A look at the Shawnee, Kansas decision to hand out radar guns to residents.

Shawnee, Kansas approved a program that provides radar guns to residents. The local news reported the area to be monitored cannot be adequately patrolled by the police. In the meantime, drivers have been known to fly through the area at as much as twice the posted speed limit.

It sounds like a good plan. Volunteers will work in two-man teams, documenting the speed, the car description, and the license plate number. The information will be turned over to the police.

Now here is where the plan goes awry. The police are going to send out no-no letters to the offenders telling them not to do it again. That will be affective. Habitual speeders will surely slow down because the police say, "don't do it again," especially in light of the rest of the program guidelines. In June, the program is to be re-evaluated and all record of volunteers' hard work will be purged from the records.

That is like telling someone if you are caught stealing, you get to keep the stolen property just know that we know, that you know, that we know you did it.

At the very least, the program should utilize the documentation provided by the volunteers as reason to double the fines, if the speeders are stopped by the police within the next six months.

About the Author

Betsy Gallup is a full-time mother to an 11-year-old son, and infant twins. She has had several articles, essays, and short stories published. She is now writing a non-fiction book under contract for publication, and she has recently procured an agent to represent her first novel, Destiny, a suspense/romance delving into the world of a renown psychic. With what time she has left, she operates www.whimsplace.com, a showcase for the work of talented writers.