August 8, 2007
The ills of incognito enforcement
I don’t think it’s a secret that I’m not a big fan of all the subterfuge, hidden agendas and, well, secrets that go on in the name of government. I think it’s a bad policy for any level of government to engage in the deception of the public, and while there are legitimate reasons to withhold details in certain situations, there is never a reason for that information to remain hidden away forever. If the people can’t trust their representative government, that government is failing, so actions that breed mistrust really aren’t a great idea.
Now, you’re probably saying, there he goes again, about to harp on Our Fine President’s big secrets and deceptions to lead a nation to war, or Dick Cheney’s giant office safe’s, or maybe it’s the outright obscurantism engaged in by Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, but then you’d be wrong. What’s got me up in arms is this article from yesterday’s Chicago Tribune: Incognito cops go for speeders.
The story details speed trap programs from police departments in the Chicago Suburbs of Buffalo Grove and Schaumburg that involve officers with radar guns disguised as public works lawn mowing crews, construction workers or even a guy in a lawn chair with a beer cooler. These programs nab lots of speeding motorists as the disguised officer radios in the speeding cars for officers down the road to stop and ticket. The article cites 90-minutes of this operation can bring in 30 tickets.
Definitely an impressive display of enforcement of the speeding laws by any estimation. The article cites statistics for how the patrols have decreased accidents on that stretch of road, which should be the ultimate goal of speeding enforcement. It’d be cynical to think they were just out there incognito to make some quick revenue, but the article never explains if the safety gains were noticeably greater than the gains from a more traditional speed trap set up.
I have to think the trap would be just as effective with an officer in a car, or even a uniformed officer in the median with a radar gun, doing the exact same thing as the officer on a mower or at the cooler. The real impact of the speed trap is its legend. Cars slow down when they know of a speed trap ahead and they slow down when they see an officer on the road.
But costumed patrols are really about sending a message of “You never know when we’re watching so do even think about trying something buster.” They could probably make as big an impression in the safety department with an officer in a car, and I’m guessing an officer on foot would be just as effective with a radar gun in or out of costume. No, this sort of operation is designed to spread fear and mistrust to scare the population into following the rules.
It’s a very cynical view to think the best way to get people to behave is through deception. Personally, I’d rather rely on the idea that most people will obey a rule they believe is just. I’m also more likely to rely on someone to enforce the rules if I believe they are fair and honest in the execution of their duties. Operations like this erode the general trust and make it more difficult to trust the motives and ethics of the authorities engaging in subterfuge.