Letter to the Editor: Speed camera technology bill: ‘About safety or about money’?

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The surveillance state strikes another blow, as Delaware lawmakers take further steps implementing artificial intelligence in law enforcement.

On June 15, the state House of Representatives passed legislation, with only two members voting against, allowing speed cameras to be deployed on our streets and highways.

While offenders committing crimes against people and property go unpunished or get off with a slap on the wrist, our state’s politicians aim to increase the number of traffic violations issued to everyday Delawareans.

These artificial intelligence-driven camera systems will automatically issue fines to the owners of vehicles exceeding speed limits.

Additionally, an even more constitutionally oppressive section of this legislation eliminates the right to trial by jury for many people who will receive these new computer-generated citations.

As always, public safety is the rallying cry by which government officials have engineered a new program that will extract money from Delawareans traveling to and from their homes and about their lives and business.

But is this about safety or is this about money?

Revenue from this new program allows politicians to further inflate the state’s ever-growing budget. It’s a hidden tax increase that takes more money out of the shrinking pockets of families and our local economy, and deposits it into the black hole of government spending.

The legislation states that money from the fees collected will be used to pay system vendors. To be perfectly clear, this means that the private corporations providing these machines will be receiving a cut of the revenue taken from citizens.

Is this union of private corporations and law enforcement in the best interests of Delawareans?

Does private profit motive belong in our state’s system of justice?

Are fines issued by artificial intelligence compatible with a free society?

A resounding “no” is the only answer that honors Delaware’s venerable state motto: Liberty and Independence.

It will only be a matter of time before total technological surveillance becomes justified in the name of public safety, with artificial intelligence replacing the living, breathing members of our communities known as police officers; with corporations happily receiving their piece of the pie to provide the technology used to keep citizens under watch; and with politicians and political organizations receiving donations from those profiting in order to keep the grift — excuse me, “public safety program” — going.

This bill has not yet passed the state Senate. Contact your state senators and tell them to vote no on House Substitution 1 for House Bill 94.

Sam Chick

Harrington

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