX & SXBnDragonEye Speed LasernDrangEye CompactnStalker XLRnStalker RLRnnYou may come across some older generation police lasers that are still in usennStalker LZ1nKustom Pro Laser 3nLTI 20-20

Q: Can police a police lidar speed gun be used at night?

Yes this form of traffic enforcement can be and is often used at night and speed measuring distances can increase significantly making it extremely hard to know that your speed is being clocked.

Q: Can police laser be used in the rain or fog?

Inclement weather can certainly have a negative impact on an officer trying to obtain your speed.u00a0 Typically range drops from thousands of feet to a mere hundred or so.u00a0 Newer police lasers have an inclement weather mode which can help improve speed detection ranges, however, itu2019s been our experience that when the weather gets poor, laser isnu2019t used much as a means of speed enforcement.u00a0 Itu2019s worth noting that even police radar is adversely affected by bad weather and ranges also tend to drop.nnBut in any event, just because the distance drops, doesnu2019t mean that police laser enforcement isnu2019t any less lethal.u00a0 Itu2019s also harder for you radar detector to detect the infrared laser light in these circumstances.

Q: Can police laser be used through a patrol vehicleu2019s glass to catch speeders?

Yes.u00a0 All current generation police laser speed guns can be used through glass and while absolute maximum targeting ranges, may fall somewhat, as evidenced by the following video, the range is still significant.nnUsing police laser through glass.

A primer on police laser and how you can avoid being ticketed by police lidar law enforcement.

Contents

What is police lidar?
Are police laser speed guns accurate?
What police laser speed guns are currently being used to conduct lidar traffic enforcement?
Can a police lidar speed gun be used at night?
Can police laser be used in the rain or fog?
Can police laser be used through a patrol vehicle’s glass to catch speeders?
What’s the maximum targeting range of police laser?
Why is police laser more lethal than police radar?
Can police lidar guns take pictures for evidence against you?
Do police lidar detectors work?
- Which radar detectors are best at detecting police laser?
- The following radar detectors are the best at detecting police laser
Can police laser be jammed?
How can you avoid lidar traffic enforcement speeding tickets?
Related Topics

Updated: 09-05-2025 by Veil Guy

What is police lidar?

Police laser or police lidar, its more technical name, is lidar technology used by police for the issuance of speeding tickets.

LIDAR is an acronym for LIght Detection And Ranging. Lidar is mainly used for accurately measuring distances.

Before we discuss how you can protect yourself from police lidar traffic enforcement, let’s first describe what it is.

A police lidar gun emits a highly focused beam of invisible infrared light in the near infrared region of light that is centered at a wavelength of 904nm and is only about 22 inches (56cm) in diameter at 1000 feet (300m), much tighter than the spread of police radar.

Are police laser speed guns accurate?

Yes, police laser speed guns are very accurate.

A police lidar gun is very accurate and can often determine you speed to the 10th of miles per hour.

Unlike police radar which directly determines a vehicle’s speed by measuring its doppler (speed induced frequency) shift, a police laser gun calculates speed by observing the changing amount of time is takes to “see” a series of reflected pulses of light over a discreet period of time.

Police laser was first introduced as a traffic enforcement tool in the early 1990s as a better alternative to police radar and offers police departments inherent advantages, namely:

Precise targeting of vehicles out of a busy roadway
Difficult detection by motorists
Farther usable operating range than police radar
Higher conviction rates than police radar

Today’s fifth generation police laser guns provide superior construction quality with improved optics, circuitry, and speed detection algorithms that are far more advanced and are proving to be especially lethal to drivers on the roadways, including those who use expensive laser jammers.

What police laser speed guns are currently being used to conduct lidar traffic enforcement?

The most popular police lidar guns currently in use are:

Kustom Signal Pro Laser 4
LTI TruSpeed
LTI Truspeed SX & SXB
DragonEye Speed Laser
DrangEye Compact
Stalker XLR
Stalker RLR

You may come across some older generation police lasers that are still in use

Stalker LZ1
Kustom Pro Laser 3
LTI 20-20

Can a police lidar speed gun be used at night?

Yes police lidar traffic enforcement can happen at night and in fact, speed measuring distances can increase significantly making it extremely hard to know that your speed is being measured.

Can police laser be used in the rain or fog?

