Waterford ― Town police Sgt. Patrick Epps sat in an unmarked black car on Meadow Drive on a recent Monday, looking through the view finder of one of the department’s new laser speed detection devices at cars coming down Vauxhall Street.

The street, which has a long straightaway going down the hill, is a popular spot for speeders, he said. It’s one of Epps’ regular spots for detecting speeders.

Epps clocked a white Honda Pilot going 52 mph in the 35 mph zone, shifted his car into gear, checked to make sure no cars were coming and swung around to catch up with the speeding vehicle. He pulled the driver over near Rosaleah Drive to issue a written warning.

“There’s been nothing too egregious that would warrant a ticket so far,” Epps said later, after issuing two more warnings based on speeds he detected on the new laser device. He issued an additional speeding warning he detected on a radar device.

Epps was working one of several extra patrol shifts funded by a $52,000 state grant awarded to the department in January. Of that, $42,500 was used to add 106 four-hour traffic enforcement shifts, covering the hourly pay of the officers assigned as well as the additional benefits costs.

The remaining $9,500 was used to purchase two types of detection devices: Laser units, which officers use from inside their vehicles; and radar boxes mounted on the side of the patrol vehicles which pick up speeds of passing cars.

Chief Marc Balestracci wrote in an email that although the devices are new, the technology is similar, or the same, as devices Waterford and other police departments have used for many years.

“However, after years of regular use, they do begin to wear down in terms of physical exterior structure,” he said, adding the new devices would be used for several years.

Parked at roadside, Epps explained the difference between the two devices. After aiming the laser device at a car, it clicks a few times, then locks in the speed of the vehicle and the vehicle’s distance from the police vehicle.

The radar unit can be used as Epps sits parallel to the road, or while he’s driving, to pick up the speed of passing vehicles. With a remote control, he can switch the view to see vehicles as they approach the front or rear of his car.

He said his preferred speed detection device “all depends on where I’m sitting.”

The new laser units offer a clearer and longer range picture than the old ones, he said.

The farthest he’s ever been able to detect a car’s speed while using one of the devices was 2,000 feet away, he said. That’s almost half a mile.

Improving speed enforcement

The new devices and patrols are part of a larger initiative by the department to remedy one of the public’s most common complaints, Balestracci said via email.

“Traffic safety has been, and continues to be, one of my highest priorities,” he wrote. “Not only due to the concerns of the residents we serve, but due to the tragic consequences our officers and I have witnessed over the years.”

Applying for grants such as the one that funded the extra patrols is one of the department’s priorities as it tries to make the roadways in town more safe, he said. Another goal is to establish a “true traffic unit.”

The police department’s budget request for the next fiscal year includes three additional police officer positions. Balestracci said if it is approved by the Representative Town Meeting in May, two of the those new officer positions will be paired with the current traffic officer to establish a “true traffic unit.”

“This three-member team will focus solely on traffic enforcement in town, to which we believe will have a significant impact on traffic safety in Waterford,” he wrote.

Speed trap phone apps

In a Facebook post announcing the new devices and patrols, the department addressed mobile applications that allow users to warn others about locations for speed traps.

“The mention of the phone app in our post was referencing the public’s ability to post on travel apps where police are conducting speed enforcement,” Balestracci said. “We, too, have access to these apps, as members of the general public, and take them into consideration at times in our planning.”

After sitting on Meadow Drive for a while on this recent Monday, Epps logged onto WAZE, a phone app for directions and communication between drivers, to check if his car’s location had been marked by drivers.

It hadn’t.

“I go on and check every so often,” he said.

d.drainville@theday.com