ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Patrol officers with the Abilene Police Department (APD) are doing their part to keep the roads safe for drivers by using Lidar radar guns to detect speeds.

“Lidar is actually a laser, so it’s much more focused, more accurate and more reliable,” Officer Greg Young of the APD said.

Being part of APD’s traffic division for the past two years, Ofc. Young explained the degree of accuracy the Lidar gun possesses is because it uses a laser beam that can pinpoint a target, even from hundreds of feet away.

Several places around Abilene where speeding tickets are issued are the more high-traffic areas like South 27th Street, Barrow Street, South 1st Street, and Ambler Avenue.

Ofc. Young told KTAB/KRBC he works other areas like exit ramps and school zones, including the department’s zero tolerance for speeding in school zones and through cross walks.

“Their excuse is, ‘well, I’m coming off the highway,'” added Ofc. Young. “If you just take your foot off the accelerator and don’t do anything else without touching the breaks, by the time you reach where I’m standing here, you’ll be under 45 miles per hour.”

With the new speed detectors, APD reminds drivers to practice defensive driving habits, put away distractions while driving, and pay attention to speed limit signs.