State Patrol begins random searches at ferry docks

The Seattle P-I ^ | June 7, 2002 | Hector Castro

[Eala]

Drivers were asked to produce identification...
While the inspections are voluntary

Welcome to the People's Soviet of Washington, citizen -- may I see your papers please?

[Mulder]

I wonder how long it will take the boot-licking contingent to show up and tell us that we have to right no travel via ferry.

[Drango]

4th amendment bump.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

[Ramius]

This is just plain wrong.

[Mulder]

This is just plain wrong.

C'mon. Aren't you "with us"? Because if you're not, you must be "with Al Queda".

/sarcasm

[Ramius]

OH... I'm with you alright. Random searches are stupid and counterproductive and a waste of time. If they want to search cars, that's fine as long as it isn't merely a pathetic poke at the 4th amendment.

Search a rented car driven by two middle eastern men that just sit in the car and don't talk to anyone or each other? You bet. Search under the paint. But just search every 15th car? Stupid.

[Mulder]

Random searches are stupid and counterproductive and a waste of time. If they want to search cars, that's fine as long as it isn't merely a pathetic poke at the 4th amendment

It's all about conditioning us to accept tyranny.

[Eagle Eye]

Quit spoouting such radical, extremist ideas.

[Drango]

At the same time, the ACLU can kiss my hiney...

[Eala]

It's all about conditioning us to accept tyranny.

I'm not persuaded that it's a deliberate attempt to condition us to accept tyranny, but it certainly has that effect, it's yet another step in that direction. Just look at Capt. Tim Koivu's remark. The mere fact that someone has refused to allow the search makes that person guilty -- he is hiding something!

It is extremely rare that I take a ferry, and now maybe I won't again (the long waits were always unpleasant enough). But at least I'll be spared the sight of our wee little fuhrer goose-stepping from one bridge of his Washington State Ferry to the other. He's not guilty of masterminding any particular insidious plot, he's not conscious of doing anything wrong, but he's mindlessly profiting from it and he's promulgating it -- he's another example of Arendt's "banality of evil."

[Ramius]

No, I don't give them that much credit. It's about trying to be perceived as doing something and protecting their butts from the inevitable next attack. They can say they tried.

[David]

This is of course outrageous.

However in addition to the other issues described above, note that the state has several proposals to raise taxes including state patrol and roadway funding under circumstances where they have so much money they are funding something absurd like this--this activity results not from some threat but from funds being appropriated by the legislature to do it under circumstances where they also need to go back to the people for more money to do other things they need to do.

[Chewbacca]

Well that just sucks.
Guess the traffic over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge is going to increase.
Maybe everyone should purchase their own personal hovercraft to commute across the sound with.

[Robert357]

They checked every 15th vehicle, asking drivers if they had any explosives or weapons in the car.

I decided to have some fun with this. I sent an email to WSDOT-Ferries from their website and asked them if it was against the law to take a firearm on the ferry boat. Since the ferry system is an extension of the state highway system and since an unloaded firearm in a case out of the drivers compartment is legal on roads and furthermore since in the ferry system published safety rules, they only prohibit gas cans, connected propane tanks and oxygen tank, but not firearms, I asked if I go deer hunting in the Olympic Peninsula, do I have to drive around.

I further pointed out that the WA Dept of Fish & Wildlife has a special deer hunting permit available to all hunters in the state with places like the San Juan Island Game Management Unit and that in the state's hunter safety class or the hunting regulations there is nothing that says firearms are prohibited from ferry boats. If you can't take a firearm on a ferry boat, there is no practicle way to hunt much of the San Juan Island Game Unit which is pistol or shotgun firearm restricted. (Honestly state trooper, I was just following the regulations set up by the Dept of F&W! That's why I have a scoped revolver and shotgun in my car.)

I demanded to know if there were any regulations prohibiting the transport of firearms prior to the drawing for the state special deer permit season by F&W as it would impact my choice of Game Units I applied for.

It will be interesting to see what they say.

[holyscroller]

State Patrol and ferry service officials said the heightened security reflects an increase in funding for inspections, rather than a response to a specific threat.

Obviously they were given too much funding. Another example of why giving bureaucrats excess money works against the taxpayer.

[Eala]

The State Patrol is not saying when or where troopers will conducting the random searches.
"If a practice becomes predictable, it can be overcome," Cramer said.

What's so pathetic about this is that it's so easily defeated. Just post observers near all the (few) ferry terminals. When the troopers show up at one, the others are "free." Or, if you don't have that much personnel, wait and observe one terminal until the troopers arrive then leave. Now it's "free." (There's an even easier exploit mentioned in the article, but why go on?)

Your tax dollars at work, making you safer. Right.

[SW6906]

Please ping me when you get your response.....

[Demidog]

Please post the response to your letter because it's quite a brilliant set of questions.

[Sandy]

"We simply do not allow the government to conduct fishing expeditions."

Yeah, right. Been to an airport lately? Airplanes...ferries...what's the difference?

[NC_Libertarian]

This is all worth it so long as the cheap oil flows.