He Didn’t Want His Picture Taken

[Yul Lose]

I went in to renew my drivers license a couple of weeks ago and even though I had an appointment their computer system was down and they gave me a makeup card and told me to come back without an appointment. Today was the day and man were they busy. I finally got an assigned number and had a seat and waited about an hour and my number was called. I did the eye test and finished the paperwork and was sent  to the picture line. I had noticed a woman and young man earlier that were maybe middle eastern but I wasn’t sure. When I got into the picture line the young man was near the front of the line and I guess it was his mother standing off to the side. When he got up to the camera operator and was told to take his glasses and baseball cap off for the picture  he refused and said he wanted a license without a picture on it. The clerk told him that that wasn’t the way it worked and your license had to have a picture on it. He got a little animated and the woman came over and told the clerk that they wanted the license without a picture and she was told no also. About that time 2 security people showed up and took the people out a side door.

 

Since then I’ve been wondering why the kid didn’t want a license with a picture on it and all I could think of is that they wanted to pass it around to other drivers that couldn’t get a license for some reason. 

Edited October 10, 2025 by Yul Lose

[Boggus Deal #64218]

1 minute ago, Yul Lose said:

I went in to renew mi drivers license a couple of weeks ago and even though I had an appointment their computer system was down and they gave me a makeup card and told me to come back without an appointment. Today was the day and man were they busy. I finally got an assigned number and had a seat and waited about an hour and my number was called. I did the eye test and finished the paperwork and was sent  to the picture line. I had noticed a woman and young man earlier that were maybe middle eastern but I wasn’t sure. When I got into the picture line the young man was near the front of the line and I guess it was his mother standing off to the side. When he got up to the camera operator and was told to take his glasses and baseball cap off for the picture  he refused and said he wanted a license without a picture on it. The clerk told him that that wasn’t the way it worked and your license had to have a picture on it. He got a little animated and the woman came over and told the clerk that they wanted the license without a picture and she was told no also. About that time 2 security people showed up and took the people out a side door.

 

Since then I’ve been wondering why the kid didn’t want a license with a picture on it and all I could think of is that they wanted to pass it around to other drivers that couldn’t get a license for some reason. 

Truckers do that a lot. You’ll see three of them in a truck. One of them may have a CDL but they’ll all look so similar that a crappy old pic would pass…

[Blackwater 53393]

With the proper equipment, a license without a photo could be copied and any face inserted.  It is a little more complicated to remove the image from a photo ID.

 

With a reproduction of a valid license, all of the legitimate information is valid and would not be readily recognizable as a fake.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Can you see the parts that I circled. Those are hard to fake

[Cypress Sun]

Probably wanted to conceal his true identity by using a hat and glasses. Drivers licenses, and state issued ID's, are digitally recorded. All facial features are recorded and can/will be used by local, state and federal agencies in facial recognition searches. 

 

I'd say that the man probably had something to hide and/or was trying to prevent future recognition.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

23 minutes ago, Cypress Sun said:

I'd say that the man probably had something to hide and/or was trying to prevent future recognition.

Or was PLANNING to have something to hide.

[Cypress Sun]

 

At least the DMV in California did it's job...unlike New York.

 

Illegal immigrant carrying blue state license without name arrested in highway bust | Fox News

[Sedalia Dave]

23 minutes ago, Cypress Sun said:

 

At least the DMV in California did it's job...unlike New York.

 

Illegal immigrant carrying blue state license without name arrested in highway bust | Fox News

 

Note that the license was issued with the gold star that denotes the bearer is a US citizen. (Real ID).  🤬  🤬  🤬  🤬  🤬 

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

My first drivers license was a piece of pink paper issued by the state of Missouri. Easily altered as my more clever classmates proved by changing their year of birth to buy beer. 

[Three Foot Johnson]

I finished my state career with a few years in driver licensing. No headgear, no glasses was the rule... except if it was a religious thing - when someone came in with a turban, it was OK. So about twenty years ago, some nutjob invented a religion called Pastafarianism to screw with a Kansas school board. Pastafarians worship an invisible and undetectable flying spaghetti monster, and their religious headgear is a spaghetti colander. We were instructed to just take their picture with their colander on their head and send them on their way. 

[Dapper Dave]

Last time I took a picture it was no hat, no glasses...OK, but since I wear glasses all the time, it now does not look like me. 

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

Pastafarians UNITE!!  A Pastafarian can also be an Ordained Minister of the Church and legally perform Weddings.  Don't ask how I know that marvelous little fact!! 

[Pat Riot]

In CA, NC & OR you had to remove glasses and hats. Here in WV glasses are okay if you have a “Corrective lenses needed” on your paperwork. 
 

In California I was at the DMV for 2 episodes at the photo station in one visit. I was there to pay vehicle registrations. 

1. Some dude refused to remove his ball cap for the photo. He was adamant that he wouldn’t remove it.
Security was adamant they were going to remove him. 
The whole fuss was the guy was going bald and he didn’t want anyone to know. 
2. A Muslim woman would not remove her Niqab (veil that covers her face, but not the eyes). She insisted it was her religious prerogative. 
The DMV had a Muslim employee that explained that the DMV would not interfere with the practice of her religion. He also explained she wouldn’t get a license if she didn’t show her face. 

The lady that was helping me told me that they would offer to take her picture in a private room.

I don’t know if that is what happened as my task there was done and I left. 
 

 

 

[Trailrider #896]

As Red Skelton's character, "The Mean Widdle Kid" used to say, "I've seen a lot of people in my time, but you don't look right to me!"  Without a "picture I.D." a person is going to have a hard time in a doctor's office when asked for one for insurance purposes. Or to cash a check, or a host of other things. I can understand the lady not wanting to violate her religion by uncovering her face, but these other excuses sure sound fishy. 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

1 hour ago, Trailrider #896 said:

  Without a "picture I.D." a person is going to have a hard time in a doctor's office when asked for one for insurance purposes. Or to cash a check, or a host of other things. 

It should be of little comfort that they WILL, in most places these days, be able to VOTE. 

[Sawhorse Kid]

Chances are he wanted it for less than honest reasons.

Like the Idea though, there are those of us that are allergic to cameras, If I could go photoless.... I would.

[Chicken Rustler, SASS #26680]

One time when I was stationed overseas I renewed  by mail and they sent one that said "Valid Without Photo", another time they used the previous photo on file. The last time I got a retired military ID they tried with glasses first but then had me take them off because of a glare. I'm pretty sure passport photos have to be without glasses too, and I think they don't allow you to smile. I just checked and both my drivers license and retired ID don't say hair color any more, so I don't have to pick between brown and grey. 

I agree with everybody who says they should have kicked him out, don't give him a license and don't make people wait behind him for one more minute. 

[Utah Bob #35998]

He thought the camera would steal his soul. 😆