The Libertarian Party of Effingham County would like to express its concerns about the current camera technology being used in school zones.

Blue Line Solutions just settled a class-action lawsuit for $175,000 in which more than 7,700 motorists were wrongfully cited for speeding. Other concerns include the commercialization of law enforcement, mass surveillance and the ability of companies like Blue Line Solutions to collect data and possibly distribute it one day, maybe even to the federal government. The party believes the cameras are unconstitutional because their use lacks due process.

The Bill of Rights guarantees us the right to face our accuser. In all actuality, the only way to defend yourself against this unconstitutional act would be to attend a biased court trial where you are found guilty before being proven innocent. The State of Georgia allows a lien to be put on your vehicle — even if you were not driving — and you could still end up paying the fines or losing it.

We believe getting into bed with a private company that does not have to follow the Constitution is a big concern. What entity is going to take responsibility whenever things go wrong? Is this something that is going to be blame-placed over and over again because our officials lack accountability?

Blue Line solutions will not have to answer to the taxpayers. These systems have been proven to be a medium for corruption, lowering speed limits, raising the price of tickets, some of which are costing people up to $400 dollars in some states, and a multitude of other things. 

Photo enforcement is banned in several states already and some cities have also prohibited them in some cases being ruled unconstitutional. We believe this is only the beginning and once local governments see the profits we could potentially end up with cameras everywhere. 

If we wanted to live with these policies, we would move to California. These values do not align with our constitutional principles. American companies provide this same technology and are driving these systems in China to spy on oppressed citizens. When decisions are being made behind closed doors, it undermines our democracy.

We are highly disappointed that our sheriff would make such a big decision without our county commissioners voting on it. The Libertarian Party of Effingham County in no way supports any government cameras being put on our roadways to monitor or generate revenue. We believe in small government and this is not a reflection of that. This is nothing short of policing for profit. 

Our founding fathers warned us about giving up freedoms for safety. The camera systems that are currently being implemented are equivalent to a modern-day trojan horse. We have acknowledged that these contemporary tools for policing are used to incriminate and deprive people of freedoms, unconstitutionally surveil and heckle constituents continuously to achieve their personal and monetary goals to sustain a budget

Libertarian Party of Effingham County