DMV CRITICISM

Agency is faulted on background checks for driving instructors.

The state Department of Motor Vehicles has slipped up during recent years on ensuring that criminal background checks were performed on teachers at commercial driving schools who take teenagers out on the road for behind-the-wheel instruction, according to a report by state auditors.

The state Auditors of Public Accounts on Wednesday morning issued their first report in three years on DMV operations — and the report noted deficiencies in the agency’s handling not only of the licensing of commercial driving schools and their instructors, but also of the adequate inspection of the safety of the vehicles used in the instruction.

The instructors who teach young people to drive are required by law to undergo fingerprinting and criminal background checks, and to have their names run through the state’s child abuse registry. It’s the DMV’s job to make sure that information from instructors’ licensing applications is turned over to the state police for background checks, and that the applicants are checked for any history of abusing children.

But chief auditors John Geragosian and Rob Kane said in Wednesday’s report that these things haven’t always happened as they should.

“The department does not have proper controls in place to ensure that licensed instructors and driving schools met the necessary requirements,” the auditors said. “Driving school instructors and driving schools without the proper credentials could be granted licenses (when they should not be). Uninspected vehicles used for driving could jeopardize students’ safety.”

Among problems cited by the auditors from their “review of 10 licensed driving instructors and 10 licensed driving schools” were:

Fingerprints were not on file for four instructors;

“DMV did not perform a proficiency test for 4 instructors within the (required) 2-year timeframe. Furthermore, 6 instructors’ proficiency test evaluations did not include vision tests or test vehicle information”;

Not all annual vehicle inspection reports were on file for the licensing of nine driving schools;

“Authorization for Release of Information forms,” for checking the state child abuse registry, were not on file for four schools.

The auditors’ report did not point out actual examples of individuals being licensed or approved inappropriately, or of injuries occurring because of unsafe vehicles. But they said the

system needs to be fixed so those things don’t occur. The report covers a three-year period ending June 30, 2015, which predates the tenure of current DMV Commissioner Michael Bzdyra and dates back to ex-Commissioner Andres Ayala Jr.

While the findings are dated, the issues still need to be addressed, the auditors said.

“The Department of Motor Vehicles should establish written procedures for issuing licenses to driving instructors and driving schools to comply with state laws and regulations,” the report said. “In addition, the department should strengthen internal controls and administrative oversight to ensure the safety of students.”

The auditors’ report cited a number of issues surrounding the DMV’s problemplagued attempts to modernize its main computer system since 2015 — when the new system came online with disastrous results including half-day waits for customer service at DMV branches. Customer wait times are still a problem at DMV branches today. Ayala resigned as commissioner in January 2016 after heavy criticism over the computer problems.

The auditors said that, despite the introduction of the new, $26-million computer system starting in 2015, DMV has not yet transferred the driver-licensing function to the new system from the old “legacy” system that pre-existed it.

“DMV implemented the first release of the project for dealers and repairers in

2012 and implemented the second release for registration in 2015,” Kane and Ger- agosian said. “DMV has not completely implemented the third and final release for licensing. … To date, DMV has not firmly decided whether it will continue to rely temporarily or permanently on the preexisting mainframe system.”