During our video conference with Audrey's family in Lafayette, I showed off my new California driver's license. Noting my enormous smile, Audrey's sister Cheryl said the state of Indiana just passed a law outlawing smiles on Indiana driver's licence photos.
Outlaw smiles and only outlaws will smile!
According to Ron Stiver, Indiana BMV commissioner, the reasoning behind this effort is so that face recognition software can be utilized to more easily identify people with fraudulent IDs.
There are few joys associated with getting a new driver's license. The one possible moment of happiness involved in the process is that brief, passing minutia of love that accompanies the physical act of smiling. A person cannot simultaneously be livid and smiling.
I remember my friend Scotto back in Indiana got robbed earlier this year. A car pulled up to his garage and a guy got out, walked into Scotto's garage, stole a bunch of stuff and put it in his trunk. Scotto confronted the thief as he was making his escape, but the guy just drove off. Scotto successfully got all the numbers off the guy's license plate, along with a detailed description of the vehical.
Scotto reported the crime to the police. He told them the thief had an "In God We Trust" license plate, and he gave them the numbers along with the make, model and color of the car.
The investigating officer told Scotto that the In God We Trust plates also have a letter on them. Scotto didn't get the letter, only the numbers. The officer told Scotto they could not track the thief without the letter.
Scotto noted that the BMV has on file the make, model and color of every vehical they register. Since there are only 26 possible variations of these numbers with a letter, he wondered why the police could not cross reference the license plate numbers with the BMV records to come up with a match. Chances are very good there are not two cars registered in Indiana with an In God We Trust license plate with those exact numbers, that exact make, model and color.
The investigating officer apologized and said there was nothing he could do.
Police in Indiana do not reliably utilize the tools they already have. What is the point of accumulating more tools?
If anyone is interested in following the money, my guess is that someone in the Indiana government is a friend, relative or investment partner with someone in the face recognition software business. Outlawing smiles maybe has nothing to do with police work. It maybe has everything to do with implementing procedures that require government expenditures toward the purchase of products that make someone rich.
Sorry. Does this smile make me look jaded?
I think Indiana cops want the person the pull over to look like the photo on the license--and at that moment the person will definitely NOT be smiling.
ReplyDeleteBut, you're right of course. As always, one should always "Follow the Money" to get a clear understanding of what's really going on--in Indiana or anywhere!
Holy crap... I'm famous!
ReplyDeleteI don't know when this actual law was passed, but I have been told more than once by the BMV that I must have a "straight face" in my photo so that officers can better recognize me. And I always argue that I could very easily recreate that face upon request, but I never win. Actually, I would think that a person's smile is more unique than their "straight face".
So if they use face recognition cameras in public buildings can we just outlaw smiling altogether?
Nice photo, cheese-ball. Did you notice that they printed your license backwards? Is that so the cops in California can read it better?
Dude! I just got my license renewed yesterday. They made me take off my glasses (my corrective lenses that I must wear while driving and any other waking moment of my life), put my hair behind my ears, and I was allowed to smile sans mes dents.
ReplyDeleteI look like a freak. Certainly wouldn't be recognized by anyone who knows me.
And so it goes for a state which believes each registered driver is a criminal-in-waiting...
TMI--Uhhh...is it a good idea to flash all your personal I.D. license info for all the world to see AND STEAL YOUR IDENTITY?
ReplyDeleteJust a thought.
I carefully considered that possibility, which is why I went to the trouble of foiling all potential identity theft scenarios by cleverly putting on my driver's license that I have blond hair.
ReplyDelete