Retired Officer Opposes Sex Offender Designation on New Florida Licenses
Shalimar, Florida’s WEAR ran a story on the newly designed Florida driver’s licenses. One surprising opinion about the new license came from a retired parole officer, who commented on the sex offender designation on licenses for those registered. Here’s what he had to say:
“The new license turns heads in Okaloosa County; including Don Gatchell’s. He’s a retired parole officer with the state of Florida who worries an old, but remodeled feature – a mandatory sexual offender identification on the card – may be too much.
“My honest opinion now that I have been out of it for 10 years, retired, I think we’re overdoing it with the sex offenders. I mean, I know there are some guys out there, sex offenders, that are bad, but not all sex offenders are bad. You got people out there who are on probation for underage sex for example,” Gatchell said. He worries the ID will cause unnecessary prejudice in the lives of those impacted”
I know you can’t and won’t answer legal questions, but I am curious for those who are capable. Wouldn’t putting this “offender” endorsement on a driver’s license fall under violation of our free speech? More specifically what is classified as “forced speech”? I know this same defense was used somewhere at some point when a county started forcing offenders to place “offender lives here” signs in their lawn, and it was shot down as a violation of forced speech laws.
Anyone notice the developmentally disabled designator as well? Its getting creepier… Isnt a drivers licence just that: a licence to drive? Its like our social security numbers: they were just supposed to be bank account numbers for your soc sec accts but have gotten to be more than they should… does an rso drive any different? Id say safer due to the fact we dont ever want to show these cards!
FM – I agree with you 100%. Little by little Americans have given over our freedoms and rights to privacy. They are non-existent now. It IS very creepy. And they sugar coat it all with “it is for our safety” or it benefits us somehow and we all bought it hook, line, and sinker.
A great patriot, Patrick Henry said, ” The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be secure, when the transactions of their rulers, may be concealed from them. ”
in other words, Whatever power’s you give to politicians and bureaucrats to use against people, will eventually be used by future politicians and bureaucrats, against you.
In Florida you can be designated a predator even when the state the violations happened did not declare the acts predatory. Florida has barely moved beyond the ‘burning witches at the stake’ phase of history. I am a so-called ‘predator’ in Florida but not in Virginia and the ‘victim’…my daughter…and I get along just fine. Legislators in Florida are the problem.
Absolutely Capt.!
It’s no worse than Seminole County making you carry around a f***ing separate ID card with SEX OFFENDER all over it.
It’s a yellow star event all over again but no one gives two rat’s asses.
Really getting to be too much to bear.
Why or how was the simple statute number on the back of the license turn into the blazing SEX OFFENDER on the front? This is another form of public humiliation after the punishment is served.
Does a released convicted murder felon or a dangerous DUI felon have a designation on their ID ?
It does not. The statute number will remain. It is not changing.
I think the only change will be that it is printed in Blue instead of Black? Really, other than the color and style it is not changing then?
I wonder what he thinks of the new passport law from IML? Last week when I went to do my semi annual check in the SO hadnt even heard of it.