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Speeding on secondary residential streets is a concern in White Bear Lake.  As a result of working with the community it became apparent that a multifaceted approach was needed.

With the public’s support, the Department purchased hand held RADAR guns for use by trained citizens to track the speed in their neighborhoods. Citizens complete a traffic record which is turned back into the Operations Division. Violators are entered into a database. Letters are then sent to the registered owner of the violator’s vehicle advising them that their car was observed traveling in excess of the posted speed limit by a concerned neighbor.  The database is also used for tracking repeat offenders in the same neighborhoods so selective enforcement can be conducted for specific violators.  The active involvement by the citizens in each neighborhood is key to the success of this project, since a limited number of officers cannot cover as much territory as a group of citizens.  By actively participating, citizens feel ownership in solving a neighborhood problem and the result is a noticeable decline in speeding complaints.

Any citizens interested in assisting the Police Department in collecting traffic data through the use of the hand held radar can   contact their neighborhood officer by e-mail or phone.  To be directed to the Personnel Page, please click here.