Connecticut



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Monday, December 15, 2014

HOT TOPICS:

▪ Editorial: Better that undocumented immigrants have driver's licenses

▪ Letter to the Editor: Drive-Only licenses prone to identity fraud

▪ Gov. Malloy appoints DMV commissioner to succeed head of state's DAS

▪ Program in Washington state catching identity thieves with facial recognition

▪ Virginia’s new law to affect license renewals for elderly drivers

Editorial…

Better that undocumented immigrants have driver's licenses

Hartford Courant

Better That Undocumented Immigrants Have Driver's Licenses

By Editorial

December 8, 2014, 6:44 PM

Granting drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants rewards people for bad behavior — living in the country illegally — opponents of the policy complain..

That's an unthinking, ungenerous attitude and ultimately a self-defeating one.

Everybody should want all drivers, including the undocumented, to be trained, licensed and insured. That's the aim of a program authorized by the General Assembly this past session.

Phase one of the program began Monday, when a crowd of 5,000-plus undocumented state residents signed up online for an appointment to take a written driving test from the Department of Motor Vehicles. That so many signed up proves the need.

If licensing the undocumented works as intended, the roads will be safer and there will be fewer uninsured drivers. The licensing is for driving privileges only. It has nothing to do with citizenship status.

Connecticut and California this year are joining eight other states that permit undocumented residents to obtain driver's licenses. The nearest state with such a program is Vermont. The Pew Research Center estimated there were about 130,000 undocumented immigrants living in Connecticut in 2012.

Adults who pass the written test will hold a learner's permit for at least three months before taking a driving test. In the interim, they are required to take eight hours of driving classes. Teen drivers face even more stringent requirements.

Many of the undocumented drive now — they have the same needs as everybody else — to get to work, to take their kids to the doctor or to school, to run essential errands. But because they live in the shadows, they don't apply for licenses or register their vehicles.

State lawmakers were right to create the drive-only license. The roads will be safer for everybody.

Letter to the Editor…

Drive-Only licenses prone to identity fraud

Hartford Courant

Letters

Drive-Only Licenses Prone To Identity Fraud

DECEMBER 11, 2014, 10:58 AM

The editorial "Better That Undocumented Immigrants Have Driver's Licenses" [Dec. 8, opinion] states that "if licensing the undocumented works as intended, the roads will be safer and there will be few uninsured drivers.".

What about the unintended consequences? New "drive-only" licenses present a real threat to identity security.

Earlier this month, the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles started accepting applications for the drive-only license, allowing for a consular identification card to be submitted as proof of identity.

Generally, consular identification cards are easily obtained through fraud and easily counterfeited. Relying, even in part, on the consular card makes the process to obtain a drive-only license vulnerable to fraud. Identity thieves need only obtain a few documents to penetrate the process to assume or create a new identity.

Once a drive-only license has been issued, the damage has been done and it can be used everywhere and anywhere to carry out a variety of crimes. While completing the regulations for the drive-only license, the Connecticut DMV should establish processes that mitigates the risk of identity theft and fraud.

Andrew Channing Meehan, Washington, D.C.

The writer is policy director for the Coalition for a Secure Driver’s License, a nonprofit advocavcy group.

Story on…

Gov. Malloy appoints DMV commissioner to succeed head of state's DAS

Hartford Courant

Currey Succeeds DeFronzo At DAS, Bremby Stays At DSS

By KEITH PHANEUF,

The Connecticut Mirror

DECEMBER 12, 2014, 2:02 PM

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced one reappointment and two administrative changes Friday: Donald J. DeFronzo is retiring as the commissioner of administrative services and will be succeeded by Melody Currey, who now runs the Department of Motor Vehicles..

DeFronzo, a former New Britain mayor and state senator, will retire next month from the Department of Administrative Services, and Currey, a former state representative and East Hartford mayor, will take over the top spot at DAS, according to the governor's office.

Roderick Bremby was reappointed as commissioner of the Department of Social Services.

DeFronzo, 66, had served as New Britain mayor followed by five terms in the Senate when he left the legislature in January 2011 to join the Malloy administration.

"Don and his management team have carried out our mission to streamline state services with professionalism and dedication," Malloy said. "Under his leadership, DAS has identified millions in savings and made state government run more efficiently so that it can better serve the public. I want to thank Don for his commitment to making government work better for our citizens, and also commend him on a remarkable career of public service."

