Questions asked when pulled over?

[Basia]

Is it common to ask a "violator" such personal questions as; What is your SS# and mother's maiden name?

[retdetsgt]

Nope

[Citicop]

I routinely ask traffic violators without ID for their social security numbers to help me verify their identity.

I can see no reason to ask for a mother's maiden name.

-Citicop.

[retdetsgt]

We have no link to SS#'s that we could use to verify anything. It would be of no value to us.

[scott715us]

We have no link to SS#'s that we could use to verify anything. It would be of no value to us.

Although not printed on the DL itself, the state DMV office in TN normally has that info on file. Dispatch can pull a DL by SS# or by name & DOB.

As far as a mother's maiden name, he** no.

[Citicop]

We have no link to SS#'s that we could use to verify anything. It would be of no value to us.

Ah. Our Department of Revenue lists SSN's in people's driver's license inormation (though it is not displayed on the license itself). So that way, I can use the SSN to look up someone's info if they have no ID. No one here knows their DL number, but (almost) everyone knows their SSN.

If it was not for that, I would never ask either.

-Citicop.

[Curt581]

Most times our criminal history checks list the offender's SSN, with other identifying info.

Both questions are not commonly asked, but we are certainly not prohibited from asking.

[retdetsgt]

Most times our criminal history checks list the offender's SSN, with other identifying info.

Both questions are not commonly asked, but we are certainly not prohibited from asking.

We have the SS#'s on criminal history, but I don't think DMV has that anymore. I've asked it when talking to people I think might have a criminal arrest warrant on them.

I guess it depends on the state, but I worked in our Criminalistics / Identification division for a few months and we never asked nor kept info like mother's maiden name.

Washington state used to use SS# as part of the DL number. That was as real windfall to ID thieves until they changed it.

[cntryboy0531]

I may ask for a social if i'm having problems pulling someones drivers license up, or if i think they are giving me a fake name. Mother's maiden name? Cant think of a reason why I need to ask that.

[ChevySSP]

I'd ask it just to see the reaction.

[Safety Steve]

Oh yes, running a credit report along with a criminal history is standard operating procedure down here. We check credit to make sure they can pay their tickets!

Seriously, I cannot think of a reason to ask for the mothers maiden name.


Be Safe.

[retdetsgt]

Seriously, I cannot think of a reason to ask for the mothers maiden name.

Wait, I got it! I pull you over and you look a lot like me.... I remember this woman I had a fling with years ago and wonder if I'm your Dad! That has to be it.....

[Curt581]

Oh yes, running a credit report along with a criminal history is standard operating procedure down here. We check credit to make sure they can pay their tickets!

When we run someone via MDC, they're automatically checked through several databases. We get responses from NCIC (federal wanted), CIB (state wanted), P&P (DOC probation & parole), DOT (driving record) and our state criminal history files. There are other 'modules', like advisory DBs, that could have added, but the bosses decided not to.

No, we don't get a credit history, but SSNs are often included with other numerical identifiers in the criminal history summaries.

As for the mother's maiden name, who knows? Maybe the vehicle check listed a female owner with a hyphenated last name, with one half matching the name the driver gave. Maybe the last name was totally different. If the driver hesitated, didn't know the other half, or didn't know at all, I would take it as a tip something is going on and investigate further.

Bottom line, we don't know why the officer asked. We DO know it is not something he wasn't allowed to ask. He may have had a perfectly legitimate reason for asking. We can ask anything we want.

All I said was that it was not a "common" question. But we certainly can ask, if the circumstances dictate.

Besides, it's not like the OP gave us any actual information we might need to answer with specifics.

[ChesCopPodz]

Social security number can be for a bunch of reasons. As stated, some places can run a driver's license status by the social security number. I've asked for it to verify information if I think someone's lying to me about their identity

I've never asked, nor needed to ask, for mother's maiden name though.

[manahmanah]

Maybe the cop was trying to figure out of you were his long lost son from that one night stand?