We know D.C. Get our free newsletter to stay in the know.

Starting in February, the person in front of you in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) could be annoying and unprepared—and undercover. The DMV has been soliciting volunteers to phone the call center and to pose as patrons at its branches, evaluating agency personnel for courtesy and knowledge. “The testers will be given different case scenarios,” explains DMV spokesperson Regina Williams. “[W]e could say, ‘We want you to go to [the facility on] C Street, but don’t take your birth certificate.’” After going on the fact-finding mission, each ersatz customer will fill out a 15-question survey. Some actual DMV visitors express doubts about the make-believe project. “They need to get better on their customer service,” says Rhonda Barber after leaving the DMV station on C Street NW—but she adds, “I think that’s just a waste of time. People are coming here on their lunch break.” —Josh Levin