Posted on 01/12/2012 8:00:53 PM PST by Orange1998
DALLAS - Vehicles in Texas must display both front and back license plates. It’s been a state law since 1934. But lawmakers in rewriting the state transportation code recently made what could be a serious omission.
“Absolutely it is a potentially very big problem,” said Robert Gregg, a criminal defense and personal injury attorney. “The issue is not whether it is a fine. That’s where we start. The issue is whether or not it’s a crime.”
The old law read, “A person commits an offense if the person operates… a passenger car or commercial motor vehicle that does not display two license plates at the front and rear of the vehicle.”
In the new bill passed into law on the last day of the session that language was accidentally struck from the measure.
“Problem is they didn’t move it over to the new section, therefore it’s not a crime,” Gregg said.
And if the offense is no crime, law enforcement officials may no longer be able to pull people over for it.
“It is fairly common. Unfortunately in this state people don’t really adhere to the two plate rule like they should. They put a lot of their school logos or their favorite football or baseball team and it is against the law. It is a crime,” said Sgt. Don Pertiz with the Dallas County Sheriff's Department.
Pertiz said the law is often used as a tool to stop criminals on the streets.
“You’d be surprised how many offenses we uncover that start with no front license plate,” he said.
Trying to rectify the wrong, El Paso lawmaker Joe Pickett, who wrote the bill, has asked the attorney general for an opinion on whether it is a Class C misdemeanor not to display two license plates on a motor vehicle.
“Most times they don’t give you a ticket for this so the issue of not having a fine is not really it. The issue is they’ve taken out that it’s an offense. It’s not an offense. They can’t use it to pull somebody over, which they use it every day all day long,” Gregg said.
Pertiz said officers will likely continue to issue tickets based on the original law and let the courts worry about it.
I guess Sgt Pertiz thinks nothing of citizens rights under the law.
What about the cars from Indianner, Floriduh and Pennsyltucky?
“You’d be surprised how many offenses we uncover that start with no front license plate,” he said.
So what this is saying isn't that the front plate solves crime. But that using a missing plate as an excuse to stop people does.
By that reasoning, if they would just randomly stop folks and make them show their papers, they could probably solve even more crimes.
I had a 76 Chevy camaro (last camaro with Chrome bumpers). no place to put a front license plate. I bought the car in Louisiana and moverd back to Texas, unaware of the law and my crime being ‘long hair’. Needless to say I drilled 2 holes in that sucka and mounted my extra Texas plate....Don’t mess with Texas (Highway Patrol)
I hate the front license plate thing. One of the things that annoyed me moving to Texas, as well as the nighttime speed limits, which thankfully are now gone.
Time to get with everybody else. One license plate is just fine. And why must I clutter the front of my car with your state stickers when they can go on the plate like they did in Kansas?
Texas is nice, but lots of silly and absurd ways of doing things here as well....
“You’d be surprised how many offenses we uncover that start with no front license plate,” he said.
So the law is more important as a foot in the door or a
nose in the hen house than a real threat to the safety
of other motorist? This is truly an official statement
of the police state.
Cars of folks in the ‘bubble’ weren’t subject to the law, anyway. It only was applied to normal folks.
Lets see if I have this right. We now have a situation where there is no law on the books, but the police will charge citizens anyway. Conversely, we have a president who ignores a law on the books and appoints who he wants as if the Senate is in recess when it isn't. I guess it all comes down to the law being a cudgel with which to beat the citizenry.
Need to display 2 license plates on the front and rear? Hmmm?
I just wish the LEOs would bust nitwits who don’t have working brake lights. Screw a bunch of plates.
That's a good law. When they were on the plate, the illegals would just steal a license plate. Now they have to go to the expense of buying counterfeit stickers. It's really cut down on license plate theft.
We used to have state stickers on the plates. Thieves found a way to peel them off and reapply to another vehicle. Welcome to Texas! Hopefully you moved to Houston, plenty jobs.
You be surprised how many are pulled over for License Plate light out.
awesome! here’s hoping they don’t bother to rectify this oversight.
There is an estimated 24,326,974 registered cars in Texas. Just think how much this saves the State.
I-35 goes north as well as south.
BFD.
You better not get caught with wire cutters either...
Just goes to show lawmakers don’t read the bills they vote for half the time.
Yup until you are pulled over and knowing the law saves you or family member some money.
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