In Texas, locksmiths must comply with "know-your-customer" requirements similar to those in effect with U.S. financial institutions.
Really!
No word yet on whether Texas locksmiths must notify the U.S. Treasury Department if a customer locked out of his or her car engages in "suspicious activities." But customers must now provide a laundry list of "proof" before locksmiths allow them to drive off in their own vehicles.
Here's the scoop from an alert reader:
"My daughter and I stopped at Sam's Club Tuesday night...and I accidentally locked my keys in the car. After waiting two hours for the locksmith to arrive, he parked behind my car, preventing me from moving it.
"After opening the car, he started a routine that reminded me of what I had to go through last time I opened a bank account. I had to show him not only my driver's license (understandably) ...but also the vehicle registration and proof of insurance!
"He then went to the front of the car to match up the vehicle ID Number that was on the insurance card, along with the license plate and inspection sticker.
"He explained that under a new Texas law, not only did he need to verify that I was the owner of the vehicle, but also that the license, title, and insurance were in order. He also was required to have me sign a statement stipulating that the information provided was accurate. If there were any discrepancies, he had to notify the Department of Public Safety. Indeed, he couldn't let me leave without verifying this information. That's why he parked behind my car, blocking me in.
"He disappeared into his van for a few minutes doing his paperwork, along with my license, registration, and insurance information.
"When he was finished, he told me that a DPS officer regularly audits all this 'paperwork.' Indeed, the police had come to his company the previous week for this purpose. All the data he collects from motorists must be maintained for three years.
"The DPS collects this information regularly, and then verifies the customer's name, address, registration, and proof of insurance. If anything is out of line, the State of Texas will then cite the owner for 'Failure to Maintain Financial Responsibility,' resulting in a large fine."
I'm not sure what the situation is in other states, but in Texas, at least, call a locksmith at your peril. If everything isn't in perfect order, you won't be allowed to drive off!
Naturally, this principle could easily be extended into other areas. Just imagine calling the electrician to fix an electrical problem. The electrician is required to switch off the electricity to your home, and isn't permitted to switch it back on unless you can prove you've paid your electric bill, not to mention your real estate taxes and homeowner's association fees.
The Bush Administration actually proposed something of this sort by in 2002, allegedly as anti-terrorist measure. In the now-disbanded Operation TIPS (Terrorism Information and Prevention System), postal employees, cable installers, telephone repair workers, etc. were asked to monitor "suspicious activities" in the private homes of U.S. persons.
While the Homeland Security Act of 2002 officially shut down Operation TIPS, there's nothing to prevent someone coming into your home from notifying police that you're doing something suspicious. So before you call the electrician, plumber, carpenter, etc., hide anything even remotely controversial from sight—books, posters, newspapers, etc. And while you're doing so, reflect on how far the United States has come from its origin as, "the land of the free and the home of the brave."
Copyright © 2008 by Mark Nestmann
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