Safety. That fancy electronic box with a camera
and flash bulb might catch a speeder or red-light
runner, but it won’t pull over the speeder or red-light
runner that’s drunk/high that heading towards your
car at the next intersection. That’s why we have police
officers.
Privacy. We don’t believe the role of government
is to spy on its citizens, no matter how well intentioned
such a program might be. “Those Who Sacrifice Liberty
For Security Deserve Neither,” said Ben Franklin,
and we’re inclined to agree.
Sovereignty. Imagine waking up one morning to see
this Australian police car in your rear-view mirror on the
Loop 101. Imagine the foreign-born officer walking up to
your window and demanding your information from you. Then,
imagine your outrage when he has the nerve to write YOU
a citation, only to find out that your government has outsourced
law enforcement to another nation. Such a scenario isn’t
a dystopian future, but rather business-as-usual for the
cities and state agencies that rely on Rexflex
Group, the “Umbrella Corporation” of traffic
control systems. And yes, they’re an Australian company.
Due Process. When a police officer stops you and
writes a ticket, he has to verify the person’s identity
and make sure he gets his paperwork right in order for the
ticket to stand up in court. In addition, you’re personally
“served” the complaint by the police officer.With
automated enforcement, cities and the state send you a copy
of the ticket via mail, and according to their own laws
such a mailing is not proper service. They instead
hope you’ll incriminate yourself by responding to the
complaint. Lets be clear: unless you voluntarily waive your
rights and respond to some random solicitation in the mail,
the only form of proper service for a photo radar ticket
is to be served by a licensed and bonded process server.
In fact, the notices sent in the mail usually threaten you
into compliance, saying that if you don’t respond,
you’ll have to pay for your own service if they
choose to hire a process server!
Cronyism. We’re all for free-market capitalism,
but by commercializing law enforcement activities and awarding
no-bid contracts to such companies, we’re rewarding
mediocrity. Today it’s “just” traffic citations,
tomorrow it could be Blackwater taking over the functions
of the Mesa Police Department. When corporations and governments
conspire against the will of the people, rights are lost
and freedoms are destroyed.
