Radar Detectors Minnesota Laws
In Minnesota, drivers are permitted to use radar detectors in private vehicles. In 1985 the Minnesota Legislature repealed a law that banned radar detectors. The statute repealed states "Subdivision 1. Prohibition on sale of certain devices. A person may not sell or offer for sale a radar jamming device. For purposes of this subdivision, ‘radar jamming device’ means any mechanical, electrical, or other device designed to interfere with, disable, or jam any law enforcement personnel’s radar from functioning as designed. This subdivision does not apply to any person engaged in the manufacture or sale of radar jamming devices to law enforcement personnel for official government use, or to persons licensed by the commissioner of public safety to install or maintain radar speed display signs. Subdivision 2. Exception to prohibition on use of certain devices. A person may not operate on public roadways a radar jamming device. For purposes of this subdivision, ‘radar jamming device’ means any mechanical, electrical, or other device designed to interfere with, disable, or jam any law enforcement personnel’s radar from functioning as designed. This subdivision does not apply to law enforcement personnel who are storing or maintaining radar speed display signs. Subdivision 3. Exception to prohibition on use of certain law enforcement equipment. This section does not apply to the use of radar speed display signs when deployed in accordance with procedures established by the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension , Division of State Patrol, Subdivision 4. Seizure and forfeiture. A radar jamming device seized under subdivision 2 is subject to forfeiture pursuant to the provisions of chapter 609. Subdivision 5. …." (Minn. Stat. § 169.686) Subdivision 4 is not transcribed as it pertains to the forfeiture of seized radar detectors. Otherwise, there are no federal or state laws that prohibit the use of radar detectors in Minnesota. However, cities may enact their own ordinances. For example, Saint Paul prohibits the using of a "jamming device" in St. Paul Minnesota, however, no search results come back for Saint Paul having any further regulatory restrictions regarding radar detectors. For commercial trucks the answer is clear: radar detectors are illegal in commercial trucks. Minnesota Statute § 169.686, subdivision 6 reads: "Subdivision 6. Restriction on use of certain law enforcement equipment on commercial vehicles. A person may not install or maintain radar speed display signs on commercial motor vehicles having an interstate commerce "placard" of a gross weight of 10,000 pounds or more. The commissioner of public safety shall by rule establish requirements for the placement of a radar speed display sign and its use by commercial motor vehicles. A violation of this subdivision is a petty misdemeanor. A violation of the rules adopted by the commissioner of public safety is a petty misdemeanor." Accordingly, it’s best to just leave those at-home radar detectors at home when you’re in a commercial vehicle.
Minnesota Penalties for Illegal Usage
The penalty for a first time radar detector offense is a petty misdemeanor, which means you would not face jail time. The fine for a first time offense is $135. For any subsequent offense, an individual could be charged with a misdemeanor, resulting in further fines and possible incarceration. In addition to the fine, police officers are required by Minnesota law to confiscate the radar detector, which they must give back to the defendant after the fine is paid.
Generally highway patrol does not actively search for drivers who have radar detectors, however, officers have caught drivers as a result of random traffic stops and even accidents. Once the officer suspects that the radar detector is illegal, he or she can conduct a search and seize the radar detector if it is in violation of the law. In cases of actual accidents, if the radar detector was the cause for the accident, it will likely be confiscated as evidence of the cause of the crash. Alternatively, if drivers are pulled over for other traffic violations, such as speeding, and it is clear that they are using their radar detectors in order to avoid getting caught, the officer will likely cite them for radar detector use. Traffic officers with specialized radar detectors may also search for other radar detectors that are being used by potential violators, usually if they are pulled over.
Why Motorists Use Radar Detectors
Drivers do not like to get speeding tickets. The cost of a speeding ticket is almost always much greater than the fine amount. Not to mention the impact the ticket will have on your insurance premiums and driving record.
Radar and lidar guns are used by law enforcement officials across the country to issue speeding tickets. Because of this, many drivers have turned to radar detectors to give them a little extra warning when radar and lidar guns are being used. Because of their widespread use, many people have heard of or own radar detectors, but very few people know how they actually work. The short answer is that they work by monitoring the air waves for radar waves outside of the human hearing range.
The truth is that radar detectors are not that effective. Local law enforcement officials often hang out in the areas where they know the radar detectors are going to be. This happens for two reasons. First, they know when the radar detectors start beeping that there is a motorist nearby who is violating the state’s speed limit. Second, they know that where there are speed traps, they are often other places where speeding tickets are given such as school zones, construction zones, and other high traffic areas. These susceptible areas make the potential for erroneous tickets even greater. Perceptions are that law enforcement officials are out there just issuing speeding tickets for fun, but that is simply not the case. They are trying to keep the roads safer by encouraging you to obey the speed limit.
FAQs on Radar Detectors in Minnesota
As with many areas of the law, there are questions that keep coming up. So, to help answer any questions you may have, I’ve included some responses to frequently asked questions about radar detectors in Minnesota.
Q: Do radar detectors affect other law enforcement equipment?
A: Not unless they’re working on the Ka band frequencies. While other law enforcement equipment has been known to be susceptible to radar detector interference, this is more likely to be the case with photo speed devices, which use similar techniques.
Q: Are police able to detect radar detectors in Minnesota?
A: Not as such. Police have the ability to use devices that can detect radar signals, and if a radar detector is being used then the officer will be notified that a radar signal is present. The officer may then be able to assume the vehicle is equipped with a radar detector , and that the driver is trying to avoid detection of another radar device. This does not mean that the officer can them automatically stop the vehicle out of suspicion, but may lead them to suspect the driver is intentionally speeding and be more likely to pull them over.
Q: Can laser jammers be detected by law enforcement?
A: Yes. Improved technology allows most laser jammers to be detected by law enforcement.
Q: Do radar detectors interfere with police radar equipment?
A: It depends: Most radar detectors provide some form of protection to radar signals, including those being used by law enforcement. However, if the radar uses the Ka band, then the detector may interfere with the very equipment that is designed to detect it.
State Radar Detector Laws – A Comparison
As far as the rest of the nation is concerned, Minnesota is on solid ground with its rules regarding the use of radar detectors. Minnesota is in the majority of states that permit their use. However, there are some that ban them completely or allow for public safety officials to use them only at certain times of the day. States where radar detectors are banned or limited include: California, Colorado, Illinois , New Jersey and New York. There are also some municipalities across the country that have banned their use. The Federal Communication Commission has complete jurisdiction over the manufacture and distribution of radar detectors. However, it is not the FAA that issues tickets to motorists who are caught with radar detectors while driving in a state where those devices are banned. That duty falls to the individual states and local law enforcement authorities.