New York, NY – Taxi officials’ appeals to close a massive safety loophole that puts millions of yellow-cab riders at risk have fallen on deaf ears, The Post has learned.
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Taxi and Limousine Commission brass want to run each hack-license applicant’s name through the FBI’s extensive crime database, which would allow them to look up every crime committed in all 50 states by a potential driver.
Currently, they can see only New York state records.
“We can find out if a driver jaywalked in New York, but he could be a convicted rapist in California and we wouldn’t know,” said one source briefed on the issue.
“It’s a matter of passenger safety. If we have reason to do a lookup for New York, why not all of the country?” the source added.
Gaining permission to access the database has been at the top of the TLC’s federal and state legislative agenda for about nine years — but no legislator in Albany is willing to take up the issue.
Many cite civil-liberty and privacy concerns and immigration issues, sources said.
But as a result, a criminal could be picking up fares off the street.
“Our passengers deserve the utmost in security, and we should have the proper tools to help us provide it,” said TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg.
Known as the National Crime Information Center, the database holds 15 million files on crimes ranging from weapons abuse to terrorism.
But the TLC isn’t considered a law-enforcement agency. It needs the Legislature to secure access to the criminal records.
“Though the TLC has long unsuccessfully sought the ability to access the federal criminal records of its applicants, we remain optimistic that this goal can be achieved legislatively,” Fromberg said.
The TLC is also looking into reviewing the driving records of every new applicant in all 50 states. Right now, they pull information only from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
A renewed push for the ramped-up security measures came this year, when The Post reported that information on more than 45,000 licensed TLC drivers had accidentally been scrubbed from a state database that sends an alert to officials when a driver is arrested.
That means officials won’t know to suspend a driver while his case winds its way through the court system.
TLC officials are currently working to fix the issue, but so far little progress has been made because the process carries a hefty price, the sources said.
Every resident of the United States should be fingerprinted; there are thousands of bail jumpers, probation and parole violators, and wanted felons still roaming our communities across the USA. Many unsolved crimes could also be solved in this manner. If sex offenders have their whereabouts made known, why can’t convicted felons (regarding other crimes) also have their whereabouts made known? All veterans in the USA have been fingerprinted, as well as people who work for the Government (including NYC). Hence, all residents of the USA should be fingerprinted, and issued a national identity card, with their photo; the privacy advocates should not prohibit that process. Other countries, including E.Y. have a national identity card.
why are rabeim and teachers exempt from this law?
#1 as an honest citizen and an Army veteran (was fingerprinted) I could not agree more with your excellent comments. Those of us with nothing to hide will have no objections…it will be the illegals, the criminals in hiding and of course the civil libertarians who will fight your idea. With regards to this story and the statement that no legislator in Albany is willing to take up the issue…how stupid and spineless are our elected officials!