Police Begin Fingerprinting on Traffic Stops

[red ufo]

http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?s=2776926

By Sarah Thomsen

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.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Remember the "frog in the boiling water" analogy people. . . This is just a first step (or is it the second or third or fourth - you get the point. . .)

[red ufo]

In a few years, the cops will want to do a scan of your Ipod, and music players, scan your hard drives and have some 3rd party software see if you own licenses to all your Mp3 and other stuff. I can see the RIAA and MPAA and Microsoft lobbying for that.

Welcome to the police state.

[gaijindabe]

And if you have broken the law by entering this country illegally? Most likely a court appearance ticket - and you go back underground. Think about it, illegals are the only really "free" peoples left in this country..

[Don 944 LA]

just another loosing battle to retain any sort of right to privacy ...

[Porsche-O-Phile]

How long before some state (wouldn't be suprised if it's CA) requires you to "submit to collection of a DNA sample" on demand by any law enforcement officer as a condition of your driving license "privilege" (a "privilege" to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic, pay horrendous vehicle taxes, subject onesself to all the WONDERFUL expenses of owning a vehicle, etc. - that one still cracks me up. . .) It's coming people.

http://www.aclu.org

I invite all that are bothered by what's going on to check it out and join up. I did.

[chibone_914]

Well it's about time! Why can't they do that here in LA? It would make law enforcements job much easier. Fingerprints and DNA, where do I sign-up? DMV already has a fingerprint database. I can see you having a problem with this if you have something to hide or have a shady past.

Oh yeah, screw the ACLU, and Jesse Jackson!

[Superman]

You all sound like a bunch of darned liberals. In order to be "cool," you're supposed to whine about regulating business, but feel comfortable about regulating citizens. If you start talking as though business should be regulated but citizens should be 'free,' then you're going to be castigated as a liberal. Which is a bad thin.g. I guess.

[tabascobobcat]

Hummm
That's a toughy. I can see it either way.
Do the crime - do the time or
If you don't break the law you have nothing to worry about.

Next they'll want to take the guns away from law abiding citizens leaving them only for the criminals.

[Don 944 LA]

Originally posted by chibone_914
Well it's about time! Why can't they do that here in LA? It would make law enforcements job much easier. Fingerprints and DNA, where do I sign-up? DMV already has a fingerprint database. I can see you having a problem with this if you have something to hide or have a shady past.

Oh yeah, screw the ACLU, and Jesse Jackson!

You say that now, until someone rumages through your trash can and finds a clipped fingernail to later leave at the scene of a crime to point the police in another direction ..
(or) a fellow co-worker that doesn't like you sets you up at work .. etc .. etc .. etc ...

collection of DNA is a bad thing, unless there is cause for it.

[ErikT]

Green Bay Pigs fingerprint the speeders...

Green Bay football fans Moon the opposing team...

can someone say Cheeseheads?

[chibone_914]

Originally posted by Don 944 LA
You say that now, until someone rumages through your trash can and finds a clipped fingernail to later leave at the scene of a crime to point the police in another direction ..
(or) a fellow co-worker that doesn't like you sets you up at work .. etc .. etc .. etc ...

collection of DNA is a bad thing, unless there is cause for it.

Now who the F**k is going to rummage through my trash in East LA? The majority of criminals are too stupid (and lazy) to begin with. Why do you think they're criminals to begin with?

As for the fellow co-worker: We don't have that kind of drama here at Pelican.

Now my wife posed an interesting scenario. She's against collecting DNA. Reason? The person processing it can mistakenly mis-label it and catalogue it as someone elses......Hmmm, I say. If I'm ever a suspect of anything and questionable DNA is involved, hell just take another sample and be done with it. Besides as far as an allibi is concerned, I'm either here at Pelican or at home in my mad scientist laboratory......

[RickM]

Originally posted by Porsche-O-Phile
How long before some state (wouldn't be suprised if it's CA) requires you to "submit to collection of a DNA sample" on demand

Interesting concept and probably not far off. I'll bet DNA profiles will be gathered at birth and used as the ultimate indentity key throughout one's lifetime....digitally encoded into ID cards. Cop will merely scan your ID and do an instant background check.

[12own911]

The only problem is if you are a twin. Some share the same dna which means that you need dna and fingerprint to identify a person.

[RickM]

True, Kim, for identical twins.

[DavidI]

Originally posted by 12own911
The only problem is if you are a twin. Some share the same dna which means that you need dna and fingerprint to identify a person.

Each person has an individual DNA makeup. Twins do not share identical DNA. I think all convicted felons and sexual predators should have DNA collected upon conviction. There is an 85% recidivism rate where the criminals continue their nefarious activity.

I say this from a law enforcement background.

David

[RoninLB]

Social Security #'s was the beginning.


National ID + identity theft = instant identity wipe out.

Gov't's have historically exploited every power they can acquire.

They're worried about terrorism now to push for the Nat'l ID. Over 50,000 people are killed every yr by drugs. I don't see any legitimate war on drugs. Afaginstan is loaded with multi armies and they're not wiping out the H trade. I don't get it? I guess I'm missing something.

besides, any screw up w/ the ID and you're bank accounts are frozen, driver's license frozen, house searched, and friends are lined up for questioning. All this happens instantly.

I'm a ranting bs'er? Ask Sen Ed Kennedy about being targeted.

[666]

Go watch the movie "Gattaca"

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005R23Z/ref%3Dpd%5Fsl%5Faw%5Falx-jeb-6-1%5Fdvd%5F2166703%5F1/103-3016581-4214237

[Adam]

Originally posted by tobascobobcat:
Next they'll want to take the guns away from law abiding citizens leaving them only for the criminals.

No kidding! That's exactly what happened here in Australia...

[djmcmath]

Originally posted by DavidI
I think all convicted felons and sexual predators should have DNA collected upon conviction.

There was a big push for that not too long ago, out here in Washington. Seems like it flopped one way, then back the other. For a while we were collecting DNA from people. It was kind of fun, in a totally un-fun sort of way.