Lidar Radar is a method to measure vehicle speed currently in use by the Illinois State Police and other local police departments. Wikipedia has a very good explanation of lidar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LIDAR_speed_gun
However, a brief explanation is that Lidar allows a police officer to aim the Lidar gun using “cross-hairs” in the viewfinder to aim on one specific vehicle. Problems with Lidar occur when there are multiple vehicles traveling together or if the vehicle does not have a front mounted license plate. For Lidar to work properly, it has to be aimed at a metal objection on the vehicle. A front license plate is the obvious target.
I represent individuals charged with speeding, including speeding 30-39mph over the limit (Class B Misdemeanor) and 40mph + over the speed limit, (Class A Misdemeanor). I usually try to have the ticket amended to below 30mph so that the case is treated as a simple speeding ticket rather than a misdemeanor. If the state’s attorney is not willing to amend the ticket, I will set the matter for trial. The sentence given upon a finding of guilty is usually no different than the sentence if an agreed upon disposition is negotiated with the state’s attorney. Therefore, there is not much to lose and everything to gain by taking this type of speeding ticket to trial.
I currently have subpoenas outstanding seeking the operator manuals for the two most popular units. Once I obtain them I will scan and make them available on this site / page.
