Radar gun dispute raises questions about local speed enforcement

NORTH CANAAN — Questions about the town’s speed enforcement capabilities emerged after the April Board of Selectmen meeting, where First Selectman Jesse Bunce said the town’s radar gun works — a claim the resident state trooper later contradicted.

The issue was first raised during the April 14 meeting by resident Jenn Crane, who questioned whether the town’s trooper has the equipment needed to address ongoing speeding complaints.

Crane, who is also the chair of the North Canaan Events Committee, pointed to the apparent lack of a functioning radar unit and said it was limiting enforcement and the trooper’s ability to police speeding. She later said safety concerns have been raised about speeding on certain roads, such as West Main Street, North Elm Street and Sand Road.

Bunce responded that the device does function, although he said it is old. Bunce, who took office in November, said he had been told the unit is operational but that the trooper has been hesitant to use it because of its age.

“Our gun does work. It’s just old,” Bunce said, adding the town has been exploring grants or other funding options to replace it.

But in an interview roughly three weeks later, Trooper Spencer Bronson described a different situation.

The radar unit, he said, is about 26 years old and not currently calibrated — a requirement that makes it unusable for law enforcement. He said he did not have records indicating when it was last calibrated and was unsure, given the device’s age, whether it could be recalibrated.

Bronson has served as North Canaan’s resident state trooper since January 2025, having held the role as recently as 2022.

“If it’s not calibrated, I can’t legally use it,” Bronson said.

The radar gun is not the only issue raised in recent weeks.

Both Bunce and Bronson confirmed that the landline to the trooper’s office was down for an extended period — roughly a month to a month and a half — due to a wireless connection failure. During that time, calls went unanswered and messages could not be retrieved, Bunce said.

The issue has since been resolved, with the town now relying primarily on the trooper’s cell phone: 959-228-1779. The town announced that the problem had been rectified on Facebook and limited who could comment on the post.

There is also no active police bicycle program.

While the town has had officers on bicycles in the past, it currently does not have a usable bike, and the resident trooper is not certified to patrol on one.

“We don’t have a bicycle,” Bunce said, adding that certification would likely follow if equipment were available. He said the trooper does not plan to get certified until a bike is in place, something the town is also looking into. He also noted that the town is geographically large and that a bike is generally unnecessary, except perhaps for events.

Bunce said the town funds the resident trooper position — including salary, vehicle and related costs — and that equipment like radar guns has to be provided by the town.

He estimated a replacement radar gun would cost about $3,600 to $3,700 and said the town is exploring options to secure one.