Schools back in session make the morning commute through Mankato a little longer as drivers share the road with more buses and older high school students.

And Mankato police are letting everyone know they have a new tool to deal with those who lose their patience.

All of the Police Department’s 14 squad cars are now equipped with radar systems that give separate readings on approaching vehicles. In the past, readings on speeding cars used to blend in with the readings of larger vehicles that were obeying the speed limits. Now officers are able to get accurate speed readings for both vehicles, whether they’re approaching from the front or the back.

“It’s going to allow us to focus on aggressive drivers for the first time,” Cmdr. Jeremy Clifton said.

“No one likes an aggressive driver. No one wants to be an aggressive driver — we’ve all been there trying to push the speed limit because we’re late. But it causes accidents.”

Aggressive driving becomes more of a concern in the fall when schools open, Clifton said. There are more young pedestrians crossing streets and more young drivers on the road. That’s added to traffic that’s already been steadily increasing as the city grows, he said.

The new Stalker brand radar systems are replacing radar systems that were already about a decade behind technology wise, Clifton said. The new technology will allow officers to patrol for speeders more aggressively in high-traffic areas.

With the old radar systems, officers weren’t always able to stop someone speeding past a semi or large SUV in a smaller vehicle because the radar would only give the speed of the larger vehicle. The new equipment allows officers to get readings from two vehicles approaching from the back and two vehicles approaching from the front.

Brian Gersich, West High School principal, said traffic is always a concern there because Stoltzman Road and Riverfront Drive border the school. Any tools police have to keep drivers obeying the lower 20 mph speed limits during school are appreciated, he said.

Students don’t always follow the rules when crossing the road or make good driving decisions when pulling in and out of the student parking lots, Gersich said. “That extra reaction time can really help.”