Cops get craftier about catching speeders -- who get craftier about dodging traps

Jostling to pull in front of each other in the territorial fight over the open road, suburban drivers and police are often locked in a battle of wits.

Now, they are finding new ways to sneak under each other's radar.

In one lane are the police, trying to outsmart even the most savvy leadfoots.

Buffalo Grove police have begun disguising themselves as construction workers or someone enjoying a leisurely summer day on a lawn chair next to a cooler, only to aim a laser gun at unsuspecting drivers.

And scofflaws running red lights increasingly face the risk of being snapped by police cameras perched on traffic signals. A recent state law has cleared the way for such cameras on state roads.

Yet some drivers themselves are seeking innovative ways to elude the watch of police.

They can buy a 21st century "fuzz buster" that uses a global positioning system to alert them to traffic cameras, or a detector that claims to pick up newer police laser guns. Or they can buy a shellac-type spray that claims to create glare blinding the camera trying to snap your license plate.

"Everyone's trying to do something," state police Master Sgt. Luis Gutierrez said. "If they're obeying the laws, that's not something they need to be worried about."

Illinois lawmakers are trying to keep up. A proposal would outlaw such products, like a $29.99 spray made by a Pennsylvania company. Anyone caught would face a $1,000 fine.

Plastic license plate covers that induce glare are already banned by a state law that took effect Aug. 7.

Joe Scott, who claims his PhotoBlocker Spray is a defense against these cameras, considers the proposed legislation a product endorsement. "If it's enough for the state of Illinois to ban it, it must work," he said.

Scott and other critics argue police cameras aren't foolproof. "We're not encouraging anyone to break the law. It's just proven that these cameras make mistakes," he said.

Scott points to an example of a funeral procession that stays together regardless of whether the light changes to red. Technically, the cars are running the red light.

Such fears are unjustified, said a spokeswoman for the company installing many of the cameras.

If a new camera on a River Road light near the Rosemont Theatre leads to a $100 ticket in the mail when the alleged violation was during a cortege, the ticket would be thrown out, said Debra Beerup, a spokeswoman for RedSpeed Illinois.

The Lombard-based company most recently installed two cameras in Rosemont and three in Bolingbrook.

In two weeks in Rosemont, the cameras recorded 162 red-light violations, mostly from people failing to stop before making a right turn, police said. The warning period for the Rosemont cameras comes to a close Monday, when drivers will begin getting $100 tickets in the mail for blowing red lights.

RedSpeed has contracts to post more than 100 cameras in 16 towns, including Prospect Heights. Chicago in 2003 began installing cameras at 30 intersections.

Along with a ticket in the mail, drivers get three photos: the car approaching the intersection when the light turns red; the car in the middle of the intersection; and the license plate. The ticket doesn't count as a moving violation. The camera doesn't capture the driver's face.

The cameras are merely a way for police and companies selling the cameras to make money, PhotoBlocker's Scott says. Chicago police report their traffic cameras, which were first added four years ago, helped to net more than $20æmillion last year for red light violations.

On average, RedSpeed collects about $40 for each $100 ticket, Beerup said.

The state law that took effect in March stipulates that municipalities can get the state's OK to post cameras on state-run roads only if the goal is to increase safety at dangerous intersections, not to boost revenue. Of course, the new law doesn't govern other roads in municipalities.

State officials support increased enforcement through cameras to reduce serious crashes that occur at intersections with stoplights, Illinois Department of Transportation spokesman Mike Claffey said.

Cameras might be the increasingly popular choice among police to catch traffic scofflaws, but Buffalo Grove police have adopted one of the more original methods.

They have appropriated the garb of construction workers, or posed as a person whose car is broken down to curb speeding, Buffalo Grove traffic Sgt. Scott Kristiansen said.

Schaumburg police began a similar stratagem five years ago, and other suburbs also have adopted gimmicks in the hopes of netting drivers breaking the law.

In Carol Stream, police have dressed as homeless people walking the sides of major roads and have partnered with state police to fly a plane to catch delinquent drivers.

Aurora police randomly post officers on some school buses to crack down on drivers who go around buses stopping for children, then radio their colleagues to ticket the driver.

It's an effective deterrent "when the people know that we're out there and they know we might be dressed as construction workers and solicitors," Kristiansen said. "We've found that people tend to slow down then."

He shrugs off so-called fuzz busters, saying they don't work. The makers of these high-tech devices will agree to disagree.

Chicago-based Cobra Electronics Corp., works constantly to improve the disco-era radar detectors of the 1970s. This year, it unveiled devices that use GPS to notify drivers they're approaching an intersection with a red light camera. They range in price from $299 to $449.

Cobra maintains a database of camera locations. Customers can go to its Web site and use their computer to download new locations to the device, said Dave Marsh, director of navigation products.

Drivers see an icon pop up and hear the sound of a camera click.

Marsh disputes any inference the detectors enable law breakers, although one Chicago alderman wants to make them illegal.

"The whole point is to give the driver an early awareness of locations where they have to be extra vigilant," Marsh said. "Our drivers want to be aware of being watched, and we help with that."