Malibu Buys 6 Lidar Speed Guns For Deputy And CHP PCH Patrols

MALIBU, CA — The city recently OK'd the purchase of six speed guns as part of an effort to make sure law enforcement officers patrolling Pacific Coast Highway have the tools they need to catch speeders.

The City Council on Jan. 8 voted unanimously to authorize the purchase of six lidar guns at a total cost of $41,941.01. The guns will be stored at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Malibu/Lost Hills Station to be used both by deputies and California Highway Patrol officers, according to city officials.

The sheriff's office, which has police jurisdiction over Malibu, and the CHP — which recently began patrolling PCH as part of a city contract — both have lidar guns, but not enough for every officer, Malibu Public Safety Director Susan Dueñas said at the meeting.

"In order to guarantee that our officers and the CHP officers that are coming into Malibu have one of these lidar guns when they're on duty, we're buying them to guarantee it," Dueñas said.

The laser-powered devices, used by officers to determine motorists' speeds, will be used exclusively in Malibu and tagged in order to keep careful track of them, Dueñas said.

Deputies told city officials that four additional lidar guns would be a helpful tool in patrolling PCH following the October crash that killed four women. Officials later learned that CHP officers do not always have access to a lidar gun, prompting them to order two more for use in Malibu.

The CHP recently issued 63 speeding tickets to PCH drivers on a single day.