It first installed cameras on roads located within the Commonwealth of Virginia as part of an authorized demonstration project. Now the Park Service, without Congressional approval, is planning to turn this into a revenue-raising system that issues tickets to motorists. In essence, what these cameras do is turn the duty and judgment of law enforcement officers over to a machine. Citizens lose their constitutionally guaranteed right to face their accuser in court when the due process of law is traded for the efficiency of revenue generation. You can't argue your case to a machine.
People feel the burden where similar systems have been put in place.
In the District of Columbia, for example, red light cameras indiscriminately mail out tickets to mourners involved in funeral processions and even ambulances and police cars. Last year, the District reluctantly admitted that it had unfairly issued tickets to at least 20,000 motorists with a single camera. I'm committed to doing what it takes to make our roads safer, but not at the cost of our fundamental rights. Likewise, I am concerned that this may be seen as a step toward a Big Brother surveillance state, where the government monitors the comings and goings of its citizens. Enclosed you will find a copy of a letter the Governor of Virginia sent to me last year expressing his opposition to the Park Service's plan.