A Suggested New Use for License-Plate Readers

If you read this morning's local newspaper, then surely you saw the lead story on the front page about license-plate readers (similar to what you see in the photo at right) on police cars. It seems this effective crime-fighting tool is getting the hackles up on some civil libertarians, to whom I say: "Stuff it where the sun don't shine!"

If anything, I'd like to see the use of these readers expanded to include sticking it to those people who drive around the streets of Hampton Roads (and no, thank you, I don't care to use "Coastal Virginia," even if one local mayor does seem to love it) with expired license plates. Did I happen to mention that this is one of my top pet peeves of all time?

Just this past week, while I was in the parking lot at Lynnhaven Mall, I ran across a late-model Jeep parked there with license-plate decals that expired in December 2013. I can't help but wonder what the owner has been doing the last four months. It's more than a little evident that he/she hasn't been checking their mail during that time, or they surely would have seen a little notice from the Virginia DMV.

Something that peaked my interest a bit more than usual about these particular expired plates was the fact that the rear plate included this abbreviation: PF. That's right--the vehicle belongs to a professional firefighter. Don't get me wrong. I have a lot of respect for those guys, as well as law enforcement--they both have tough jobs. But that respect stops when they start breaking the same laws I'm forced to live with. And the last time I checked, when your license plates expire, you have only two "legal" choices: Renew your registration, or park the vehicle until you do.

Last month, however, during one of my routine visits to West Neck Marina, I ran across a set of expired tags that caused me to do a double-take when I first saw them. Those tags had an expiration date of March 2013. That's right--a whole year past due, and that vehicle, a Dodge Ram 1500, still was operating on the streets of Hampton Roads--again in your ear, Mr. Mayor.

And making this case even more suspect was the inspection sticker. The year was missing entirely, the whole sticker was all wrinkled, and it just "smelled" of having been altered. But as I said, it still was operating on city streets.

These are but two recent examples. However, I rarely venture out onto the streets of Hampton Roads (one last time in your ear, Mr. Mayor) without finding one or two vehicles with expired license plates. Thus, my position is that, instead of succumbing to the wishes of those civil libertarians, police should expand their use of license-plate readers to include nailing people for expired decals on their license tags.

I've always functioned on the premise that "right is right, and wrong is wrong." In short, pay up, or park it.