Free Republic

As many as 7,500 Americans -- 20 per day -- are killed annually by unlicensed drivers, and Rosenberg calculates that more than half are the victims of illegal immigrants. Now, by testifying before lawmakers, speaking to parents who have been through the same ordeal and posting his research on his nonprofit’s website, unlicensedtodrive.org, Rosenberg is shedding light on a frightening number not readily available from government sources. “I was stunned at what I found,” said Rosenberg, who at 63 is semi-retired from the entertainment and publishing industry. “Not only were unlicensed drivers killing people in numbers only exceeded by drunk...

Above: Sanctuary City Clowns Villaraigosa and Beck - putting the needs of illegals aliens above public safety. by John HillStand With Arizona Finally, a voice of sanity has emerged to stand against the madness that is America's Sanctuary City - Los Angeles. The Police Protective League (PPL) - the union that represents Los Angeles police officers - has sued the city and Police Chief Charlie Beck this week over his disgraceful new policy that allows illegal alien unlicensed drivers to keep their cars instead of having them impounded for 30 days - as California state law mandates.We profiled Beck's announcement...

Starting Saturday, Santa Ana police will have to wait at least 20 minutes before impounding the vehicle of a driver who doesn't have a valid driver's license. However, the unlicensed driver still will be cited, said Carlos Rojas, deputy chief of the Santa Ana Police Department. Right now, it’s up to the officer on how long to wait to allow the chance for a licensed driver to come for the vehicle before impounding it. A 30-day hold on a vehicle will now be authorized for drivers who have been cited for driving without a license once in the previous nine...

Legislation by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, would change police procedures at drunken-driving checkpoints, prohibiting officers from arresting drivers and immediately impounding their cars if their only offense is not having a license. Supporters say the bill, AB353, would keep DUI checkpoints from being turned into traps for otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants who cannot obtain licenses. "In most parts of California, you basically have to have a car," said Mark Silverman, director of immigration policy at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. "You have to be able to drive to survive, to get anywhere. Because of that, the truth is, immigrant...

A bill loaded with immigration politics and potential implications for highway safety has landed on Gov. Jerry Brown's desk. The legislation by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, would change police procedures at drunken-driving checkpoints, prohibiting officers from arresting drivers and immediately impounding their cars if their only offense is not having a license. Supporters say the bill, AB353, would impose a consistent policy statewide - some agencies confiscate unlicensed drivers' cars now, and some do not - while keeping DUI checkpoints from being turned into traps for otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants who cannot obtain licenses. "In most parts of California,...

... Sobriety checkpoints, like the one in San Pablo, have increasingly become profitable operations that are far more likely to seize cars from unlicensed — and often illegal immigrant — motorists, than to catch drunken drivers. An examination by the Investigative Reporting Program at the University of California, Berkeley, has found that in 2009, impoundments at checkpoints generated an estimated $40 million in towing fees and police fines statewide. Cities like Oakland, San Jose, San Rafael, Hayward and Redwood City divide the revenue with towing companies. While there is an economic benefit for strapped cities, it comes at a cost...

A Concord police officer who was fired a year ago for profiling Latino drivers next to a Mexican market is back on patrol with his old job. City officials approved Officer Jim Carroll's return last month following a favorable recommendation from an independent mediator. In 2004, the officer would park next to Mercado del Valle along Monument Boulevard and stop Latino drivers leaving the market for flimsy reasons to see if they had a driver's license, according to an internal police investigation. If they did not, he would cite them and have their cars towed. Former Police Chief Ron Ace,...

The years have come and gone since Tiah-Marie Foley was nearly killed by an unlicensed driver in 1998, but the one thing time hasn't diminished is her constant pain. Her hands feel like they've been smashed with a hammer and her right arm, supported by a system of plates and screws, feels like it's being stabbed with an ice pick. Foley, 37, said police told her the man who ran head-on into her car at a blind intersection in Glen Ellen was on his way to work at a local vineyard. Foley, who also worked in the wine industry, said...

They sit in a special designated area of the county traffic courtroom, near a translator who has grown used to their stories. Their cars have been seized and they are about to pay more than $200 in court fines. When their names are called, they are processed quickly: "Do you have a valid California driver's license?" "No." "Do you have an out-of-state or foreign license?" "No." Their crime is driving without a license. One judge compared it to a parking ticket because it's a law you can violate over and over again and satisfy by paying a fine. But the...