After a $7,200 investment in radar units by the Duke University Police Department to make driving on campus safer, police officers have issued few tickets and students perceive little change in motorists' speed around campus.
Last spring, DUPD purchased six new radar units costing about $1,200 each, in a move to target speeding cars on campus. Maj. James Schwab, uniform patrol commander, said there has not been a marked increase in tickets given out - only 23 citations for excessive speed were given last semester, all of which were issued to students. Schwab added that the total is consistent with the number of driving citations given last spring.
Before the addition of radar technology, police officers were unable to give speeding violations, just citations for careless or reckless driving. Now, they are authorized to issue warnings, Duke citations and North Carolina citations for speeding.
Currently, 12 of the force's 48 officers are trained to use the radar units, and there are no plans to increase the number of trained officers in the force.
"Before we got the radar units, we were able to confirm a driver's speed by pacing, or following the car to determine its approximate speed," Schwab added.
DUPD Chief Clarence Birkhead said that with the addition of radar, the goal has not been to increase ticketing, but to provide warnings to speeders. "We're not out to write tickets," Birkhead said. "We're trying to make the environment safe."
He added that those traveling only a few miles above the speed limit will usually receive a verbal warning, while tickets are reserved for those committing gross speed limit violations.
Sophomore Matt Oesterle said he was pulled over and given a citation for reckless driving last fall. "I had a bunch of legal fees," he said regarding the consequences of his state citation.
But although Schwab said that state citations, such as Oesterle's, will probably be given out more readily with the addition of the new technology, many students said they have not seen an increased threat of consequences for speeding.
"I haven't seen anyone being pulled over," said sophomore Andrew Kryzak. "In fact, I haven't heard of anyone being pulled over."
Schwab estimated that 70 percent of speeders on Campus Drive are Duke students. Some students, in fact, did not know that the speed limit on Campus Drive, the main artery between East and West Campuses, was 25 miles per hour, or that the speed limit is even enforced.
"The speed limit on Campus Drive? I never really noticed," said junior Libby Conn.
Schwab added that because of the finite resources and other responsibilities the police force has, officers do not spend much time patrolling for speeding.
"Although [Duke police officers] do try to control speed around campus, we are much more concerned with striking a balance between patrolling for breaking and entering into cars and for speeding," he said.
Birkhead emphasized the educational component of the radar technology, and insisted growing awareness has resulted in some measure of increased campus safety. Last fall, for example, when parking officials created a temporary parking lot on the other side of Duke University Road, commuters complained that motorists sped too fast down that road and made crossing the street unsafe. Officials last summer said Duke police would increase patrols on that road as well.
Duke Student Government Vice President of Facilities and Athletics Clifford Davison said that although speeding should not go unpunished, DSG has not weighed in heavily on radar use and police ticketing of speeders.
"As of now, DSG is not pushing any initiative to approve nor hinder the use of this technology," he wrote in an e-mail.
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