My question involves a traffic ticket from the state of: California
I received a speeding citation whereby a police officer used a LIDAR gun (Pro Laser 3, by Kustom Signals) to measure my speed. The officer was in his patrol car, facing East, the same direction I was traveling, his patrol car was highly visible and I could clearly see his windows were rolled up. The officer pulled me over, stated he had clocked me at 51 in a 35, I thought to myself that this was very curious as I didn't see the officer outside of his car, there was no LIDAR antenna array on the rear of his patrol car either, how could he have managed a clear & steady shot, handheld, at a distance of 650-ft. while inside of his car? When the officer returned after writing the citation I asked the officer since he wasn't outside his car how he managed to point the LIDAR gun and measure the speed of my vehicle, the officer replied that he had "bounced the shot off of his mirror", which also means that the beam would have also had to travel through at least one pane of the patrol car's glass. I have been doing some research and in doing so I have managed to get a hold of a copy of the manual from the Pro Laser 3 from Kustom Signals, and it very clearly states several things. First, on page (6) of the manual it states that basically any use of controls or adjustments other than specified in the manual may cause the instrument to not operate at peak levels, second, on page 11 of the manual it states that the operator must have a clear line of site to the target vehicle, no mention is made anywhere in the manual that a reflected line of site is allowable in the device's specifications or instructions, I further verified this via an unofficial telephone chat with a tech person at Kustom, they would only go so far as to say that a shot off of mirror is not in the manual, I get it, conflict of interest. Third, on page 12 of the manual it states that to obtain maximum operating range the instrument should be positioned so that it is not operating through any glass in the patrol vehicle, due to relative oblique angles of the glass and possible windshield coatings. Finally, on page 31 of the Pro Laser 3 manual, it states in BOLD type that the operator and the (2) aiming points must be in a straight line for measurements to be accurate.
I just can't believe that a calibrated LIDAR gun "shot" executed from inside a patrol car, while handheld, at a range of 650-ft. (basically 200 yards), through patrol car glass and bounced off a mirror is accurate. Especially when You consider the patrol car glass and mirror are not part of the LIDAR gun's design, are not calibrated or endorsed by the LIDR maker.
While I have decent idea as to how to proceed I am not an attorney and would appreciate any experienced thoughts. Specifically, I am coming to the conclusion that I will likely have to subpoena in some fashion the LIDAR maker to obtain some form of official documentation that the mirror bounce technique is not covered in the operation manual, so how I do request discovery from the manufacturer? Also, will I have to also subpoena the LIDAR trainer personnel to verify if indeed training exists to perform a shot off a mirror that is admissable in court??
Thanks in advance to anybody that has taken the time to read this and respond.

