Mayor Schaunaman Doesn’t Want State’s Surveillance Cameras in Aberdeen

Aberdeen mayor Travis Schaunaman is taking a stand against the surveillance state that his fellow Republicans are so eagerly expanding. Mayor Schaunaman has asked the public to weigh in on the state’s proposal to install its license plate readers in Aberdeen:

I have concerns about this type of surveillance technology and personally do not support bringing these cameras into Aberdeen, but I want to hear from our community.

The state has already purchased the equipment and would cover maintenance costs. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝘼𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝘾𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙡 [Travis Schaunaman, FB, 2026.08.10].

Schaunaman goes on TV to expand on his Constitutional resistance to blanket surveillance:

“I am opposed to these. I feel like these definitely stand in the way of the Fourth Amendment, which protects our rights against searches and seizures. And I don’t like the idea that governments are just tracking people who have no probability of criminal behavior,” Schaunaman said [Grant Green, “License Plate Readers in Aberdeen? Mayor Gathers Feedback on Proposed Flock Cameras,” KSFY, 2026.08.10].

Attorney General and Republican candidate for U.S. House Marty Jackley assures us big government will only use everywhere-cameras to protect us:

LPR technology has been instrumental in several critical South Dakota investigations, including recovering a 9‑year‑old girl abducted in Clark County in 2023, and in the investigation into the disappearance and death of 14-year-old McKenna Wendel. Any use of this technology by law enforcement has been and must be governed by strong privacy protections to safeguard the rights of the people they serve. Any use of this technology must be limited to only major crimes and occur with the support of local authorities [Attorney General Marty Jackley, in Green, 2026.08.10].

I’m glad there are still some Republicans like Schaunaman who aren’t scared into giving up their principles of limited government and the Fourth Amendment.