WILL POWER REPORT: RED LIGHT SCAMS AND PRIVATE POLICE PLATES

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Nothing but the truth!
By Will Power

 

January 15, 2011 (San Diegoi)--In California, a program to keep criminals from learning home addresses of policemen has morphed into a bureaucratic boondoggle that allows California Public Service Workers to avoid freeway tolls, red-light tickets, and bridge tolls.

 

The idea was good- Police license plates were to be kept confidential. Soon the program expanded to Park Rangers, Parking Meter readers, court personnel, and other state workers.

 

The upside was State Workers could zip around and ride free on toll roads, bridges, and ignore those red-light tickets.
 

Seems that if they get caught on camera, there is no legal way to notify the driver they have broken the law No ticket, no fine, no problem!

 

The downside is that the public is angry that people get a pass on red-light tickets. Toll road operators and Golden Gate bridge officials are angry they are losing millions in revenue.

 

But the biggest problem is creating a dual-level system where people are given unequal rights by virtue of their job status.

 

Police who are using toll roads, bridges, or who run red lights for free while on-duty is acceptable. But do we want to extend these privileges to off-duty policemen? Where, exactly, do we draw the line?

 

Is it fair to expect people who commute to work to pay into a toll-road system, but exempt certain other workers and allow them to ride for free? These programs are in need of some fine-tuning and some common-sense reforms. We can only have one system of justice, and that system should apply to everyone equally. Special favors because of job status are wrong.

 

We are creating an entirely new class of super-citizens, with rights superior to all others. These Super-Citizens already carry guns and can shoot you practically at will. Do we really want to keep their identities secret? Remember the Gestapo were the "State Secret Police"! That leads us to the discussion of whether we need Secret Police at all. But that's another story!
 

Will Power is a retired history teacher and creative writing instructor.  The opinions in this column reflect those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. 


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