Letter: DMV made some bad decisions

Sunday, Sept. 19, 1999 | 1:34 a.m.

As I spoke with numerous customers and staff members, it became clear to me that the upper echelon rulers at DMV must suffer from a substantial, serious, and potentially dangerous level of incompetence.

My conclusion is derived from the DMV's decision to implement their new Genesis computer system (1) after a major holiday (when many people choose to buy cars or move to town), and (2) without having adequately tested the new system for bottlenecks and bugs (which a DMV spokesman said in midweek was nearly cleared up but obviously was not). A staff member mentioned to me that she was sure no one who had designed the system had actually sat down behind one of the computer monitors to simulate assistance to a customer.

Let me be very clear in stating that the front-level staff members at the DMV, in particular those at the Henderson DMV office where I visited, were highly professional, courteous and helpful in what is clearly an extremely difficult situation. I thank them for their patience and sympathize with their frustration.

My anger is instead directed at those far removed from the process, whose talents seem overmatched in their attempt to bring efficiency to the DMV. They should resign or, at the very least, be punished by having to buy a new car and register it the way everyone else does.

CHRISTOPHER A. KEARNEY