DeFronzo oversaw streamlining of the state's construction contractor selection process that helped launch over $300 million in projects in 2014. Four years earlier the department, which oversees maintenance of most state buildings, had managed approximately $100 million in projects with the same staff.

"I am grateful to Governor Malloy for the opportunity to serve in his administration," DeFronzo said. "We have accomplished a great deal at DAS over the last four years, including implementing effective management practices, achieving significant process improvements and developing innovative strategies that have helped save the taxpayers of Connecticut $68 million."

Currey, another longtime legislator and former deputy House speaker, also joined the Malloy administration in January 2011 as DMV commissioner.

In naming Currey to succeed DeFronzo, Malloy praised his DMV commissioner for helping to upgrade "antiquated technology systems" and make the motor vehicles department more accessible to the public.

"I am looking forward to my new appointment at DAS and working with the staff to move the agency forward," Currey said. "My four years at DMV brought about many changes that created a more effective department for people and businesses. I have those same goals for DAS."

The governor did not announce Friday who would succeed Currey as DMV commissioner.

Keith M. Phaneuf is a reporter for The Connecticut Mirror (). Copyright 2014 © The Connecticut Mirror.

Story on…

Program in Washington state catching identity thieves with facial recognition



DOL catching identity thieves with facial recognition

Ryan Simms and KREM Staff, 12:45 p.m. PST December 13, 2014

SPOKANE, Wash. – A program within the Department of Licensing in Washington is helping to keep you from becoming a victim of identity theft.

For years, thieves have been taking out driver's licenses in someone else's name and the problem prompted the department to get creative.

The Department of Licensing now logs, analyzes and tracks every driver's license photo to prevent fraud.

"It helps us to learn when someone was coming in and trying to take over someone's identity because we had their picture," said Brad Benfield with the Department of Licensing.

Officials said the process starts right when your picture is taken for your ID. From there, every picture in the system is transmitted to the DOL's central office where certain features of your face are scanned. Things like the distance from one eye to the other or how much space is between your forehead and chin are all measured. When that is done, those biometrics are stored in a central system, all with the goal of preventing crooks from stealing your identity.

Since facial recognition technology was introduced five years ago, tens of thousands of pictures have been flagged for possible fraud. In 2014, the system has led to the prosecution of 25 fraud suspects. One of those cases happened just a few weeks ago in Eastern Washington when an identity thief was sentenced to two years in jail for stealing people's social security checks.

Story on…

Virginia’s new law to affect license renewals for elderly drivers

Lynchburg News and Advance

New law to affect license renewals for elderly drivers

Posted: Sunday, December 14, 2014 10:32 pm

By Ashlie Walter

A new law will take effect Jan. 1 that will reduce the age and increase the frequency for elderly drivers in renewing their driver’s license in person.

Drivers age 75 years or older will renew in person every five years. Previously, drivers 80 years and up had to stop by the DMV every eight years.

At each renewal, drivers will have a vision screening, which is standard for everyone, regardless of age.

More seniors are aware of their physical and cognitive decline as they age, a reality which has led them to support stricter driving laws on themselves, according to a study.

In honor of Older Driver Safety Awareness week, AAA released its “Older American Drivers and Traffic Safety Culture” report which found nearly 80 percent of drivers 75 or older support medical screening for drivers 75 and older.

Of drivers age 65 percent and older, 65 percent reported never using a cell phone while driving compared to only 48 percent of the younger “older” drivers (age 65-69) who never use a phone when behind the wheel, according to the report.

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles reported 18,493 crashes in 2013 involved drivers 66 years old and older. That number is only 7.7 percent of the total crashes in Virginia last year.

The DMV also reported 42,450 traffic-related convictions by 66 years old and older drivers.

Brandy Brubaker, spokeswoman for the DMV, said in Virginia, driving is based on ability, not age.

The new law was changed based on a six-month study by the DMV and in-put from more than 40 stakeholders involved in elderly driving issues.

Brubaker suggested a good resource for mature drivers, . If a driver is concerned about his or her driving skills, they can consult with their physician about a driving evaluation.

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Department of Motor Vehicles

60 State Street

Wethersfield, CT. 06161

Corporate and Public Relations

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