Why An Erroneous $5 Toll Represents What Is Wrong With America's Growing Police State

| WTF News |
Baran Hines

A side effect of the technological police state is increased burden placed on the victims of system’s mistakes.

A Florida man received an introduction to that reality in the mail three weeks ago. To his surprise, a Florida Toll-By-Plate bill came in the mail for a license plate registered to his name and address. The problem is he last saw that license plate on the back of his “towed totaled SUV” in 2010.

The more frustrating part is that the process for disputing the toll fee was an irritation that cost more in the time to resolve than the actual amount of the charge. The $5 is a minor nominal fee but the disruptive time costs are another matter. The burden should not be on the citizen to take productive time out of their day, which could be going towards improving the economy, to dispute the mistake of the police state. Technology is a double-edged sword.

An excerpt of his quote explains his sentiments echoed in this article.

Yeah. such an insignificant fee that most people will pay it just to avoid inconvenience

what’s bad is that it says it happened the end of Nov, but it’s JUST NOW (Late December) being processed and mailed to me with only 3 weeks to pay it.

A brief explanation of the Toll-by-plate system.

1. What is the TOLL-BY-PLATE program?
TOLL-BY-PLATE is an image based electronic toll collection system that uses photographic images of the vehicle’s license plate to identify the customer responsible for payment. This feature is available on the HEFT (Homestead Extension of Florida’s Turnpike) from Florida City to Miramar in Miami- Dade County. The intent of the TOLL-BY-PLATE program is to provide a safe statewide Turnpike system, reduce traffic congestion and reduce air pollution by providing an efficient and convenient payment method for customers of the Turnpike system.

2. How is the toll paid?
When a motor vehicle passes through a toll collection facility and the toll payment is not made by either using cash or an electronic transponder, a photographic image of the vehicle’s license plate will be captured at the toll lane. The first-listed registered owner of that vehicle will receive an invoice in the mail for the accumulated toll amounts and a $2.50 administrative charge.

He went on to note the evidence in the bill.

The letter includes blurry white splotch with a black spot in the center (probably a FL plate) but no visible numbers/letters at all. waited on hold for 20 minutes, but its still not resolved.

I have to call back in a week…they are hoping I forget I bet. Plus this company is based in GA….

He makes a good point considering that 1 out of 6 Florida license plates are “unreadable” according to the Miami Herald.

The problem is notable enough that the state of Florida is looking to replace all license plates with flat letters as opposed to today’s raised imprint. The flat plates are not just for the toll booths on Florida turnpikes, but are “more friendly to traffic light cameras” as well.

Then there’s the city of Hialeah which plans to have license plate scanning cameras covering all the entrances to the city according to the Miami Herald

If a criminal drives into Hialeah, police will know about it.

License plate readers will be installed at city entrances, scanning drivers’ tags and alerting law enforcement when unsavory characters motor their way into Hialeah.

City Council members on Tuesday approved the funds for the project, which will cost $86,300.

The cameras will go up at two intersections, though the city has not decided where, said Chief of Staff Arnie Alonso.

A police commander at Tuesday’s meeting said the plan is to have the cameras running by the end of the year.

“Any car that comes in, it’s picking up the tags. So if we have any stolen vehicles, any vehicle that’s wanted in a crime, the computer will pick it up,” said Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez. “Hopefully we’ll have these at every entrance to our city.”

With advanced technology, everything should be just fine, right?

A Baltimore man received a speeding ticket last April… on a car that wasn’t moving.

The escalation of the police state tech grid is going to be filled with errors like this. Imagine the mistakes, procedural and operational, that will come with the weaponized drones soon to be flying over American cities.

Or rapid DNA analyzers coming to police stations no doubt to be used to monitor and restrict behavior.

Or even just the coming progression of traffic citations.

During a Twitter exchange with Bloomberg’s Jason Harper over federally mandated black boxes coming to US cars, we mentioned the possibility of augmented fines associated with the availability of increased data as the black boxes will record every move made by the driver. This is also similar to what data auto insurance companies can download from your vehicle if you choose to participate. The privacy concerns that are being heard from the average American are at least 1 year too late, and discussed in the December 2012 ABC News video below.

“it’s about who that information gets shared with” @jasonharperspin on black boxes in cars. #policestate

— WTFRLY.COM (@WTFRLY) January 11, 2013

@wtfrly With so many local gov’ts looking for revenue sources… it’s a bit scary.

— Jason H. Harper (@JasonHarperSpin) January 11, 2013

Maybe graded speeding tickets, time and how many mph? #policestate wtfrly.com/police-state @jasonharperspin

— WTFRLY.COM (@WTFRLY) January 12, 2013

If this all sounds minor, consider that more municipalities will be privatizing certain systems and then think of the coming technological impact. That’s not a progression that will save US citizens money, especially as the systems will be paid for by tax dollars. Chicago contracted out the 36,000+ parking meters to a company mostly owned out of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. That situation has led to the city getting hit with huge bills reaching $27 million, which ballooned to $50 million after Mayor Rahm Emanuel “balked” and disputed it. Chicago is now left with what is described as the most expensive parking in the United States at $6.50 per hour in some areas.
Read the rest of the rules of the Toll-by-plate system and apply your imagination to the growing system.

3. Why is there an Administrative Charge?
The administrative charge covers the costs of administering the TOLL-BY-PLATE tolling program. It includes reviewing photographic images of license plates captured at the toll collection facilities, generating and sending invoices, processing toll payments received, and other related costs.

4. Is there any other way to pay the toll without the additional Administrative Charge?
Motorists may establish a prepaid TOLL-BY-PLATE account by contacting the Customer Service Center at 888-824-8655 and registering the vehicle license plate number. Customers have the option of establishing and maintaining a registered prepaid toll account via a credit or debit card, cash, check or money order deposit from which the applicable toll amounts are automatically deducted. As long as the customer’s prepaid balance is sufficient to cover the monthly accumulated toll amounts, they are not subject to an invoice for the tolls plus the administrative charge. Prepaid account holders must notify the Customer Service Center of any change in the vehicle ownership, vehicle registration, or vehicle license plate number of the vehicles using the Turnpike system of toll roads. The failure to update this information may result in a toll violation.

5. Can I save money on tolls with TOLL-BY-PLATE?
The TOLL-BY-PLATE program does not provide toll reductions. But, SunPass customers typically pay 25% less than TOLL-BY-PLATE or cash customers at toll plazas and exits on most Florida toll roads and bridges. SunPass customers pay less than cash customers because the SunPass Prepaid Toll Program is a more efficient method of collecting tolls. To open a prepaid SunPass account, click here.

Welcome to the police state.