The United States has no national identity card, and many Americans do not have passports. The driver's license registries are one of the primary ways that law enforcement personnel can identify suspects and victims in crimes. Moreover, a huge portion of law enforcement resources go to fighting traffic offenses, because traffic violations account for more wrongful deaths than intentional violent crime. Driver's license registries allow law enforcement personnel easy access to information about whether or not a driver is permitted to operate a vehicle and any restrictions that driver may have. Likewise, motor vehicle registries help law enforcement personnel detect property crimes. Automobile theft is a significant criminal problem. Moreover, vehicles abandoned in accidents can be traced to their owners through the registries.

Obviously, law enforcement personnel use a wide variety of government databases in their daily crime prevention, detection, and investigation duties. Without these databases, officers in different jurisdictions...
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