Inclement weather can certainly have a negative impact on a police laser gun’s ability to obtain your speed. Typically the maximum range drops from thousands of feet to a mere hundred or so. Newer police lasers have an inclement weather mode which can help improve speed detection ranges, however, it’s been our experience that when the weather gets poor, police laser isn’t used much as a means of speed enforcement. It’s worth noting that even police radar is adversely affected by bad weather and ranges also tend to drop in the rain or fog.

In any event, just because the distance drops, doesn’t mean that police laser enforcement isn’t any less lethal. It’s also harder for your radar detector to detect the infrared laser light in these circumstances.

Can police laser be used through a patrol vehicle’s glass to catch speeders?

Yes. All current generation police laser speed guns can be used through glass and while absolute maximum targeting ranges, may fall somewhat, as evidenced by the following video, the range is still significant.

Using police laser through glass.

What’s the maximum targeting range of police laser?

Police laser can be operated from very far distances, much farther than police radar, making it extremely difficult for the driver to know that they are being targeted. Unlike police radar, police lidar can be operated at such great distances, police officers really don’t even have to hide like police radar operators, because it’s extremely hard to spot them from those extreme targeting distances. Some laser guns can successfully measure your speed as far away as 4000 feet or more, though generally targeting distances are below 2800 feet.

Why is police laser more lethal than police radar?

Police lidar enforcement technology was created specifically to target a specific vehicle at much greater distances and with more precision than police radar. It is not uncommon to drive in certain states and find yourself being targeted at greater than 2000 feet. It’s routinely done, although New Jersey has restricted targeting to 1000 feet or fewer. This isn’t a technical restriction, merely a legal one in the Garden State.

So at these distances the likelihood is that you won’t even see the officer at all and by the time you do, it will be far too late.

Long-distance targeting without advanced warning is what makes police laser difficult to beat without a countermeasure such as Veil or a jammer (where legal) or both in combination.

Can police lidar guns take pictures for evidence against you?

Unfortunately, some police laser guns do have the ability to take photos showing your vehicle and your speed, making it even more difficult to fight the speeding ticket in court, with the video evidence.

The good news these police laser guns cost police departments upwards of $7000 apiece, roughly four to five times the cost of a conventional police lidar gun.

The DragonEye DragonCam can is used extensively in Alberta and often from overpasses (making them hard to spot from the highway).

We have yet to come across and LTI TruCam.

These police lasers are heavier and more bulky that their non photographic counterparts with the exception of the LTI SXB which is very small police lidar speed gun which has blue tooth connectivity to a smartphone which can do the recording.

Do police lidar detectors work?

A good laser detector can be very good at detecting laser, although without the protection that Veil provides, drivers typically have little time to react (see videos with and without Veil).

Only the Valentine’s front and rear lidar detector has demonstrated that it can provide advanced warnings when other vehicles are being targeted ahead and around you.

Which radar detectors are best at detecting police laser?

While all of the best radar detectors can detect police laser, there are some standouts worth mentioning.

The following radar detectors are the best at detecting police laser

Cobra RAD 700i
Escort MAXcam 360c
Valentine V1 Gen2

Can police laser be jammed?

Yes. There are very effective police laser jammers currently available.

Laser jammers need to be installed typically by a professional installer or a very capable DIY installer and typically cost upwards of $1000 or more.

Be cognizant of the fact that laser jammers are not permitted in 11 states and many other countries and being caught with one can be very costly.

Know you local laws concerning laser jammer usage, before investing in one.

For those of you interested in learning more about laser jammers and which one may be right for you, we have a laser jammer guide for you to review.

How can you avoid lidar traffic enforcement speeding tickets?

We already mentioned that police lidar can be be countered with an effective laser jammer, however, not everyone is willing to spend the money for the jammer or the cost of a custom installation and that is perfectly understandable.

Fortunately there is an inexpensive police laser countermeasure, that while not as foolproof as a laser jammer, will provide protection in many lidar encounters and costs a fraction of a laser jammer.

For those of you not familiar with stealth technology, Veil is a patented coating which works by absorbing police laser’s infrared light pulses (much the same way sunglasses absorb the visible sunlight).

This makes it much harder on the guns to see their own reflected light pulses. The most reflective parts of an automobile or motorcycle are its headlights and license plates.

By treating them with the Veil G6, the remaining and less reflective parts that are not treated won’t give the guns enough of a reflection that they require at a given distance to be able to obtain a speed reading. This buys the driver precious additional time to safely react and to slow down during an attempted speed measurement.