I need to obtain a copy of the LTI 20-20 Ultralyte Laser gun operating
manual, or at least the sections dealing with testing and calibration
requirements,including required checks before and after issuing a
ticket to insure accuracy. |
Request for Question Clarification by
tutuzdad-ga
on
28 Dec 2005 18:59 PST
Your question makes several assumptions. First that there is such a
manual and second that the manual outlines some type of procedure
whereby an officer (or someone) performs external tests. Speaking as
someone who has been in law enforceemnt for more than 20 years I can
tell you that in some cases ntierh of these things you assume astually
exists. For example, most radars do have a user manual but the
caliabration is left to a certification center an the calibration of
the device is almost always done by a specialist and not by the end
user. Again, for example, radars commonly come with a calibration
certification (literally a document with an expiration date at which
time the device must be recalibrated to remain servicable) and also
included is a serialized tuning fork which allows the end user to
CHECK THE CALIBRATION on a daily weekly or whatever basis the
department policy mandates. This fork is NOT designed to calibrate the
device in any way shape or form and the officer conducting the
periodically required check of the device is not typically authorized
to make any adjustments.
In short, what you are looking for does not exist in the form of a
"user's manual". While there are defintely certain specifications that
govern the professional calibration requirements, these would not be
found in an end user's manual. Howvere, while there may be some
testing instruction (using the serialized fork I mentioned) in an
operator's manual, the requirements for this type of routine
examination and confirmation of the calibration are often mandated by
the department policies and not the operator manuals.
In my opinion your best bet is to try to get the infromation you are
after from one of the authorized professional calibration centers for
the LTI 20-20 Ultralyte device.
LASERTECH
http://www.lasertech.com/certlist.html
In lieu of an actual manual that contains all the information you
require (and which I am absolutely conviced does not exist in that
form) please let me know if, by directing you to these authorized
calibration centers, this answers your question as well as possible
under the circumstances.
tutuzdad-ga
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Request for Question Clarification by
tutuzdad-ga
on
28 Dec 2005 19:02 PST
Sorry for the abundant typos. I was a little pressed for time and
careless. Let me know if there is anything you don't understand about
my comment.
tutuzdad-ga
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Clarification of Question by
ranger1-ga
on
28 Dec 2005 21:41 PST
Dear Sir,
I appreciate your detailed inquiry. You are obviously a very astute
technical person. I am not, so I might have used terms of art
incorrectly. From a lay person's point of view let me try to clarify.
First, there is an operating manual for this specific device, as there
is for all laser guns that police use; and I have done enough
preliminary research to know that neither the manufacturer nor its
dealers will make it available. Second, there are procedures that
every police officer operating the device are supposed to perform
before and after using the device ( see the "ACPO Code for Operational
Use of Road Policing Enforcement Technology" as well as any number of
websites for challenging speeding tickets for perspective/context - as
this is my ultimate objective). I simply want to confirm that the
officer who gave me a ticket performed all the tests he was supposed
to perform, before and after my ticket. A concrete example of my
question about this - is why he did not perform his check of the
device using a tripod or some device that would make it absolutely
stationary (as he stated in an initial testimony in court - to be
continued). I have seen another laser manual - and it is my
understanding that the testing requirements are virtually universal
for laser guns - that says a stationary device is essential. I need to
see his manual (or the relevant sections) to prove my case. As for
calibration, every device of this type is also supposed to be
calibrated and certified according to some schedule (semi-
anually/annually), and I can't know what the schedule is for the
Ultralyte 20-20 without seeing the manual. Frankly, as an amateur
researcher, I'm perplexed by why this operating manual is so difficult
to access - as though it were a highly classified state secret.
Assumed it could be Googled in no time. It is fueling my curiosity. I
hope this helps. Good luck. Again, I appreciate your enthusiasm for
getting it right.
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Request for Question Clarification by
tutuzdad-ga
on
29 Dec 2005 06:39 PST
I still believe you will not find what you are looking for in the
mainstream media. As you pointed out these manuals are not typically
found on the shelves at your local bookstore. However, there may be
some other options if you are interested in them as alternative
answers. For example:
If you ask me you are beating the bush unnecessarily. If I were you
I?d simply subpoena the officer to a hearing and stipulate in the
subpoena a ?duces tecum? (which in Latin legal jargon essentially
means ?bring with thee?).
Lectlaw
http://www.lectlaw.com/def2/s101.htm
With this order in your subpoena you can put the responsibility back
on the shoulders of the officer to produce the documents FOR YOU and
to bring with him, among other things perhaps:
1) The operation manual for the Ultralyte device he was using.
2) All records related to calibration of that specific device.
3) All records related to the certification of calibration of that
specific device by an outside entity.
4) All records related to periodic (daily, weekly, or monthly)
external examination and calibration confirmation with tuning forks or
other such sensitive devices.
5) Department policy related to the periodic testing of speed detection devices.
6) And finally (and this may be the real clincher here) you can
subpoena his PERSONAL certification to make sure it is current and
legal and also his training records that will reflect his overall
score and proficiency at the time he received his last certification
or re-certification.
The examination will look similar to this one from South Carolina
Public Safety http://www.sccja.org/form-radarprofic.pdf , and will
have an overall score. Of course a low score could be potentially
damning in terms of how well the officer is capable of operating the
device and translating the results.
If, for whatever reason, the officer cannot produce the records
requested you might have grounds for dismissal, nol pros, or mistrial.
Just FYI, I thought this was an interesting article on the alleged
shortcomings of the LTI 20-20 Ultralyte and how some people, like you
presumably, found themselves in situations where the laser simply gave
an erroneous reading, contested their cases, and won:
BBC: MOBILE SPEED CAMERAS
http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/southwest/series7/speed-cameras.shtml
Let me know if I?ve helped in lieu of an answer to your original
question (which, as I contended earlier, is probably not a feasible or
practical expectation).
Tutuzdad-ga
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Request for Question Clarification by
tutuzdad-ga
on
29 Dec 2005 06:44 PST
I might aslo add that in my many years as a member of law enforcement,
I have seen, on a number of occassions, subpoenas that were so
complicated with duces tecum that the officer simply dropped the
charges rather than try to round it all up. If, of course, any of the
records you are requesting are out of date, expired, or cast an
otherwise unfavorable light on the officer or the department, this too
may result in a dismissal rather than an admission of error.
Let me know if these alternatives work as a sufficient answer.
tutuzdad-ga
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Clarification of Question by
ranger1-ga
on
03 Jan 2006 18:24 PST
I am out of pocket until late next week. Tutuzdad-ga, you have
certainly performed a valuble service beyond the original request,
which I appreciate - and it deserves compensation, which we can
discuss in the search for a fair solution. In the meantime, I would
still say that the request was for an excerpt from the operations
manual, and the operating principle here is don't ask a question
unless you already know the answer. So we are still incomplete. But
the guy who posed the last question has a point. You said that the
info isn't available - and I still think this is curious (though a
different subject altogether): why? It strikes me as odd, given that
anyone can purchase one of these things.
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