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Thursday, December 18, 2008

Let's Get State Police Out on the Road Again



          Where do you think a State Police officer can do the most good: pulling over erratic drivers and testing them for drunken driving, or sitting in a room for up to three hours while a motorist fights to keep his or her license in an administrative proceeding?
        Logic argues for cops on patrol, but for years state policy has resulted in cops on hold, cooling their heels as they wait to testify at license revocation hearings conducted by the Motor Vehicle Division.
        "These police officers spend half of their life going from hearing to hearing," says Rick Homans, secretary of the Department of Taxation and Revenue.
        In a pilot program involving six officers from Bernalillo and San Juan counties, the state is putting that policy on hold. Instead of appearing in person, the officers will fill out affidavits — and get back on patrol.
        All kinds of objections will undoubtedly be raised by defense attorneys. Last year, 39 percent of the DWI suspects who requested a hearing to challenge their license revocations walked — or drove — away with licenses intact when the officer didn't show.
        It's been a sweet deal for drivers accused of DWI, but not for the safety of New Mexico's highways.
        Under the affidavit pilot program — especially once telephone or Web cameras are added so officers can testify long-distance — suspects will still be able to fight for their licenses. They will also have their day in court later on; these hearings are administrative, not criminal.
        The program should be given a fair try. It is time to stop paying police officers to patrol the hallways between hearing rooms.