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Rawls and Oien go above and beyond to resolve license issue
in aftermath of Oakland gunpoint robbery

Being robbed has ramifications that reverberate well beyond the initial incident, a reality known all too well by Rick and Becky Groff. There are some intangibles that are taken in a robbery, such as a sense of safety and security and your faith in the common decency of people. There are also some very real things taken, such as wallets containing credit cards and identification, which are needed to get life re-started.

In mid-August, the Groffs were robbed at gunpoint in Oakland, California. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, without the credit cards and ID needed to regain proper function in their lives, Rick and Becky found solace in Boise.

“One of the bright spots in the whole episode was the help that we got from two staff members at ITD,” the Groffs said. The two who assisted the couple were Naomi Rawls and Leslie Oien of Driver’s Services.

The morning after the robbery, the Groffs contacted the unit that processes drivers licenses. “The person that took my call was extremely helpful regarding getting the applications for replacement drivers licenses and filling it out” said Rick. “Another person helped with the faxing process.”

If they didn¹t get the temporary licenses on Friday, the Groffs were going to have to wait at least until Monday before obtaining identification. It was late Thursday morning in Boise by the time they completed the forms.

“The person that assisted me in faxing the completed applications called me back to let me know that only one application came through. I was able to get back to the Federal Express office and refax the other application,” said Rick. “Then, that same person worked through her lunch hour to process our temporary licenses and package them for shipment by Federal Express. We received the temporary replacement drivers licenses Friday morning and were thrilled!”

“This enabled us to get into our US Bank account to obtain cash and create a temporary credit card. We needed the credit card to replace essential possessions,” he added.

Groff said the staff of the US Bank in Oakland was extremely surprised that we could have our drivers licenses stolen on Wednesday evening and have replacement identification by Friday morning at an out-of-state location.

In November Rick and Becky sent an email to Drivers Services Manager Ed Pemble. “My wife and I so appreciate the help that we received from Naomi and Leslie! So much time has gone by that I don¹t remember their respective roles. However, etched in my mind is the gratitude I felt for their help at the time.”

Pictured above, Rawls (left) and Oien (standing, right)