Surveillance Cameras are Here to Stay in Twin Falls

I’ve been a fence sitter on Flock cameras.  Until Monday, when Twin Falls Police Chief Matt Hicks was on my radio show.  A question popped into my head.  A lot of my friends believe the cameras on city streets (and there are plenty in Idaho) violate liberty.  I’m willing to consider their point of view, but we already have law enforcement watching you drive firsthand.  I asked the chief about someone watching you from a parking lot as an officer runs radar, and it dawned on me that we don’t find that intrusive.  Police have been observing our driving habits for over a century.  They’ve sat behind billboards and put planes in the sky.  Now they have access to drones.

There Will be Some Limits

Chief Hicks doesn’t support permanent data collection on drivers, and he favors criminal charges for officers and deputies who abuse the system for personal reasons.  Meanwhile, legislators would also like to limit how long Flock can keep data.  The company obviously is sucking up details on millions of drivers.

Don't Break the Law to Prove Your Point

Another worry I had was that these systems can be abused if we ever get a hostile government, and there are plenty of examples of bureaucrats abusing the system in our lifetimes.  If a madman ever takes control of the United States, he’ll put up cameras without asking your permission.  As for the Robin Hood types who are knocking down the cameras, congratulations.  You’ve cost the taxpayers thousands of dollars, and you just guaranteed you’ll incur the wrath of the state.

The late Justice Antonin Scalia remarked that there's no right to privacy in the Constitution.