A few days ago, I read an article on the Seattle Times newspaper about a new bill that would allow speed camera photos to be used in court as evidence. While it seems like a commonsense argument, not everyone is happy with the idea. Among the opponents of this bill is the ACLU, which says that increasing use of speed cameras brings us ever closer to a “surveillance society”. They liken the new bill as a step closer to a Big-Brother-controlled world where the actions of everyday people are subjected to extreme scrutiny. Furthermore, they state that speed cameras infringe on our citizens’ privacy.
There are several flaws to that argument.
First off, speed cameras are used on roads. Roads are not private property like one’s residence; they belong to the public. Read that again, public. In public, there is, and there should not, be any expectation of privacy. You can’t go around in public telling others that they are not allowed to look at you because it is “your privacy.” In your own home, however, this is a completely different story.
When used properly, cameras can be an effective crime deterrent and crime solver, among other functions. Daily, many robberies are solved with the help of CCTV cameras in stores. Why not, then, can the same principle be applied to speed-cams and traffic violators? There is nothing wrong in using public surveillance to catch offenders, just as there is nothing wrong in using CCTV footage to identify and prosecute a bank robber.
As for the Big-Brother society fib, it is just that, a white lie. The phrase “Big Brother” comes from George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984. In the novel, he describes an omnipotent power who can see every citizen’s actions at any time, any place; whether they be in the city, at a market, or in their home. There is a HUGE difference between “Big Brother 1984 version” and “Big Brother ACLU version”. In the ACLU version, neither WSDOT nor the state nor the federal government have any plans to install video cameras on every square inch of every business, grocery store, residential home, and sidewalk. The new bill does not even appropriate funds for the placement of new speed cameras at street intersections; it only authorizes the use of photos from existing cameras. The average citizen will hardly notice the effects of this bill. Not even the slightest scent of Big Brother is present in this bill, yet that is precisely what the ACLU wants us to believe.
If speed cameras are already talking pictures, why not use them as evidence in court? If speed camera evidence cannot be used, then it automatically degrades them to the status of metal decoys. That is a true waste of money, especially when we are still coming out of economic recession. Call your legislator today, and tell them to approve the speed cam bill.