Local News in Brief : Photo-Radar Gear in Use

Pasadena on Thursday became the first city in the state and the second in the country to begin full-time use of a photographic radar system to catch speeders on city streets.

The device, which combines a camera and a standard highway radar unit, snaps a picture of any speeding vehicle. The photo also shows the time, date, location, vehicle speed and license plate number, as well as the driver’s face.

The information from the photo is used to issue a speeding ticket, which is mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle. The device is capable of photographing up to 260 speeders an hour, far exceeding the two to four tickets an hour the average police officer can write.

Pasadena officials voted to use the system after a monthlong trial last year.