Prompted by an increase in complaints from residents about cars ignoring speed limits on city streets, the Baker City Police Department has augmented its campaign to deal with speeders.

And this new officer doesn’t need lunch breaks.

Baker City Police recently deployed a trailer that measures vehicles’ speed and displays the figure in bright lights on a screen.

The trailer also features a sign showing the speed limit at that spot, so passing drivers can see if they’re complying.

The trailer was manufactured by MPH Industries and cost about $8,000, Police Chief Ty Duby said.

The City Council included money for the trailer in the budget for this fiscal year.

Duby said the trailer will be set up based on complaints from residents.

“We get a lot of complaints regarding speeding vehicles in certain areas and in neighborhoods,” Duby said. “We thought that if we could get a new, updated speed trailer it would really help us with those complaints.”

The new trailer has solar panels to power the sign.

“It’s pretty handy,” Duby said.

Phoebe Wachtel, the police department’s office manager, said on Wednesday morning, June 22 that the department had received multiple requests in the past day or so to have the trailer moved to a particular part of town.

Duby said the trailer can have a deterrent effect on speeding drivers, and it helps augment the department’s workforce. He said there are typically two patrol officers on duty at a time, and they often don’t have time to focus on traffic enforcement.

“We get complaints about people speeding in school zones, people speeding in certain neighborhoods, there’s just a lot more complaints than we can address,” Duby said.