Senators approve ban on traffic cameras

Wednesday, April 14, 1999 | 9:29 a.m.

SB381, now going to the Assembly, was proposed by Sen. Mark James and would allow the use of the cameras for traffic enforcement only if a violator was stopped and cited. In that case, evidence obtained by a camera could be used to help prove a violation in court.

But James, R-Las Vegas, added that no one should ever get a traffic ticket in the mail with no way to refute the charges.

Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, voted against James' measure, saying the bill doesn't go far enough in banning electronic surveillance.

"Police have cars, they have communication devices, they have a presence - their cars are marked. Why should we allow them to use cameras?" Neal asked.

Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, said the bill was a good compromise between police intrusion and public safety. Calling herself "a bit of a Luddite," Titus said she supported the measure because it doesn't tie the hands of law enforcement in enforcing traffic laws.

James said his intent is to ban an unacceptable invasion of privacy by government. He objected to Neal's characterization of the bill as allowing that intrusion.

"We are not starting 'Big Brother.' We're curbing 'Big Brother,"' he said.

Besides Neal, the only other vote against the bill was from Sen. Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas.