LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: VIDEO CAMERAS AT INTERSECTIONS MIGHT SAVE LIVES

To the editor:

Recently there was a Speak Out comments, "Restricting freedom." The caller objected to video cameras' being installed at the intersections because this would infringe on our civil liberties. I would like to toss out some comment of my own for this caller and others of the same frame of mind to consider.

The one comment that stood out was, "If the cop doesn't catch you, you have no business being handed a ticket." This statement is saying:

We all have the right to break the law if we so choose. It's the cop's responsibility to keep us in line, and if they don't catch us, they're not doing their job. Therefore, we win. They lose. And we shouldn't be held responsible for our heedless actions.

This is the logic of a perpetual speeder who hasn't been caught very often and would prefer to keep it that way. I know. I was one of them until recently.

The installation of video cameras at intersections would put an end to this cat-and-mouse game we play with the cops. It would make each of us responsible for our own actions all of the time rather than sporadically.

However, to perpetual speeders, these cameras seem unfair because they rob them of their freedom to break the law and get by with it. In actuality, it's not these video cameras that rob you of your liberties, but rather it's the people who refuse to obey the laws.

In order for liberties to exist, you need laws. Otherwise, you have anarchy. When people refuse to obey the laws, you need cops. The cops' job is not to keep people in line, but to serve as a reminder to each of us that it is our responsibility to keep ourselves in line. Cops accomplish this through their presence and through issuing tickets.

It is also the cops' job to apprehend those of us who are a serious threat to our unalienable rights: the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.

Yes, in this land of freedom we have the right to break the laws, but only if we are willing to suffer the consequences. This is not because the cops are lazy or stupid, but because they are outnumbered. Video cameras are simply a tool to assist officers in stopping crime. How can anyone object to a tool that will make our streets safer?

Another interesting comment the Speak Out caller made was that the installation of these cameras at intersections would be like having Big Brother peeping over our shoulder. The fact is we already have Big Brother peeping over our shoulder. These cameras are in stores, banks, schools and parking lots. Why not have them at intersections?

The only people who have anything to worry about are those who are breaking the law. As for liberties, I wonder what the victims who have been killed by speeders or by speeding themselves -- and have their liberties ripped away forever -- would say about cameras at intersections. Would they feel our liberties are being infringed upon?

I must admit video cameras definitely have some foreseeable problems, but unless people are willing to be responsible drivers and slow down, do you have a better idea?

LORIE PEATS

Jackson, Mo.