Senate Surveillance Patrol

I need your immediate help! Last week, the Senate Transportation Committee voted to move Senate File 0003, Automated Vehicle Identification Systems, forward by a vote of 4 to 1. During this committee meeting, Chairman Bill Landen (Natrona) denied that he had anything to do with performing background checks on drivers or the Department of Homeland Security. But the horrifying fact is this – Automated Vehicle Identification Systems (aka License Plate Readers, Red Light Cameras, etc.) are devices that combine high speed cameras that capture photographs of EVERY passing license plate with software that analyzes those photographs to identify the plate number. This information is held in a database sometimes for three years – for innocent drivers as well as those with traffic violations. The Department of Homeland Security not only has access to this data, but DHS has distributed over $50 million in grants to fund the acquisition of license plate readers. SF0003 Automated Vehicle Identification Systems must be stopped.  Right now.  And I need your help.  Right now.  This bill is headed to the entire state senate for a vote. Please contact your state senator right away.  Demand they vote “NO” on the Scam Cam Bill, SF0003.  If you don’t know who your state senator is, just email all of the senators in your county. According to Kade Crockford, Director of Technology for Liberty Project at the ACLU of Massachusetts, a private corporation called Vigilant Solutions contains nearly two billion records of our movements and grows by nearly 100 million records per month. In addition, via license plate reader manufacturer, Leonardo, billions of dollars in grants are distributed to law enforcement through the Homeland Security Grant Program. According to the ACLU’s in depth report, You Are Being Tracked, Cheyenne, Wyoming purchased a system that included two license plate readers with $19,017.63 out of a $48,472 Department of Justice grant. During last Thursday’s committee hearing, Sen. Gierau stated that “mountain pass is the one we are shooting for right now.“  Those are key words – right now.  What will they be shooting for next year?  And the year after that?  Will every interstate, highway and intersection in Wyoming feature these Constitution-violating surveillance machines? Please contact your state senator RIGHT NOW and demand they vote “NO” on the Scam Cam Bill, SF0003.  If you don’t know who your state senator is, just email all of the senators in your county. The Senate Transportation Committee members who voted for this monstrosity (Senators Landen, Anderson, Pappas, and Furphy) would have you believe that the amendments made to SF0003 last Thursday will make it all okay.  However, there could be nothing further from the truth. This unsafe, unconstitutional, and corruption-laden surveillance system is simply a way to increase revenue for the state coffers.  Not only that, but it would require increasing staffing requirements – read “increasing government employees.” So the question is this:  Are Senators Bill Landen, Stephan Pappas, Jim Anderson, and Dan Furphy ignorant of the facts with these Traffic Surveillance Systems or do they believe that Wyoming citizens should have their movements recorded, should be subject to unconstitutional searches, and have their personal data stored in regional sharing systems? Please contact your state senator right now.  Demand they vote “NO” on the Scam Cam Bill, SF0003.  If you don’t know who your state senator is, just email all of the senators in your county. The only way to stop these liberty-stealing politicians in their tracks is to let them know you are aware of the threat these mass license plate tracking systems pose to your privacy and that you will not allow this to happen.