Due to limited resources many states use speed enforcement cameras—also known as photo or video enforcement—to take a digital photograph or video of a vehicle (and its license plate) that violates the speed limit. The use of speed enforcement cameras to issue speeding tickets or citations (mailed to the driver) has been controversial, with claims that it violates Constitutional rights.

Laws vary from state to state and in some states speed enforcement cameras are a permitted enforcement tool; in some states they are prohibited; and in some states they are prohibited unless permitted by a local ordinance (city or town).

To measure the speed of a moving vehicle and issue speeding tickets by photo enforcement, police departments generally use photo or video radar that relies on radio signals and the Doppler Effect or photo and video LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology that relies on lasers rather than radio waves. These devices require training on their proper use and regular calibration to be accurate.

In the state of Idaho, the use of speed enforcement cameras, also known as photo radar or video enforcement, is not permitted. Idaho Code § 49-202(14) defines 'traffic infraction evidence-based enforcement' and explicitly prohibits the use of such automated traffic enforcement methods to issue citations or tickets for speeding or red-light violations. This means that in Idaho, all speeding tickets must be issued by a law enforcement officer who has directly observed the violation. The state does not allow for the use of cameras to enforce speed limits or to mail citations to drivers based on photographic evidence. Therefore, any speeding ticket issued in Idaho will be the result of direct observation by a trained law enforcement officer, not by automated systems.