Miss. Sheriffs Push for Banned Radar Guns to Catch Speeders

Mississippi has one of the nation’s lowest percentages of traffic deaths tied to speeding, yet sheriffs say they need radar guns — a tool currently banned for county law enforcement — to help curb dangerous driving on rural roads.

Forrest County Sheriff Charles Sims and the Mississippi Sheriffs Association argue radar would give deputies a critical enforcement tool. He points to multiple crashes in the past two years that killed children, saying the tragedies highlight the risks of unchecked speeding.

“It’s very, very frustrating when we know the technology is out there for us to utilize to try and deter speeding on these county roads and lower … that death rate and injury rate, and yet — we’re not allowed to do it because the Legislature has always excluded us from that particular law,” Sims said.

How radar use is restricted

Currently, Mississippi law prohibits radar use by sheriff’s deputies. Only the Highway Patrol and certain municipal police departments — those serving large cities or university campuses — are allowed to use it.

Without the use of radars, deputies rely on a method called “pacing” — matching a vehicle’s speed — to have evidence to issue a citation. Sims said it’s a flawed system and has pushed for the law to be changed since he took office in 1981.

“If you’re speeding down the road and you see a marked unit come up behind you, what are you going to do? You’re going to slow down, which totally takes that tool away from us,” Sims said.

Republican Rep. Gene Newman has led the push at the state capitol. A member of the House Judiciary B Committee, he has introduced radar bill every year since being elected in 2020, but each died in committee — including House Bill 1089 this year.

“It’s just like running through a stone wall,” Newman said. “You can’t get the chairman to talk about bringing it out of the committee, and … I’ve changed it enough to get it before different committees and everyone’s the same.”

Why proposals keep failing

In 2023, 19% of Mississippi’s traffic deaths were tied to speeding compared to 29% nationally, according to federal data. While radar might aid speed limit enforcement, there isn’t enough research showing it has directly reduced fatalities in states where it’s allowed.

However, Louisiana and Arkansas both permit sheriffs to use radar, and both report lower overall traffic death rates than Mississippi — 18.7 per 100,000 in Louisiana and 21.2 in Arkansas, compared to Mississippi’s 26.2, according to the National Safety Council.

Advocates say those neighboring states also illustrate why Mississippi lawmaker have been reluctant to act. Newman said agencies in Louisiana and Arkansas overuse radar as a way to generate revenue.

“They’re like speed traps in both states,” he said. “The deputies are spending all their time out on interstate running radar, and then they’ll get you for two or three miles an hour over and write you a ticket.”

Still, Newman said there is middle ground to allow for sheriffs to use radar while preventing the system from being abused.

“You got a sheriff that you elected to uphold the laws in your county, but you don’t trust him to run the radar,” he said.

Where the community stands

The split over radar use is echoed in the community. In Forrest County, some residents say radar would help slow drivers down, while others worry it would increase their chances of getting a ticket.

Crystal Walker said she often sees drivers speeding near schools and major intersections.

“I’ve seen people drive pretty fast near schools like Sacred Heart and ones that are really close to main roads,” she said. “I have a habit of looking multiple times, even if the light’s green, because I’ve seen people go so fast that they run those red lights and they put other people in danger just right outside Forrest General.”

Walker’s husband served as a police officer for nearly a decade, and her father-in-law is a homicide detective on the Coast. She believes radar would give deputies the backing they need to slow drivers down.

“People have kind of timed it out where they know that patrol officers are not going to be in certain areas,” Walker said.

She said expanding radar use to sheriffs departments would act as a deterrent, making drivers think twice before speeding on county roads.

“I think it would slow (drivers) down a little bit. I think people would notice the police presence a little bit (more),” she said.

“I think the sheriffs should be able to use it, and it’s not fair that sheriffs aren’t able to use it. In the city you fully expect that’s kind of protocol … but now knowing it’s not there, that doesn’t seem right.”

Not all residents support expanding radar use. Some told the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center they worry it would only mean more tickets, echoing concerns that radar could become a revenue tool rather than a safety measure.

Moving forward

Despite repeated setbacks, advocates say they will continue to introduce radar bills at the Capitol. Newman said the time to act is now — not after another tragedy.

“Sooner or later, something’s going to happen right before the session or while the session is going on and it’s going to be like, ‘Oh, we got to do something about this,’” Newman said. “And that’s when they’ll pass this — which is sad — because that means somebody probably died.”

Sims stressed the goal is prevention, not punishment.

“Most people, when they know there is a negative consequence to a negative decision, they change behavior, and that is all we really want to do,” he said. “We want to change behavior; we want people to realize that speeding is dangerous.”

After years of failed bills, supporters are now considering a statewide ballot referendum. Sims said putting the question directly to voters could bypass lawmakers’ reluctance.

“Put it in the hands of the voters, not the Legislature to assume that we will do something that is unethical,” he said.

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