hmmm..... so why is the Arizona DMV doing homeland security functions????? Maybe we should stop calling them "drivers licenses" and start calling them "internal passports". And perhaps change the letters from DMV to KGB. Original Article Drivers waiting longer in MVD offices despite changes Jahna Berry The Arizona Republic Oct. 21, 2005 12:00 AM Lester Jackson had been in and out of the 51st Avenue MVD office for three hours, trying to transfer the title for his car. His attorney told him he faced a 15-minute wait at most. But the 80-year-old Phoenix resident had become frustrated by a situation that seemed to go from bad to worse and by a wait that seemed longer than ever. He's right. We are waiting longer at state Motor Vehicle Division offices than we used to, state officials say, and we better get used to it. A 14 percent drop in customer clerks, high turnover and new homeland security regulations have combined with Arizona's explosive growth to cause new aggravations for customers at MVD offices. No solutions are in sight. "When you pull all of those components together, it contributes to higher wait time, transaction time and total visit time," MVD spokeswoman Cydney DeModica said. This year, customers sat in MVD offices statewide for an average of 22 minutes before they saw a clerk, seven minutes longer than last year. But that's only part of the story. Waits in metropolitan Phoenix, such as at the office at 51st Avenue and Indian School, can take two hours or longer. State officials thought they solved the problem several years ago after pouring millions of dollars into simplifying the process of getting a license, registering a vehicle and pursuing other tasks. A fury over long lines in the late 1990s prompted lawmakers to pump an additional $4.6 million into MVD and to add 127 positions to shorten the wait. The effort succeeded, at least temporarily. The average statewide wait dropped to 15 minutes. But now, the longer waits are back. And although state officials say an average MVD visit lasts just under 30 minutes, Valley residents say reality is much more complicated. This week, early bird Lena Reyes of Mesa breezed in and out of the Mesa Drive branch within 20 minutes when she got an identification card. "As soon as I came, they called me right away," she said. Others weren't so lucky. Some customers at the MVD branch at 51st Avenue and Indian School said they'd been waiting for hours. Others fled after they saw rows of people sitting in the waiting area. "It looks like a Sunday church service in there," said Chandler resident Ernest Lee, who went to the office on Mesa Drive with Phoenix resident Bill Vernon to transfer a car title. "We're leaving," Vernon said. "That line is too long." One state lawmaker who was involved in the earlier push to improve customer service says he is frustrated by the slide. "When I got into office in 1993, there were riots going on because there were waits of two to three hours," said Sen. John Huppenthal, who helped push for performance pay and other reforms that cut wait times. Huppenthal stressed that he doesn't blame employees but that the situation is getting worse. "This is disintegrating. That's what I am concerned about." Huppenthal suspects that people are waiting even longer than the state statistics show. The MVD starts counting the wait time after customers pull a number. Some customers probably wait several minutes in line at the information desk before they are assigned a number, the Chandler Republican said. The customer-service problems are puzzling because the Motor Vehicle Division's staffing and budget have slowly increased over the years, the lawmaker said. And with so many services available over the Internet, fewer people are visiting MVD offices. But people still walk into their local MVD office for many services, such as to take a vision test, transfer a title, register an out-of-state car or get their first driver's license. There is no easy way to fix the problem, transportation officials say. A growing population and evolving security demands mean longer waits, says Charles Bitner, MVD deputy director. "Wait times for us have been a continuing concern," Bitner said "This administration. I think it's fair to say from the governor right on down . . . have always been committed to customers service." The deputy director added that the agency plans to brief lawmakers about the increase in wait times. "Our challenge continues to be how can we best provide services as rapidly and a speedily has we can, within the context of insuring that the credentials and the products that we deliver are secure," Bitner said. Now, customer service clerks are increasingly on the lookout for fake identification, and many were pulled away from their normal duties for lengthy homeland security training. Plus, there are fewer clerks shouldering the work than there used to be. In 2003, the division had 872 customer service clerks. This year, at the end of June there were 685. MVD's past campaign to slash wait times was so effective that the agency is a victim of its own success, DeModica said. Now people expect short lines. State lawmakers and the governor control the MVD budget. Gov. Janet Napolitano is concerned about retaining state employees, including MVD workers, and plans to include a pay raise proposal in the budget, a spokeswoman said. Although residents want shorter lines, many say they are prepared for slow service when they go to MVD. "I kind of expect it," said Chad Everett, 32, of Glendale, who took time off from work to transfer his title. The construction project manager says he waited 2 hours. "That's government service for you," he said.