&uot;What good are speed limit signs if you can’t enforce the law?&uot;

That’s a question Sammy Cauthen, president of the Adams County Board of Supervisors, is asking this week after a legislative committee killed a bill that would have allowed sheriff’s deputies to patrol with radar.

Cauthen, who said &uot;I’ve been for it for years,&uot; echoes the sentiments of many Adams County and Natchez officials who believe deputies should be able to use radar, just as city and state patrol officers do.

&uot;Driving is a habit,&uot; said Natchez Police Chief Willie Huff. When county drivers develop bad habits those practices &uot;are going to carry over into the city&uot;.

The Natchez Police Department and the Mississippi Highway Patrol have used radar for years to patrol for speeders in their jurisdictions.

Both Huff and Sgt. James Walker, public affairs officer for the Jackson district of the Mississippi Highway Patrol, said radar could be a useful tool in controlling speeding on county roads.

&uot;I think if the sheriffs were given a chance the Legislature would be satisfied with how they use this new tool,&uot; Huff said. With radar in place &uot;maybe our state would not have the dubious honor of having the highest fatality rate in the nation.&uot;

The House of Representatives’ County Affairs Committee killed the bill this week, despite modifications that would excluded counties such as Adams with populations less than 50,000.

The move shocked Rep. Phillip West, D-Natchez, who said the oft-cited concern of deputies setting up &uot;speed traps&uot; to catch drivers is not justification for killing the bill.

&uot;I don’t think that’s a good basis for making that kind of decision,&uot; West said.

Nor does Supervisor Lynwood Easterling, who said he remains unconcerned about the threat of speed traps, which critics say could be used to generate money for counties and sheriff’s departments.

&uot;If a speed trap is there on a county road and somebody is speeding that doesn’t bother me at all,&uot; Easterling said. &uot;If you’re speeding, you’re speeding.&uot;

Supervisor Virginia Salmon said while she has supported radar legislation for years, the controversy over the bill concerns her.

&uot;On the surface I have supported it,&uot; she said. But &uot;since it has been denied as many times as it has there has to be something we don’t know.&uot;

Not necessarily, says Adams County Sheriff tommy Ferrell. After years of fighting, Ferrell said he has basically given up on the issue.

&uot;The Legislature is not going to budge and they are going to hide behind the excuse of such things as speed traps,&uot; Ferrell said.

Until radar use is federally mandated, Ferrell doubts sheriffs’ departments will be allowed to use it.

Ironically, all sheriffs’ deputies already receive radar training as part of their law enforcement training, Ferrell said.

And, if his deputies could use radar, &uot;it would be incorporated into their normal patrol duties&uot; like other agencies, such as police departments and the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Ferrell said.

Walker said every patrol unit with the Mississippi Highway Patrol has a radar device. His officers can use radar on all state-maintained roads, including those within municipalities, although officers do not set up stationary patrol in those areas.

&uot;But if we’re passing through (on a road inside a city) we can stop you for speeding,&uot; Walker said.

The Natchez Police Department has 12 radar devices for use on all roads within the city limits, Huff said.

Huff, who is also the president of the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police, said the association has long supported efforts by the sheriffs’ department to acquire radar. &uot;This is a valuable tool for protecting the public,&uot; he said.