Laws are designed to protect us, but sometimes they do the exact opposite.
Case in point: 60-year-old Jason R. Humphreys of Seffner, Florida.
It is a known fact that distracted driving kills far more people than driving while intoxicated, but the state of Florida apparently doesn’t care. It’s perfectly legal there to drive with a cell phone glued to your ear (texting is only legal when stationary). But, Humphreys felt that all of those folks dying needlessly as the result of distracted driving was just wrong, and that something needed to be done.
That is when our good Samaritan, Jason, transformed from angel to felon. No, he didn’t threaten or assault the murderous self-centered drivers, go on a destructive rampage, nor did he cause them to take any type of evasive maneuvers. No, Jason did something far, far worse. He jammed their cell phone signals on Interstate 4, rendering the cause of countless deaths and disability useless. And, he did it everyday on the way to and from work… for two years!
However, by doing so Jason violated a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) law that prohibits civilians from jamming cell phone signals. The FCC were alerted to the offense in April 2013, when their enforcement bureau received a complaint from Metro PCS, a prepaid wireless service owned by T-Mobile. It was reported that there were regular service disturbances occurring at cell phone towers between the communities of Seffner and Tampa.
So, the feds sent in a crew to find the cause, and they did. Then, on May 1st, 2014, with badges drawn, justice burning hotly in their hearts, and the help of the Sheriff’s office, agents pulled Jason over. Lo and behold, there, secreted away under a seat cover in the back seat of his blue Toyota sport utility vehicle, was a strong wideband signal jamming device.
That was all that law enforcement needed. The FCC seized the equipment and effectively shut Humphreys down, stating that his actions were jamming cell phone towers, and therefore, potentially the communications of emergency responders. When questioned about Jason’s motives, a spokesperson, officer McKinnon, stated, “The suspect [Humphreys] indicated on the day that we stopped him, that he was pretty much fed up with watching cell phone usage while people were driving.” Now, as his reward for possibly saving thousands of lives, instead of a hero’s parade through town square, Jason Humphreys faces a possible $48,000 fine and has thirty days to pay it! Wow, and we wonder why the world seems so darn crazy…
