Security for sale
How much does it cost to get a fake WA driver's license? Between $100 and $150, or some marijuana.
Kendrix, who worked in a West Seattle DOL office, admitted that beginning in early 2004, she issued at least 80 driver's licenses to applicants without making them complete required tests or submit required papers, all the while knowing that many of them were using false names and other false identification information...
Lovely.
Defense Attorney Carol Koller, in asking Lasnik for a more lenient sentence, noted that her client's judgment had been impaired by arthritis, which required her to take narcotic-pain medication and ultimately led to her becoming dependent on marijuana.
Oh yes, your client's judgement is definitely impaired - by a complete lack of morals.
But Lombardi, in asking for the maximum sentence under federal guidelines, called Kendrix's crime "a horrible abuse of the public trust."
Damn straight.
The multiagency investigation ... uncovered that among the fraudsters and drug traffickers who received the phony licenses was one man who was wanted in connection with a homicide and remains at large...
She's getting 18 months even though she helped someone related to a murder.
Department of Licensing spokesman Brad Benfield said the agency is not currently doing background checks on its employees but has been exploring that alternative and "we are very interested in doing it."
Asked what security measures are in place to prevent crimes like those committed by Kendrix, Benfield spoke generally about "managerial oversight" and computer audits. (emphasis mine)
In other words, "we're the government, we're not responsible."
Bruce Schneier has written a lot about ids; his arguments for and against make much better reading than mine.
My personal anecdote: when I dated my wife, she and I and a friend tried to visit a downtown Seattle bar. The grunge bouncer, perched on a stool outside on the sidewalk, asked for my and her id. She pulled out her Singaporean ID, the bouncer looked it over, and explained that he didn't recognize it, so he couldn't admit her. She argued with him a little bit (who in the world would fake Singaporean id?), but he wouldn't budge. We went off to another place.
Moral? The bouncer cannot trust a Washington DL now, either.