CULLMAN, Ala. – Residents around Cullman County have reported long wait times at the Cullman County Courthouse when trying to get or renew their driver’s licenses. In some cases, people have had to visit multiple days in order to be seen. The driver’s license office is controlled by the State, particularly the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), which said a lot of the delays are due to driver’s license offices catching up after being shut down due to COVID-19.
ALEA said 69 of its 73 locations re-opened Monday, June 29, resuming face-to-face operations, after closing their doors and only working online since March 27.
Cullman County Commissioner Garry Marchman said local governments are bearing the brunt of the frustrations.
“Part of the problem is the State isn’t focusing resources towards fixing this problem,” he commented. “ALEA Secretary for Law Enforcement is an appointed position, appointed by the governor. There are several positions in our state that are appointed positions, and in every case, these positions have no legislative oversight. In other words, it is a local problem that our local elected officials have no pull to create ideas to correct the problems.”
He continued, “We would be willing to work with anyone to help be part of the solution. I talk to someone every day that has problems getting valid licenses that are required by law, without success. This is something that is a huge issue for local government because it is a reflection on us. Most people do not understand that we have no control over these offices; they are simply located in the local county facility. I have no issues with ALEA; I know they have a huge job and their primary focus is law enforcement. I just hate to see people not being able to get adequate service. I talked to a guy today that had taken off work three separate days to get his license renewed. We have reached out to the State. I feel we would be glad to assist with anything that would help the public with this problem.”
Cullman resident Emily Trahan spoke to The Tribune about her experience.
“I got there at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, and the deputy was setting the sign out that said they were full for the day. I arrived at 5 a.m. on Wednesday and I was the seventh person in line; 6:17 is when I was scheduled for the DMV. I was told to be back at 9. I came back at 9 and was seen at 10. I waited in line for an hour and some change, came back at my scheduled time and waited another hour,” she said. “I don’t know if I have just missed announcements from them or what but I had NO idea that this was the case until I called to see if hours were different because of COVID. That’s when someone told me about them opening up at 6 to sign people up. I get there and they are full. Try the next day and get to stand in my jam jams waiting to sign up. Rumor in the line was that the magic number (number of people allowed in for the day) was 32.”
Continued Trahan, “Some folks were just not having it, very fussy. The majority of folks just kind of quietly suffered through it. We all knew we had to be there for whatever reason and we just needed to get through the process. I should mention that some folks hung around and waited there for their appointed time. The first people in line that morning had been standing there since 4:30. So you gotta think, we’ve got these folks who have been without the regular amount of sleep, having to wait just to renew a license or switch an address, wait around to be seen for their appointed time and THEN have to wait about another hour before they can actually get stuff done. So, the feeling inside was a mix of exhaustion and frustration. One lady was not happy that someone who was farther down earlier that morning was seen before she was. There were also folks that made their way to the basement and had NO idea about having to get there so early in the morning to sign up. The only thing I would want to highlight is better communication on their part to the rest of the community. I know these are unprecedented times and we are all doing the best to adjust and keep folks as safe as possible. I had no idea this was the situation at the DMV until I tried to renew my license. I worry about older folks that don’t know ahead of time and have to make arrangements for those kinds of things.”
ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor said in a media release, “We thank everyone for their patience and understanding. Those in need of Driver License services may experience slightly longer wait times as personnel work to alleviate the backlog created during the pandemic. For us to continue to offer in-person services, we must adhere to the Alabama Department of Public Health’s guidelines and we encourage everyone to use personal protection equipment and other safeguards during visits to Driver License locations.”
This past Tuesday, July 21, Governor Kay Ivey announced ALEA’s expansion of its Driver License Division’s online renewal system to provide an opportunity for more customers to handle renewals without face-to-face interaction with driver’s license personnel. The expansion allows two online renewals during a 12-year period as opposed to one online renewal during an eight-year period, reducing the number of in-person transactions.
The Driver License Division closed its offices to the public Friday, March 27; however, employees continued to provide services to the public via phone, email and online.
After Ivey issued a Safer at Home Order, ALEA’s Driver License Division began a “soft opening” at 13 locations across the state Monday, May 4. By the end of June, the agency had reopened 95% of its locations to the public.
During the past three months, Taylor said, “We meticulously and strategically developed a plan to reopen our Driver License offices to avoid putting anyone at risk during this precarious time. The absolute last thing we wanted was to contribute to the spread of the coronavirus. In addition, ALEA’s Driver License Division is striving to alleviate the accumulation of a COVID-19-related backlog, and it will continue to utilize new and innovative procedures to reduce the congestion at Driver License offices throughout the state.”
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