LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada state senators questioned the proponents of an automated camera bill that would take pictures of speeders and red-light runners and send them tickets through the mail.
What this means for everyday Nevadans
Questions ranged from what happens if a person doesn't get the ticket in the mail, to who gets the ticket in a household where more than one person shares the same car, to whether the $100 civil fine was enough of a punishment to truly deter violators.
And public defenders and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada raised civil rights questions, saying automated cameras can discriminate against people by race depending on where they are placed. They also questioned what happens to the data collected by the cameras after the photos are taken.
But proponents of the bill — Senate Bill 415 — said it was a proven tool to cut down on the number of fatal accidents that have marred Las Vegas streets in recent years.
Proponents also brought a conceptual amendment to the bill, which would address some of the concerns raised by critics. If the amendment is adopted, the bill would:
- Only use automated cameras in an area where officials say traditional law enforcement methods have failed to deter speeders and red-light runners.
- Perform a traffic study for each location where an automated camera is proposed to be used.
- Require a 60-day public information campaign informing the public that the cameras will be installed. (Signs would also denote the use of the cameras.)
- For the first 30 days the cameras are in use, send only warnings to violators, not notices of infraction.
- Allow payment plans for the $100 civil fine for violations. Indigent drivers could also ask for administrative assessments to be waived.
- Ensure that no information gathered by authorities using the cameras is shared with federal immigration officers.
- Require public reports about the location of the cameras, the number of warnings and violation notices sent by each of the cameras and the total amount of fines and fees collected.
Under the bill, insurance rates would not be affected by violations caught by cameras.
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill has come out in support of the cameras, saying that he doesn't have enough officers to enforce laws and that crashes are getting out of hand. He testified on Monday that, while he usually doesn't support "big government," the cameras could help save lives.
"And the bottom line for that is, I'm sick and tired of people dying on our roadways because of the bad behavior of other drivers," McMahill said.
Not only that, but he said that bad behavior impacts far more than the people involved in a crash. It affects family members and the police officers who investigate the often-horrific accident scenes, he said.
"Fatal traffic accidents, I can tell you, are gruesome scenes to investigate. Bodies that are ripped apart and mangled. And then we have to deal with the loved ones that are left behind."
One of those loved ones spoke to committee members on Monday. Suzan Smith told the story of her son Johnny, who was hit and killed while coming home from school and crossing a six-lane street. The speeding driver was going 67 mph in a 35 mph zone.
Her son was just 12 years old.
"A tragedy that altered so many lives forever could have been avoided," Smith said. "A speed camera near where my son lost his life could have saved his life."
In 2024, there were 377 fatal traffic crashes in Nevada, up 7% from the year before, according to the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety. A total of 412 people died in those crashes, a 5% increase from 2023.
Gov. Joe Lombardo — who served as sheriff until being elected governor in 2022 — has also come out in favor of the cameras.
WATCH | Metro sheriff says road safety needs to change
But there is opposition to the cameras, too. According to a presentation offered by the ACLU of Nevada, the public defenders of Clark and Washoe County and the Fines and Fees Justice Center, cameras "pose serious constitutional threats and undermine civil liberties."
"Expanding surveillance normalizes constant government monitoring, creating a slippery slope toward mass surveillance," the groups said in a presentation prepared for today's committee hearing. "There are NO effective safeguards against the abuse and misuse of surveillance data."
SB 415 isn't the only bill that would authorize red-light cameras pending in the current session.
Assembly Bill 402 would allow authorities to put automated cameras in construction zones when workers are actually present. It was heard in the Assembly Growth and Infrastructure Committee last week.
And Assembly Bill 527 would equip school buses with cameras to catch people who drive past when red stop lights are flashing. That bill is scheduled for a hearing on Thursday.
Automated cameras have been banned in Nevada since 1999, amid concerns over civil liberties. Lawmakers tried in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2019 and 2023 to repeal the ban and use red-light cameras, but those bills were all defeated.
In 2023, a bill called for using cameras only in school zones, but that measure died in committee without a vote.
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