BMW driver jailed for using laser jammer

[Synchro Joe]

A businessman who attached a “laser jammer” to his BMW to dodge speed cameras has been jailed. Michael Twizell, 58, installed the device which works by blocking the signals which track how fast cars are traveling.

But officers investigated when their device recorded an error code when Twizell drove past passed a police safety camera van last February on the A658 near Harrogate, England. It was established that he was using a device on the front of his BMW 3-series that illegally interfered with police camera equipment.

(SWNS) SWNS is a UK/US-based news and media content agency.

Twizell, of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and was today jailed for three months and fined £1,500 ($1,900) at York Crown Court. Speaking after the hearing, Traffic Constable Andy Forth, from the Traffic Bureau Investigations team at North Yorkshire Police, said: “To use a device which is capable of interfering with police speed measurement is clearly as shown today a very serious matter. “Drivers may face a custodial sentence for using such a device in this way.

“North Yorkshire Police will continue to investigate similar allegations when people use these devices to interfere with the normal course of justice. “I advise anyone who may have a similar device fitted to their vehicle to think about the consequences of using such a device and strongly recommend that they remove it from their vehicle to avoid a future prosecution.”

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Real crimes going unsolved, or undiscovered, due to time spent monitoring traffic speed. You would think the police have more urgent things to do than speed traps
and increase revenues.
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[flatbutt]

Do they ID the unit? The ones I've owned didn't work.

[Zeke]

The bobbies take traffic violations very seriously.

[Tervuren]

This is something they were able to trace via paperwork.

If someone set fire to your car outside your house they just write up paperwork.

[unclebilly]

So I have wondered about this...

I have a Valentine 1. It seems like every Audi, many top end GMs, Infiniti’s, and the wildlife detection on commercial trucks set it off.

These safety systems irradiate everyone around them. How is this OK? How is it a ton different than the radar jammers?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

So I have wondered about this...

I have a Valentine 1. It seems like every Audi, many top end GMs, Infiniti’s, and the wildlife detection on commercial trucks set it off.

These safety systems irradiate everyone around them. How is this OK? How is it a ton different than the radar jammers?

Radar is radio, electromagnetic waves. Laser is light. The FCC doesn't govern light, but does govern electromagnetic waves.

[RSBob]

My reimaged V1 goes off with a two tone warning every time a Mazda passed by from the other direction. It also now alerts when there are speed signs which give a read out. Pisses me off.

[red-beard]

Light is an electromagnetic wave...Just saying.

The FCC does not regular light, which is outside the radio spectrum.

[flipper35]

When they originally started using them here in the US, Car and Driver found running with your high beams on would cause enough interference that they could not calculate your speed.

I am sure they are better now, but early on there was a court battle and the guy clocked the judge's desk at 25 mph because the laser picked up the wall behind him and then his desk.

[RSBob]

Sure he wasn’t jailed for driving a Bmer? The most aggressive drivers on the unlimited area of the autobahn had black ones.

[stealthn]

Hope it doesn't make it this way, my PTT came with a nice setup

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

So I have wondered about this...

I have a Valentine 1. It seems like every Audi, many top end GMs, Infiniti’s, and the wildlife detection on commercial trucks set it off.

These safety systems irradiate everyone around them. How is this OK? How is it a ton different than the radar jammers?

You need to get it upgraded with the newest tech. Valentine offers discounts for upgrading.

All mine are up to date and I get zero false positives from them.

Radar Detector Upgrades | Valentine One | Radar Detectors

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by RSBob

My reimaged V1 goes off with a two tone warning every time a Mazda passed by from the other direction. It also now alerts when there are speed signs which give a read out. Pisses me off.

If your V-1 is giving lots of falses because of the new crash avoidance radar on cars & trucks, you can send it in for an upgrade. I did with the one I bought in 2001. Cost around $200 if I recall correctly...works much better now.

Laser a different animal. The best you can hope for is that the kindly man in blue paints another car prior to you..you might get enough scatter warning...but brake quickly if you hear the laser tone.

[rcooled]

Originally Posted by Synchro Joe

“North Yorkshire Police will continue to investigate similar allegations when people use these devices to interfere with the normal course of revenue generation."

This is what they really mean...

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

If your V-1 is giving lots of falses because of the new crash avoidance radar on cars & trucks, you can send it in for an upgrade. I did with the one I bought in 2001. Cost around $200 if I recall correctly...works much better now.

Laser a different animal. The best you can hope for is that the kindly man in blue paints another car prior to you..you might get enough scatter warning...but brake quickly if you hear the laser tone.

True story.


I use a prismless instrument for land surveying. It basically shoots a laser instead of an infrared beam. The infrared bean needs a prism to bounce off of, the laser bounces off hard objects.

We noticed the laser does not work on black matt objects. Think a power pole with black mold on it or a dark tree, or black light pole... etc...

My cousin is a Police officer, I was discussing this at a family picnic, my curiosity was if my RX7 was "stealth" from Laser. I told him in the past I had been painted by police lasers in it and they seemed to shoot me for a long time.

Well, we made a plan, I was going to drive to the town he works in and he was going to shoot me with a laser gun while I drove at him.

Result was interesting, he could not get a lock on me until I was very close and he could tag one of my front directionals.

A few months later I crested a hill on the Florida Turnpike in North Florida, I was booking along a little over 80 in a 70 zone, my V1 went nuts, I lifted and let her coast to 70, my V1 never quit.

I saw the Trooper shooting me, he was looking right at me as I drove by him, it was like he looked me in the eye with a confused look.

He could not get a lock, my smile was from ear to ear, I already know.


God I miss that car....

for reference, no headlights was a huge part of the stealth.

[spuggy]

officers investigated when their device recorded an error code when Twizell drove past passed a police safety camera van

Yeh, they've always followed up vehicles that throw error codes, is my understanding.

Doesn't really matter. Radar detectors are illegal there, too, BTW. But Valentines, Gatsos (speed cameras) and laser detectors/jammers will pretty much be irrelevant when they have ANPR every 400 yards or so.

Reads your number plate.
Looks up the vehicle, check registered/inspected/taxed/insured. Flag to traffic if not.
Check if vehicle eligible to drive in that area. Mail "congestion charge" or "emissions violation" if not.
Looks up who it's registered to, who you are, whether there's a warrant out for you, hold a current license etc.

Looks up the timestamp of last ANPR "hit". Calculate average speed based on the (known) distance between those two points. Mail registered owner speeding summons if speed limit exceeded.

They're doing all of the above right now. They just don't have it literally everywhere. Yet. They're working on that.

[Tervuren]

I sincerely hope such a system doesn't get put in place here.

The goal is to legislate away mobility by intentionally keeping the flow of traffic restricted and slow.

[cstreit]

Do not resist being monitored.

[Fly Mach .86]

My understanding is the insurance companies pay for the cops to have the latest and greatest speed detectors. True??

[Synchro Joe]