Another Texas Republican is on the “Ban” wagon, a bill to restrict vehicles that resemble police cars is the latest attempt “to keep people safe”. The easiest and laziest solution for these lawmakers is to take away something from all for the actions of a few. Recently, in Rowlett, Texas law enforcement are still in the investigative stages regarding an incident where a man impersonated a police officer and tried to lure a young boy into his car who was playing Pokemon Go.
Police told a local news outlet that while the boy looked up proof about the faux cop on his phone the man immediately scurried back to his car and took off. The description of the car according to the teenager, was a “marked police car” and had some kind of police decals.
Rep. Craig Goldman
State Representative Craig Goldman (R) Fort Worth is now ready to file a bill in November that will make it a crime for people who drive any vehicles that happen to look like police cars. Goldman said with a straight face, “When people, like what happened in Rowlett, are using these vehicles to lure children to lure women into vehicles, you know you have a problem on your hands.” He continued his rhetoric, “In my mind you’re also impersonating a police officer when you’re driving around in one of these vehicles.” So instead of more education and lifting the restrictions on self-defense he just wants to create more unnecessary interactions with law enforcement. Police departments all over Texas use different makes and models of police cars and trucks, and they even have Hummers, Cadillacs, and high-end import cars that they seize with civil asset forfeiture. The stupidity and ridiculous nature of this proposed law should be a reason to have this guy jerked off the stage with a cane.
Impersonating an officer is already a felony, kidnapping, assault, and rape are felonies. Expanding the existing laws to include victimless crimes is a downward spiral for liberty that has been left gasping for air.
The current law for selling off decommissioned police vehicles is just not enough for these advocates of Goldman’s idea and they are whining about how it’s just not sufficient to protect their constituents. Pete Schulte, a Dallas Lawyer and Police Officer cried, “It gives guidance but it doesn’t have any teeth”. The existing law, House Bill 473 has a reasonable requirement by the law enforcement agency selling or donating the car “remove any equipment or insignia”.
An excerpt of that bill states:
Sec. 2175.908. SALE OR TRANSFER OF LAW ENFORCEMENT VEHICLE. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the commission or another state agency, including an agency delegated the authority to dispose of surplus or salvage property under Section 2175.065, may not sell or transfer a marked patrol car or other law enforcement motor vehicle to the public unless the state agency first removes any equipment or insignia that could mislead a reasonable person to believe that the vehicle is a law enforcement motor vehicle, including any police light, siren, amber warning light, spotlight, grill light, antenna, emblem, outline of an emblem, and emergency vehicle equipment.
Schulte also has this bright idea to penalize the business owners who sell the equipment that police use that are installed into cars. He bemoaned, “I can walk into any store that sells law enforcement equipment and buy it off the shelves no question asked”. Schulte then said, by pulling people over who are in vehicles that look-like cop cars “might” trigger some constitutional concerns, like unlawful search and seizure. His free-market and business killing idea of making the stores that sell after market car and truck accessories require their customers to show identification to prove that they are current law enforcement personnel is downright asinine.
Kevin Lawrence from the Texas Municipal Police Association, says, “The version that passed lacks any true enforcement. We also need to hold the agencies accountable.” The embedded authority and control surfaces by Mr. Lawrence suggesting that if police departments can’t destroy the decommissioned vehicles, then the city should be forced to continue using them, but in a different way. He doesn’t like the idea of these used cars winding up in the possession of private citizens or to be sold at auctions to used car dealers that buy and sell automobiles to make a living. The continued ignorance of private businesses and freedom of expression is pushed aside for these politicians with their minds on the next election. The perception of safety are the treats that the voters crave while the politicians are slipping in the tricks through the devious worded bills that is tightening the grip of tyranny.
Representative Goldman is still unclear of how to word his bill to hold the Blue Line agencies accountable for the vehicles that they send to auction. He’ll have to engage in conversation with them to see how to punish them for simply selling a car.
By Andre’ Gabriel Esparza – DontComply.com
