The Lloydminster RCMP have brought out “Constable Scarecrow” to reduce speeding in parts of the city. The lifesize cutout of an officer using photo radar is a way to enforce safety.
Five cutouts, installed with anti-theft countermeasures, will be out on near high traffic areas, playground zones and school zones. The scarecrow has a black box attached to it which will collect the speed of vehicles travelling past it.
Constable Michael Hagel says the cut out will make drivers slow down as they aren’t sure whether it’s a real police officer or the cutout.
“Eventually there may or may not be a real police or peace officer sitting there with a laser to write a ticket if they didn’t slow down passing them.”
The Constable Scarecrow program began in Coquitlam, B.C. in mid-2018. The program found fewer drivers exceeding the speed limit by 10 km/h by 50 per cent.
Hagel says the cutouts have been out in the past week and will be out for the foreseeable future.
“It’s very important that when you see him to slow down. You have no way of knowing if that’s an actual police officer, photo radar or constable scarecrow, so make sure to slow down in those areas.”