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Mississippi lawmakers to consider allowing county sheriffs to use radar

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Radar speed gun in police car, (Photo by Santeri Viinamäki, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50862352)

Sheriff’s deputies are prohibited from using radar to enforce speed limits in Mississippi. Under state law, only the Mississippi Highway Patrol can use radar outside of incorporated cities and large college campuses. City and campus police departments can use radar under the law.

Yesterday, Rep. Tom Weathersby (R-Jackson) introduced a bill in the state legislature to allow county law enforcement to use radar.

Similar bills have been introduced in previous years without success. HB 199 would allow deputies to use radar “in any county on any public road, street or highway (i) that is under the jurisdiction of the county board of supervisors for maintenance and construction, and (ii) that is located outside the corporate limits of a municipality” within their respective county.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace believes lawmakers should pass the bill to bring Mississippi law in line with the rest of the country.

“Speeding complaints are one of the most frequent complaints the Warren County Sheriff’s Office receives and something that we can do the least to address,” Pace said. “The public has a right to feel safe traveling county roads just as they do on city streets or state highways. Mississippi is the only state in the nation that prohibits county law enforcement from professionally enforcing speed limits. I hope the legislature finally addresses this antiquated prohibition.”

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