Stalker has been building speed-detection devices for 30 years, helping law enforcement bring the hammer down on those of us with a heavy right wrist with its long line of portable radar and lidar machines. This is its latest creation: the X-Series XLR Lidar.

“It’s the worst thing invented for the happy motorist, especially this new one,” says Wayne Dixon, a deputy with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. “I’ve gotten this one out to 3,800 feet.”

At that distance, Stalker says the XLR is accurate to within 1 mph, and it can pick up a target in less than half a second.

“It’s traveling at the speed of light, 186,282 miles per second. By the time I pull this trigger, it’s already gone and come back.”

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That’s why lidar is so effective for officers, and so frustrating for riders with radar or lidar detectors. There’s no hoping that you have time to slow down when you see the squad car. If the cop can see you, he knows how fast you’re going.

And with machines like the XLR, lidar is more prevalent than ever. The gun weighs just 2.3 pounds with the battery in place, and unlike previous iterations that had to rely on a suitcase full of AA batteries or an obnoxious cigarette-lighter plug, the XLR uses lithium-ion cells that can power the gun for two full shifts and endure up to 500 charges before needing to be replaced. Oh, and it can track targets through obstructions such as leaves, bushes, or fences.