Friday, Feb. 11, 2011 | 2:04 a.m.
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In Saturday’s Las Vegas Sun story about police renewing a call for red-light cameras, one of those interviewed was Chad Dornsife, executive director of Best Highway Safety Practices Institute, which has lobbied against such cameras in Nevada.
“We feel (the cameras) are illegal and unconstitutional,” Dornsife said. “These cameras turn Nevada into a police state. It’s a fraud at best and criminal at worst.”
Perhaps Dornsife can explain to me the difference between red-light cameras and surveillance cameras in banks, convenience stores, shopping mall parking lots, casinos, etc. Why aren’t these cameras “illegal and unconstitutional”? When you drive on a public road and commit a crime, how can you expect privacy?
Being caught on camera committing a crime is “fraud at best and criminal at worst”? Give me a break. What about my right to enjoy a safe and secure trip in my car?
The irony of Dornsife’s argument is that it is promoted by an organization called Best Highway Safety Practices. The best highway safety practices are not driving drunk, not speeding, not running red lights and not driving recklessly — yet people still commit these crimes. (Yes, I consider them crimes.)
The more of these drivers we remove from the road, the safer we all are. We should be able to use any tool available to stop them.
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