Anyone know what this strange device is in Hunterdon County?

I think you’re going to have the same guess I had.

Take a look at this picture. This is a block box mounted on a light pole in my neighborhood. It used to not be there. A few days ago, there it was.

This is from a distance.

Before you could read anything written on the box, what would your guess be?

Mosquito control device? Back up power source? Time machine? (Couldn’t we all use one of those?!)

No, you’re probably guessing what I guessed every time I drove past it.

Here’s a closer look.

So whatever this is they really want it staying put. Look at these chains and locks. I’ve seen less chain on a David Blaine escape trick.

Okay, need a closer look?

Looks pretty official. All business. Serious even. Can you read the writing? If not, here’s a closeup.

Yep. There it is.

“Law Enforcement RADAR”

So this is clearly catching people’s speed. Now it doesn’t fully answer the question. What does this device do exactly? Is it merely compiling data for a traffic study? Is it getting average speed for this road in my neighborhood?

Or is it recording the speed of specific cars and then sending a warning letter to registered owner addresses? That’s where it becomes more obnoxious.

It can’t go beyond that because, so far anyway, we don’t allow speed cameras to deliver tickets in New Jersey.

Although some would like to. There’s already been legislation introduced to establish a ‘pilot program’ for speed cameras in work zones.

Now, while intrusive, I also get it. There are a lot of young families with kids in my neighborhood. And the road on which this is mounted to that pole comes off a much faster, busier road. I could see people not reducing their speed enough when entering the development.

But I would rather be talked to and warned by a flesh and blood police officer rather than a letter sent due to a camera.

Or maybe there’s no camera. Maybe it only collects speeds and averages them out for a traffic study.

Or maybe the Law Enforcement RADAR sticker is just to throw us off that it really is a time machine.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski. Any opinions expressed are Jeff Deminski's own.