![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
The DMV Sucks
Mar. 15th, 2004 11:11 pmX-Posted
Alrighty, this is a progress report and free-for-all bitch fest about the DMV.
I started the process of looking for my ex's parents. It started at the DMV as per the advice of Jospeh Culligan. I looked up the information on the DMV site and learned that any member of the general public was welcome to seek out copies of driver's licenses (sans the residence address and the social security number) providing that they filled out the proper form and were aware that the subject of the search would be notified and had the right to object to the search. Yay.
Here's what happened when I went to the DMV...
I was told that the form didn't exist. (It does.)
I was told to get the form off the internet. (It's not available on the web--you are directed to your local DMV office to get it.)
I was told that I wasn't allowed to get a form unless I was from a lawyer's office. (Not true, as explicitly stated on the DMV website.)
I was told that I was wrong and they couldn't help me. (Again, not true, explicitly stated on the DMV website.)
I was told that my sort of search had been illegal since 1973. (Ditto)
I was LAUGHED at by the supervisor at the office when he FINALLY surrendered the form after I made quite a stink using the words Freedom of Information Act, public information, and a verbatim listing of the information on the DMV's website. He told me good luck, that I could turn in the form, but I wasn't going to get the information that I requested--not unless I was a lawyer.
When I left I was shaking with rage.
It's one thing to put me through that sort of crap--I know what sort of information I'm entitled to and I'm not particularily inclined to take "no" for an answer. But when I think of what the impact of something like this would have been on someone like my ex, I'm enraged. I have NO doubt that an incident like this would have stopped his search forever. He would have been overwhelmed and unsure that he was allowed to access the information that he was seeking. No one should be treated like I was, ESPECIALLY if they're seeking out something as sensitive as their birth parents' information.
If something like this happens to you, know your rights and keep on pushing. You have rights, get to know them and don't let anyone tell you differently.
On another note, you may ask why I was pursuing DMV information that wouldn't reveal an address or social security number. The driver's license information would give me three things....an idea of what parts of the state my ex's father was in when he lived here (by virtue of where his traffic violations would have taken place), his picture, and the state (if any) that his CA Driver's license was surrendered to (possibly a state with more lax restrictions on what's available to access via public information). It's an incredibly useful place to start.
One of the books I was required to have as a journalism student was Paper Trails: A Guide to Public Records in California. It's an incredibly useful guide that tells you a) what you're allowed to access, b) how to access information, and c) where to access the information. It's available used at very reasonable prices. I recommend it to anyone looking for info in CA.
Good luck in your searches everyone!
Alrighty, this is a progress report and free-for-all bitch fest about the DMV.
I started the process of looking for my ex's parents. It started at the DMV as per the advice of Jospeh Culligan. I looked up the information on the DMV site and learned that any member of the general public was welcome to seek out copies of driver's licenses (sans the residence address and the social security number) providing that they filled out the proper form and were aware that the subject of the search would be notified and had the right to object to the search. Yay.
Here's what happened when I went to the DMV...
I was told that the form didn't exist. (It does.)
I was told to get the form off the internet. (It's not available on the web--you are directed to your local DMV office to get it.)
I was told that I wasn't allowed to get a form unless I was from a lawyer's office. (Not true, as explicitly stated on the DMV website.)
I was told that I was wrong and they couldn't help me. (Again, not true, explicitly stated on the DMV website.)
I was told that my sort of search had been illegal since 1973. (Ditto)
I was LAUGHED at by the supervisor at the office when he FINALLY surrendered the form after I made quite a stink using the words Freedom of Information Act, public information, and a verbatim listing of the information on the DMV's website. He told me good luck, that I could turn in the form, but I wasn't going to get the information that I requested--not unless I was a lawyer.
When I left I was shaking with rage.
It's one thing to put me through that sort of crap--I know what sort of information I'm entitled to and I'm not particularily inclined to take "no" for an answer. But when I think of what the impact of something like this would have been on someone like my ex, I'm enraged. I have NO doubt that an incident like this would have stopped his search forever. He would have been overwhelmed and unsure that he was allowed to access the information that he was seeking. No one should be treated like I was, ESPECIALLY if they're seeking out something as sensitive as their birth parents' information.
If something like this happens to you, know your rights and keep on pushing. You have rights, get to know them and don't let anyone tell you differently.
On another note, you may ask why I was pursuing DMV information that wouldn't reveal an address or social security number. The driver's license information would give me three things....an idea of what parts of the state my ex's father was in when he lived here (by virtue of where his traffic violations would have taken place), his picture, and the state (if any) that his CA Driver's license was surrendered to (possibly a state with more lax restrictions on what's available to access via public information). It's an incredibly useful place to start.
One of the books I was required to have as a journalism student was Paper Trails: A Guide to Public Records in California. It's an incredibly useful guide that tells you a) what you're allowed to access, b) how to access information, and c) where to access the information. It's available used at very reasonable prices. I recommend it to anyone looking for info in CA.
Good luck in your searches everyone!
