State Senate bill allowing radar to be used by local police has bipartisan support – Bucks Round-Up – April 16, 2026
State Senate bill allowing radar to be used by local police has bipartisan support
A bipartisan group of state lawmakers has introduced a bill allowing municipal police departments to use radar to catch speeders. Currently, only state police can use that technology. If adopted, Pennsylvania will join the other 49 other states allowing some radar use by local police. The bill is currently before the Pennsylvania Senate Transportation Committee. Speeding and reckless driving endanger motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists statewide, agreed State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-Doylestown) in a joint statement with the bill’s prime sponsor Nick Miller (D-Allentown) and cosponsor Greg Rothman (R-Shippensburg). The bill’s proponents agree the restriction of local law enforcement’s access to radar has the departments relying on outdated systems that are less reliable, more costly, and harder to maintain. Efforts to pass similar legislation have failed in the past with lawmakers in rural parts of the state expressing concern police would use the radar guns to establish speed traps to increase revenue. However, the new proposal, Senate Bill 1237, limits how much money local departments could gain by using radar. Revenue from speeding tickets after adding radar guns could not exceed 101 percent of revenue from the previous year. Any funds above that would be given to the state.
Middletown ready to spend $1.7 million on paving and restriping roads
Fourteen Middletown Township roads are in line for restriping, a needed safety measure, according to Middletown’s engineer, Isaac Kessler. Also included in the 2026 road improvement project are plans to repave all streets within the Quincy Hollow and Juniper Hill Levittown neighborhoods. The milling and repaving plan follows the multiyear installation of new curb ramps in the Quincy Hollow and Juniper Hill sections. The Middletown Township Board of Supervisors awarded the $1.7 million contract to Philadelphia-based contractor James D. Morrissey, Inc. It was reported Morrissey’s bid arrived approximately $189,000 under the township’s original cost estimates.
Two Bucks County terror suspects plead not guilty in NY
Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, who allegedly lit and threw homemade bombs outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence in March, pleaded not guilty to federal terrorism charges at their arraignment yesterday. The pair are accused of traveling from Bucks County to protests outside Mamdani’s residence and hurling explosives. They were indicted on eight charges, including conspiracy to provide material support and resources to the foreign ISIS terrorist organization as well as use of a weapon of mass destruction, according to the criminal complaint. The weapon charge alone carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Members of Kayumi’s family were in court. Prosecutors have begun preparing discovery materials which they told the court are voluminous. It includes law enforcement reports, recovered physical items, and more than a dozen electronic devices. Balat and Kayumi are scheduled to be back in court June 16.
Pat Wandling is a veteran journalist, formerly of The Bucks County Courier, and was a mainstay on WBCB for over 20 years.
