Traffic camera ban is overkill

On Thursday an Iowa House committee approved a bill that would stop cities and the State of Iowa from using traffic cameras to capture images of cars speeding and running red lights and issue tickets automatically (see story on Page 4B).

If the bill passes the full House and Senate and is signed into law by Gov. Branstad, cities that already have the cameras would have to remove them, and no new cameras could be put up. Currently, Newton is not among the cities with cameras installed, but the issue intrigues us nonetheless.

There’s been a lot of debate on the issue this week and lots of alarmist rhetoric about the evils of the cameras. It’s a knee-jerk overreaction, and we don’t believe the wholesale ban is necessary.

Nobody likes receiving tickets, but an outright ban on the cameras is a bit like killing a bunny with a bazooka. The cameras themselves are not inherently unconstitutional and don’t represent an invasion of privacy.

One of the ban’s supporters, Rep. Walt Rogers, R-Cedar Falls, cautioned that with the cameras, “We’re going down the road to infringing on freedom.”

That’s blustery “slippery slope” rhetoric, Mr. Rogers. That type of logic is a fallacy. Just because traffic cameras are allowed to take images of cars and/or license plates doesn’t mean that we’re about to have law enforcement video-taping people in their homes. We can’t argue against traffic cameras because of something we think it might lead to.

Americans have a right to privacy, but last we checked, that doesn’t include a right to not have our cars photographed while out in public. We already live in a world with security cameras in banks, shopping malls and parking lots and ramps. Traffic cameras, which take only a single image, are arguably less “invasive” than even these commonplace security devices.

The issue with cameras is not privacy.

Those who want a massive ban on the cameras appear to be mostly concerned about getting a ticket in the mail for petty traffic violations. They worry cities will use the cameras to fill their coffers.

We agree that cities shouldn’t use the cameras to raise money. The cameras should be used to increase safety.