A Camp Hill lawmaker says he is drafting a new bill that will allow local cops in Pennsylvania to use radar devices to catch speeders but prevent them from abusing them to generate cash.

Currently, Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation that bans municipal police, encompassing about 1,200 police departments, from using radar or laser-radar devices. That ban has spurred officers to enforce speed limits with less conventional devices over the years that have been criticized by some for accuracy issues.

Police officials say Pennsylvania's ban dates back to 1961 and was rooted in concerns that it would lead to the rise of small-town speed traps. Police officials have repeatedly pushed to overturn that ban, but those efforts have been thwarted by lawmakers who still fear the devices will be abused.

Now, Rep. Greg Rothman, R-Cumberland County, says a new bill that he is drafting is designed to assuage those concerns while still allowing municipal police to use radar.

"Nobody likes getting a speeding ticket, but the reality is high traffic speeds are a huge cause of accidents and death," Rothman said. "We want to allow the police to use the best tools to keep people safe."

To prevent police from abusing radar, Rothman says his bill will include the following provisions:

Only full-time police who have completed an approved training course will be allowed to operate the devices. Officers will need to take a refresher course every three years.

Officers must be in marked vehicles that are visible to the motoring public. Roads entering the community must be marked with "radar enforced" signs.

Motorists can't be ticketed unless they exceed the speed limit by at least 10 mph.

Motorists can't be prosecuted if the municipality is shown to be using radar to generate revenue. Generation of revenue is demonstrated if at least 1 percent of total revenue is derived from radar traffic fines.

Enforcement can only be authorized after a municipality has passed an ordinance allowing its police department to use radar. Subsequently, radar use is only authorized after citizens have either complained about speeding in an area or police can demonstrate traffic safety concerns.

Municipalities are banned from setting quotas that encourage officers to cite motorists.

Annual reports from communities are to be made to PennDOT, and PennDOT is required to make an annual report to the Legislature.

Perhaps most importantly, Rothman said, the bill will expire after six years unless renewed by the General Assembly.

"It's a six-year pilot," Rothman said. "So if radar is being abused we won't renew it in six years."

Rothman said he hopes the bill's text will be released as early as this week. He is currently seeking co-sponsors and said he has interest from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers.

Rothman's proposed bill is something of a companion to another bill, SB251, that the Senate passed in November and has been sitting in the House Transportation Committee since.

SB251 would allow police to use radar devices but lacks the additional provisions of Rothman's bill, including its six-year expiration date.

Rothman, who sits on the House Transportation Committee, said that while he supports SB251 he doesn't believe it can pass the House without the additional provisions included in his own bill.

"Sometimes we have to do things incrementally because we have to show that local police forces can use radar responsibly and that their use will contribute to public safety," Rothman said.