PA Senate committee advances local police RADAR option and phone-based registration after Miller push

A Pennsylvania Senate committee advanced two bills Wednesday that would give local police a speed-enforcement tool they have been denied for more than six decades and let drivers show vehicle registration on their phones.

The Senate Transportation Committee approved Senate Bill 509 and Senate Bill 895, according to a release from Senate Democrats. Sen. Nick Miller, D-Lehigh/Northampton, sponsored SB 895 and offered an amendment to SB 509, which was sponsored by Sen. Greg Rothman.

SB 509 would let municipalities adopt ordinances allowing their police departments to use RADAR, and no town would be forced to. The bill bars speed-enforcement quotas and prohibits using RADAR primarily to generate revenue, guardrails aimed at the speed-trap complaint that has long stalled similar efforts. Pennsylvania is the only state where local police cannot use it, and since 1961 only state troopers have been allowed to.

SB 895 would let drivers choose whether to show registration on paper or electronically. A driver who opts for a phone keeps control of it. Officers could only review the registration, would have to promptly return the device after verifying it, and could not treat the presentation as consent to look at other data or apps on the phone. Miller said the idea grew out of conversations with constituents at his Coffee & Conversation events and from police departments in his district.

Miller said local officers need the right tools to enforce speed limits, and that modern RADAR will give them the precision and efficiency to keep families and communities safe. He said he was proud to see the measures clear committee as he works to modernize and add convenience to the state’s transportation policies.

Local police are currently limited to tools such as VASCAR, which times how long a vehicle takes to travel between two points. The Pennsylvania State Police has said radar is the most effective and accurate speed-control device available.

Both bills now move out of committee.