Artist Mocks Transit Police New Law in Debate
Music artist Banton produced a video complete with dancing police officers waving around cash in an apparent mockery of the typical traffic stop in Costa Rica. At the moment the legislature has taken up the reform of last year’s new transit law in an effort to appease voters who are upset about high traffic fines.
During the video Banton, his real name is Herman Davidson simulates a traffic stop outside of Cieneguita, Limon. While the officer is wearing an official looking Costa Rican uniform he is wearing a wig while dancing and singing.
Banton asks, “Mr. Police Officer why do you Stop Me”. The response from the officer eventually is that Banton was speeding and although he denies this the officer is quick to point out that in court it will be his word against the officer.
He says, “Don Herman in my experience you will loose”, and points out that under the new law the fine is c180,000 (or about $360). This is followed in a move all too common in Costa Rica, which is there may be another way to resolve the problem.
The officer says, “We all have to eat, if you don’t tell anyone”. He then makes some movements of his overdone eye brows while arriving at the figure of c20,000 (about $40). Banton pays the officer who then says, “my partner is not painted on the wall”, which is an expression similar to saying he is not a card board cut out figure. This is a set up to pay an additional c20,000 to the partner.
The video then continues with more references to infractions under the new law. Baton is accused of driving without a seat belt, having a defect in his vehicle’s overhead rack, illegal car modifications, and finally lacking a child safety seat for the midget in a parody of the car seat issue in the new transit law.
While language in the video employs many idiomatic expressions any expatriate in Costa Rica who is accustomed to driving has probably heard much of it before. Before the new law transit officers were often willing to accept a c10,000 bribe in lieu of a speeding ticket. The c20,000 per officer figure is symbolic of how the new law has raised the amounts that officers can extort from drivers who can’t afford to pay the higher fines.
According to a report in Al Dia the legislature is now working with the office of the National Ombudsman, College of Engineers and Architects and other organizations to reform the harsh law that took effect in March of this year. There is talk of lowing fines, but also reducing the legal blood alcohol level even further to what is being called, “zero tolerance”.
As far as Banton is concerned his video has not been well received by the local transit police in Costa Rica. Their labor union has threatened to sue Banton, and Mr. Herman Davidson is not getting any preferential treatment on actual traffic stops. In fact he has complained that he is the target on a harassment campaign on the part of police, and has received several seat belt tickets that are pure fabrications on the part of police.
The problem is that while Banton’s video is sarcastic and perhaps in bad taste the fact is that the issues he presents are very valid points. Even if the Costa Rica Transit Police has taken measures to clean up the organization it has a long reputation of corruption that will be hard to forget.
Most recently several transit officers in Jaco were arrested for extorting tourists and another transit officer started a riot on the Campus of the University of Costa Rica after forcing judicial police officers to chase him through the campus. The officer was accused of extorting a bus driver and used the university grounds to escape a police sting operation and allegedly dispose of marked bills.
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Filed Under: Expat Living
