It looks like radar detectors are legal in most US states and territories. Virginia and the District of Columbia are the two exceptions and the NYC->LA route wouldn't pass through either.
Yeah, I was aware of these and while it’s pretty crazy, I also used to drive with a radar detector detector detector[1] so it’s not like electronic warfare with the police is an alien concept to me. I just thought Britain was too polite to literally threaten people with SWAT teams over unpaid TV licenses.
[1] A radar detector is used to detect police radars, which are used to catch speeders. Police responded with radar detector detectors, which detect radar detectors, which are legal but police don’t like them. The citizen countermeasure, built into your better radar detectors, is the radar detector detector detector, which detects radar detector detectors and can additionally protect your radar detector from itself being detected. I am not aware of the successful invention of a radar detector detector detector detector.
Of course there's a legal distinction, otherwise the state wouldn't be able to make such laws. The question is whether such laws are logically reasonable to have.
Your blue flashing light example makes sense to prohibit because it is misleading other people. Whereas a radar detector is increasing your own senses. Should there be aspects of your personal physical reality that you are legally prohibited from finding out?
Or alternatively, what basic tort would using a radar detector be similar to?
Radar detectors are sold under the same sort of disclaimer that they're never, ever, ever to be used to circumvent speed limit laws. It's safe to say we can all roll our eyes at this boilerplate.
This cat-and-mouse game has been going on for a long time, even outside of spycraft.
E.g. radar detectors are illegal in several states, so of course there have been devices sold to law enforcement to allow them to detect these illegal radar detectors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar_detector_detector
That's all probably moot now. I think law enforcement has moved mostly to using lasers, which are much more difficult to detect.
In Virginia, it's legal to own a radar detector; but, you just can't use it.
You can actually have it in your vehicle, as long as it's not accessible to the driver/passengers and not connected to a power source. They cannot be sold in Virginia.
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