LAS VEGAS – A scathing opposition letter signed by more than two dozen Nevada organizations calls a new legislative push for traffic cameras a “dangerous bill that lacks specifics and sacrifices civil liberties for potential revenue.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, joined by SEIU Local 1107, Planned Parenthood, Silver State Equality, the Las Vegas and Reno/Sparks NAACP chapters, and several other groups representing a number of different sectors, sent the letter Wednesday to members of the Nevada Assembly. The opposition letter is enclosed.
Assembly Bill 402, sponsored Assemblymember Selena Torres Fossett, is the second traffic camera bill considered by the Nevada Legislature this session, but civil rights advocates warn that this bill — framed as a construction zone safety measure — would expand government surveillance even more than the previous one because it would allow for the deployment of unspecified and untested cameras on all public roadways, including even outside of private residences, abortion providers offices, law offices, voting centers, and more.
ACLU of Nevada Executive Director Athar Haseebullah said:
“AB402 is full of dangerous unknowns in an era where government intrusion into people’s lives is at a high. Allowing cameras to be placed on any roadway, even the ones in front of your residence, invades your civil liberties in a disastrous way. Telling us to simply trust in unspecified and unvetted surveillance software ignores the reality of the Orwellian times we are living in. I know the Nevada Republican Party already opposed this measure and would expect their Assemblymembers to not break from their party to support mass surveillance approaches, so this will hinge on Democratic legislators. Any Democrat who tells you to blindly trust the government as would be the case in the event of a “Yes” vote here is actually ignoring every form of reality. Most people don’t have the luxury of living in those types of bubbles. Don’t tell people to put their faith blindly into the same government that regularly betrays them.”
ACLU of Nevada Policy Analyst Kaylah Maese said:
“If construction workers are being subject to harm, we could deploy actual officers to areas where harm exists, but that’s not what this proposal does. Unfortunately, we cannot even consider language to minimize potential harms because there are no details provided on the types of technology that will be procured and used here. This bill, with all its unknowns, should not move forward.”
NAACP of Las Vegas President Quentin Savwoir said:
“NAACP of Las Vegas is always concerned about harmful surveillance of our communities. We view this bill as a trap. We stand with ACLU of Nevada against the mass surveillance of our communities and urge lawmakers to not advance AB402.”
Fines and Fees Justice Center Nevada State Director Nick Shepack said:
“This bill, like most automatic enforcement bills, will almost certainly operate as a revenue generator for state and local governments. This will disproportionately impact low-income Nevadans under the guise of public safety.”
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