Posted on 05/07/2014 11:47:50 AM PDT by US Navy Vet
It might be time to reconsider that license plate frame boasting your allegiance to your favorite baseball team, charitable cause or alma mater, especially if you’re driving in The Hawkeye State.
The Iowa Supreme Court just ruled that drivers whose cars display the frames can be stopped if they obscure the small print below the plate numbers. The decision ended a five-year court battle stemming from the 2009 traffic stop of a man suspected of dealing drugs based on information from a confidential informant. The court ruled 5-2 last week that a 1984 law requiring drivers to “permit full view of all numerals and letters” on the plate includes the county name.
“While a person who sees a driver commit a crime may not be able to remember a complete license plate number, the person may be more easily able to recall the county name,” Justice Thomas Waterman wrote. “This would narrow the search to identify the vehicle. The county name on a plate also shows whether a vehicle is registered locally or not, which may be relevant in identifying suspicious behavior.”
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Police: “Papers please. What are you doing driving outside your allotted area??
The plate is on there for a reason (and of course now they are scanned automatically by photo-electric equipment). I can see this being enforced nationally before long.
The county name on a plate also shows whether a vehicle is registered locally or not, which may be relevant in identifying suspicious behavior.”
and let police pick on those out of county types who were dumb enough to cross the county line.
Time for custom plates?
Maybe, but I'd think they even more likely remember the licence plate frame, especially if it had a fancy logo on it.
That’d be tough to do.
Many states (including my home, Virginia) do not put county names on license plates.
or custom plate frames.
The photoscanner will tell them who it’s registered to. It won’t be long before all cop cars have them, and a lot more installed in fixed positions on major highways.
It’s all about knowing what we’re up to.
Isn’t this the law in most states? That the info on the license plate has to be visible?
I believe it is. The automated scanning equipment gives LEOs a huge amount of data with very little effort required.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_number_plate_recognition#United_States
I am not familiar with the policies associated with including county names on Iowa license plates.
Is it possible for identical license plate alphanumeric sequences to be issued by more than one county?
If so, I see their point. However, if each license plate has a unique alphanumeric sequence, then I think this rule is just petty bureaucracy.
Heck, we’re lucky to have the state name on our tags.
“Yet ANOTHER DUMBA$$ Iowa “Law””
No, the judge is just making it easier for kids to play the “99 Counties” game.
In theory I agree it is helpful. However, I wonder how many individuals will get ticketed just for having something obscure some part of the plate. Furthermore, if they are looking for a particular vehicle, say a 2010 White Camry, what would be more specific, one from “Sample County” or one with an obstruction over part of the plate. I submit it would be the latter.
I recall a story where the police asked for surplus night vision equipment under the homeland security financing. What did they use them for? To ensure individuals were wearing seatbelts. Yeah, it made sense they might need the vision enhancements to spot terrorists at night (assuming they knew what they looked like) but of course that became secondary to raising money.
So he was not framed because his plate was framed?
My Iowa County Name, “Pottawattamie County” lotsa luck “remembering THAT one!
Don’t give them an excuse to pull you over.
The Iowa “Supreme Court” is about as worthless as tits on a Boar!
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