Staff report

ROCKWELL — Speeders beware.

The Rockwell Police Department has a new weapon in its arsenal to combat speeding.

Police now have a handheld remote radar gun, courtesy of the N.C. Governors Highway Safety program.

Darrell Jernigan, director of the program, visited Rockwell Thursday morning to present the device to Police Chief Hugh Bost.

Valued at $1,800, the radar gun will make it easier for Rockwell Police to check vehicle speeds around town. It's smaller than a loaf of bread.

Bost said there are a lot of places in town where officers couldn't find a place to park and use the traditional radar devices.

"We can set this up anywhere and aim it, like a service weapon," Bost said, adding that an officer can use it in a patrol car or standing on the side of a street and aiming it.

Rockwell qualified for the device because of its participation in the Click It or Ticket It and Booze It and Lose It campaigns.

Bost said speeding isn't a serious problem in town, but the effort to enforce the speed limits is paying off.

"We have found that through speed enforcement, our traffic crashes have gone down drastically and the severity has also gone down drastically. When people slow down and drive like they are supposed to, they are not nearly as likely to be injured."

All of the town's five full-time and most of the town's four part-time officers are certified in operating radar.

They will need additional training and certification for the handheld device.

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