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Thursday, July 10, 2008

Editorial: Hot Line FYIs Need Tweaking



      With drunken driving such a deadly menace in New Mexico, most residents probably welcome the state's new system for sending “wake-up call” letters to the owners of vehicles reported to the DrunkBuster's hot line for suspected drunken driving.
    Last year about 16,000 calls alerting police to possible drunken drivers came in — a lot of extra eyes on the lookout for trouble. They prompted 890 traffic stops, about 200 arrests and may have saved lives.
    As of the Fourth of July Superblitz, the state has taken the hot line to the next level. Following up on the thousands of calls that don't result in stops, the state will send letters to those vehicle owners, telling them the time, date and location where their car or truck was reported for suspected DWI.
    In many instances, that will be useful information. A responsible drinker might say, “I guess I'm one-and-done if I'm driving.” Another owner might find it highly interesting her teenage son was apparently doing something other than going to the movies with friends. Wake-up calls like that would be well-worth the program's $6,000 to $7,000 annual expense.
    In other instances, however, the letters from the state — based on nothing but anonymous calls — could be unfairly used against an innocent person.
    State Police spokesman Peter Olson says the letters won't be kept or shared with insurance companies or other entities. “We have no intention of giving them to anyone except who they're addressed to,” he says.
    But wait: The state is considering follow-up action against anyone who receives three or more. Doesn't that mean officials will, in fact, keep a record?
    The state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union smells a rat — the type that shows up in divorce or insurance cases. “It's government collecting data on citizens from an unreliable source,” a staff attorney says. “It's ... subject to abuse.” Yes. And it could save lives.
    Anyone familiar with New Mexico's DWI stats will want the wake-up calls to work. But first, they need some work. Like allowing recipients to respond. In court, it's called rebuttal. It's fair, and anything less could have sobering consequences for all involved.
   

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