Identity verification

[superc]

It is recognized that it would be nice to have a web site beyond officialdom (I.e., LEO and similar) where only police can come to write. Something better than the FOP sites. How do we verify the person is real lacking NLETS capability? This sites method of verifying sounded good to some I guess. But not to me.

No offense, but no. There are clear problems with this.
Let's start with the issue of mailing a valid police ID to
K & J Police
P.O. Box 90761
Burton, MI 48509

A Post Office Box? You want me to mail an official police ID to a PO Box to be received by an unknown person? Who works there? Who are the owners? Who gets the mail? What does the officer who is blindly surfing the internet and stumbles across this site through Google know about those people? How many different PD ID specimens are being collected. They are used how? What is department policy on photocopying an official ID? Can you be fired for this? (Can you be sued if a fake made with your submission is misused?) Yes, probably. Has a possible handle for a future compromise (blackmail) been created? If you are a Federal employee (or Federal contractor with a valid issue LEO ID) you need to know you can be suspended, fired AND jailed for mailing (or just making) a copy of an official federal ID. See 18 USC 499, 506 and 701. See also 18 USC 1028. (Can I have the names and related departments/information of all who have done so? I want to be sure I don't work with them. Ever.)

Let's talk about the security implications of an unknown person having a specimen of a (YOUR) agencies valid police ID and related information? Can it be used to make up 20 more or less exact copies, all with different names? Can you think of anything bad that can be done in a 9/11 world with a fake, but looks real, police ID? Ever show a police ID to bring a gun on a plane? Lots of us have. The GAO did a test and used PIs with fake police IDs to bring guns and explosives into federal buildings. Ever hear of someone with fake police IDs doing a robbery? How about a copied ID? The most famous impersonation in history involved a bogus Secret Service ID, a grassy knoll, and three tramps. (How many picked up on that one?) The badge is nothing. 100 sites on the net will sell you a clone of any badge you want.

Let's imagine everyone at K&J Police is a former or current officer and has our best interests at heart. Where are copies of the (YOUR) id and other information kept? Is there a cardboad box on/under a desk waiting for a burglar someday full of personal information about you? Complete with photo and a copy of your actual police ID? Does that give you a warm fuzzy feeling? It shouldn't.

Now let's look at the new online submission. To K&J Police, right? Nope. Not according to the website certificate. Public data bases at crisnic.net state Pronicsolutions..com resolves to :
Bert Kammerer
100 W. Lucerne Circle
Orlando, FL 32801.

Who's that? He is getting my name, DOB and other info. Why? Who owns that? And for who? What's the point of soliciting DOB info? How up to date are the patches on HIS server?
(Server: Apache/1.3.29 (Unix) mod_auth_passthrough/1.8 mod_bwlimited/1.4 PHP/4.3.4 mod_log_bytes/1.2 mod_ssl/2.8.16 OpenSSL/0.9.6b)
Gonna run an NCIC with the DOB/name on the applicant? On what reasonable grounds? Gonna run a credit check with the DOB/Name and see what the officer owns? Why? Where is/was that authorized? What Academy did I go to and what year? Why? What does that have to do with whether or not an authorized official has decided I am an LEO? That's his concern and between him and the people he/she answers to, not something a store owned by someone in Burton, MI or Orlando, FL has valid need to know or even any say about. Badge number? Why not, by now there are enough IDs. Time to get some badge numbers too? You need to know the name and phone number of my supervisor? So you can call him and tell him how dumb I was? That'll look good on the next performance review...
Exercises sound judgment and discretion - NOT.
Safeguards official equipment and sensitive information - NOT

[Oldbillplod]

I can see you have taken this quite seriously however if you are that concerned then its simple, don't send your details and then big brother won't be able to use your ID.

[metallicat]

A little paranoid are we? I concur with oldbill.

[mcsap]

If you don't feel comfortable, don't participate. It's that easy.

[rambo]

I Have Not Read That Much In A Week!