Speeders beware,

you're on un-candid radar

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Motorists, if you're approaching a digital speed display and there are no vehicles between it and you, chances are you're on un-candid radar.

New Ulm Police Chief Erv Weinkauf road tested the department's new locally-built digital speed display for the first time Tuesday morning in front of the New Ulm Street Department Garage at 2020 N. Broadway.

The mobile trailer, which was designed by street department head mechanic Pat Haubrich, records and displays digital readouts of vehicle speeds. Parked on the side of the road, the back of the trailer includes a speed limit sign above a digital vehicle speed display.

The digital display will be used by New Ulm Police and the Brown County Sheriff's Department during the Seat Belt Mobilization and Safe & Sober campaigns this summer, Weinkauf said. Speed violators will be ticketed as appropriate.

After positioning the trailer on the street, Weinkauf struck a tuning fork to calibrate the radar unit powered by batteries. He placed a sign that read "Speed limit 30 mph" on top of the digital display on the back of the trailer.

Suddenly a motorist approached the rear of the trailer and the vehicle speed was registered. The driver quickly noticed his speed was being recorded and slowed to 28 mph.

Another motorist approached the display driving over the speed limit, triggering a violation alert. A red light on the display locked in the vehicle's speed.

"Some people may challenge us by speeding," Weinkauf said. "Violators will be caught by another police vehicle in the immediate area."

Speed statistics of vehicles will be recorded and analyzed for reports from a computer.

The digital speed display trailer was built by Haubrich from Minnesota Department of Transportation drawings. All parts were bought locally and finishing work was done by local firms at a cost of $6,800 which is about $1,700 less than a new unit would cost from the factory, according to Weinkauf.

Money for the unit came from funds collected from sales of items including motor vehicles forfeited by motorists convicted of DUI violations.