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The Alabama Department of Public Safety and the Alabama Retail Association have teamed up to stamp out driver license fraud. Identification fraud is one of the fastest growing forms of robbery, costing financial institutions, businesses, government and consumers billions of dollars annually.

On Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, a public and a private agency jointly presented the “Examiner of the Year Award” for excellence in recognizing fraudulent activity. This special award is given to those who go the extra mile to fight deceptive criminals and prevent fraud. Event news release 

Carolyn Spain
2008 Examiner of the Year 

Carolyn Spain, a driver license specialist for the Birmingham District in the Birmingham Driver License Office of the Alabama Department of Public Safety, has been with the department for 13 years. She was the Outstanding Examiner of the Quarter for the first and third quarters of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009. In determining the quarterly and the annual award, a point system is used. Five points are allocated for each misdemeanor arrest and 10 points for each felony arrest. Spain earned 523 points in 2008, the highest amount accumulated by any examiner in the department, earning her the title of Examiner of the Year.

Spain began as a driver license examiner in Selma, transferring to the Tuscaloosa office in 2000.  She was promoted to her current position in the Birmingham Drivers License Reinstatement Unit in 2005. She and her partner see from 125 to 160 customers daily, communicating information customers need to meet reinstatement requirements, compiling reinstatement statistics, verifying reinstatement, National Crime Information Center and National Driver Registry information, stalling applicants with outstanding warrants while arresting officers can take them into custody, and when appropriate clearing drivers license suspensions. In addition, she teaches various courses at the Alabama Criminal Justice Training Center.

This is not Spain’s first honor. She was instrumental in the 2005 arrest of two of America’s Most Wanted and the safe recovery of three children under the age of two who had been missing for three months; attained the second highest number of fraud-related arrests in 2005 among Alabama drivers license examiners; was a 2004 Regional Winner of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrator’s Customer Service Award; and won the Governor’s Life Saving Award in 2001 for saving a chocking victim.

Spain is a 1968 graduate of Aliceville High School; a 1974 Shelton State Community College Emergency Medical Technician I graduate; a 1976 University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences Emergency Medical Technician II graduate; an Alabama Department of Public Health licensed EMT; an American Heart Association Cardio-Pulmonary-Resuscitation instructor since 1974 and a 1992 University of Alabama Law Enforcement Academy graduate.

Prior to working for the Alabama Department of Public Safety, she was employed for 16 years by the city of Aliceville in various capacities, including ambulance driver, emergency medical technician, ambulance service director of emergency services, secretary to Mayor Leroy Speed and clerk for the Aliceville Water Board. She even volunteered as a reserve police officer.

For the Spain family, service and the Department of Public Safety is a way of life. A native of Aliceville, Spain and her husband of 35 years, retired trooper Capt. Richard V. Spain Sr., live in Northport. Her middle son, Richie, is a Police Communications Officer II with the Alabama Department of Public Safety’s Selma Highway Patrol Post. Her daughter, Lori, is pursuing a registered nursing degree at Shelton State Community College. The Spains’ oldest son, Darrell, died in a 1985 drowning accident.

A breast cancer survivor with four years cancer free, Spain enjoys skeet shooting, target practice and vacationing with her family and spending time with her mom. She also counts cooking, reading and needle pointing among her favorite activities.  Spain has two older brothers and three younger sisters.

Regina Hardy
1st Runner Up 

Finishing second with 453 points, Driver License Specialist Regina Hardy is from the Birmingham District, Birmingham Driver License Office. She was the 2007 and 2005 Examiner of the Year and the 2008 second quarter Examiner of the Quarter.

Denise Allison 
2nd Runner Up  

Driver License Specialist Denise Allison from the Mobile District, Mobile Driver License Office, placed third in 2008 with 447 points. She also was recognized as the Examiner of the Quarter for the fourth quarter of 2008.

Examiners working in the Alabama Department of Public Safety are on the frontline every day working diligently to protect all Alabamians from identity theft. For their hard work, Alabama's retailers thank each and every one of them.