Posted on 12/23/2007 3:29:05 PM PST by LibWhacker
If you're ticketed by Green Bay police, you'll get more than a fine. You'll get fingerprinted, too. It's a new way police are cracking down on crime.
If you're caught speeding or playing your music too loud, or other crimes for which you might receive a citation, Green Bay police officers will ask for your drivers license and your finger. You'll be fingerprinted right there on the spot. The fingerprint appears right next to the amount of the fine.
Police say it's meant to protect you -- in case the person they're citing isn't who they claim to be. But not everyone is sold on that explanation.
"What we've seen happen for the last couple of years [is] increasing use of false or fraudulent identification documents," Captain Greg Urban said.
Police say they want to prevent the identity theft problem that Milwaukee has, where 13 percent of all violators give a false name.
But in Green Bay, where police say they only average about five cases in a year, drivers we talked with think the new policy is extreme.
"That's going too far," Ken Scherer from Oconto said. "You look at the ID, that's what they're there for. Either it's you or it's not. I don't think that's a valid excuse."
"I would feel uncomfortable but I would do it," Carol Pilgrim of Green Bay said.
Citizens do have the right to say no. "They could say no and not have to worry about getting arrested," defense attorney Jackson Main said. "On the other hand, I'm like everybody else. When a police officer tells me to do something, I'm going to do it whether I have the right to say no or not."
That's exactly why many drivers are uneasy about the fine print in this fingerprinting policy.
Police stress that the prints are just to make sure you are who you claim to be and do not go into any kind of database; they simply stay on the ticket for future reference if the identity is challenged.
I guess you’re more or less “cc-ing” me with your post because I most emphatically didn’t use the word “stupid”.
No, kempo did and I disagree with them about you post.
Yeah—I’ve seen it, and I’m not surprised. As a nation, we are totally screwed.
That’s what I thought you were saying. I appreciate your thoughts.
ping
I used to sell securities and had to go to the police when applying for some licenses. They used the old fashioned ink....very messy. I don’t know if I have a problem with this or not. The could round up a lot of criminals with it though....provided they use the data well.
Ever since I can remember, cali required a thumb-print for your drivers license application. Yust for grins I’d like for someone getting a ticket asking for the leo’s fingerprints.
I think that was the issue vs what we did as well with situations you describe. Our field interview cards had a place for a lone fingerprint even back in 1980's..... But the SOP was for other than routine traffic stops !
Really?
Amazing how that corrected California illegal problem < / s>
Actually, I think his remark was pretty accurate.
You're assuming that they were going to follow the law an get DLs in the first place.
I still have my original Social Security Card. Printed right across the bottom: "For Social Security Purposes -- Not for Identification." How times have changed!
Folks in this country are already so accustomed to "wearing the noose" this won't make a bit of difference. I'll bet you find some FReepers even who will consider the consolidation of such biometrics by the Feds to be a good thing.
This person is apparently ignorant of fake ids. Until an ID has biometrics on board, digitally signed by a trusted source and validated against the person presenting the ID, you can't be certain of anything. Fake IDs are a big business. A good thumb print on a citation is pretty hard to refute for the owner of the thumb. The thumb print approach worked wonders for cutting down on welfare fraud in California. Before the advent of thumb print scanning, the welfare scammers would travel from office to office presenting a variety of different identification to collect welfare benefits. Once the thumb print scan was required, the multiple dippers were quickly caught. Those who figured out the process before attempting another scam were reduced to a single "dip" at the welfare office. There was a massive reduction in payments.
It's pretty easy. My finger prints are on file for my security clearances and CCW background investigations. No iris scans yet, but there are databases with that information as well.
Oh, for sure. There’s a strong “If you’re not doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about” contingent on here. “Conservative” does not equal “libertarian.”
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