A Call to Action or Shoving off Responsibility?

Recently populating the radio waves are calls to action imploring citizens of Albuquerque to tattle on other citizens. The first concerns spills at auto salvage yards and the second concerns suspected intoxicated drivers.

Both of these initiatives are flawed in that they require people who may not have the proper grasp of the subject to make judgments that can adversely affect a business or an individual. This is an undue responsibility to non-experts and only invites false alarms reported by busy bodies.

No one advocates for the spilling of hazardous materials anywhere and it is difficult to believe, as the commercial implies, that auto salvage yards refuse to participate in monitoring activities. With a myriad of federal and local regulations there surely must be some way for authorities to verify compliance. A person unfamiliar with the chemicals in use and the conditions that lead to spills should not be left to make this determination. What also must be considered are property rights, the commercial almost goes to the point to encourage people to spy on private companies which could unnecessarily hinder legal action because of due process.

The program that the city of Albuquerque has in place for people to report suspected drunk drivers is even more troubling. Imagine the following scenario; a relationship goes sour and one party follows the other to a bar and after the followed leaves the follower immediately calls the reporting number and gives details about the first party’s path home. The first party may or may not be intoxicated and there is a fuzzy line concerning what constitutes intoxication. In this scenario the first party is right at that line where it is at the officer’s discretion to determine if a person is impaired. This person is not driving erratically and by subjective means may not be considered drunk by the casual observer but may be by an overly cautious or aggressive officer. Without this “tip” this person never would have been stopped. However it is now possible because of an act motivated by malevolence they will now be stopped and may be arrested for being impaired which could seriously damage this person’s immediate future.

This state does have a problem concerning drunk driving and everything must be done to counter it however a dedicated hotline will only cause more problems than it solves. Any thinking person recognizing a dangerous driver, no matter the underlying circumstance, can and should report that person through existing means. Having a dedicated line will only encourage misuse which will add strain to existing resources and has the potential to harm innocents.

Secondary as a concern is the question of the effectiveness of current regulations and their enforcement. Citizens pay a large amount of their incomes in order to support these activities and it is disparaging to citizens listening to these types of ads because it lowers confidence in those entrusted with enforcement when they must implore those who pay for services to perform them as well.