pulled over for paper plates

[bayareasm]

my bike is a k8 dr-z400sm and i just got pulled over because he said i had paper plates and that most people running paper plates are trying to run stop light cameras and bridge cameras. do you think he said he was pulling me over for paper plates and in reality was looking for something else? it was all good, only took 15 minutes to rectify the situation and I was on my way. I have respect for police but this seemed more like he was just fishing for something.

[FoolishMortal]

15 minutes? That seems like a long time to look at your "new bike" registration, insurance and DL...

[fruge]

Well, Saturday heading to Alice's 3 friends and I were pulled over heading to Half Moon Bay by police officers. One officer was at the light and radioing down to two other officers which bikes to stop. My two friends got fix it tickets for the plates. One had a paper plate and the other was bent upwards.

While we were there two other bikes were pulled over for the same reasons. They were nice officers but it was just annoying that they were after bikes for silly things as such. No other laws were being broken, no speeding, riding on the shoulder to avoid traffic, no stunting, just good ole plate issues.

Oh well, whatcha gonna do

[USARMworker]

Oh well, whatcha gonna do

Register your bike, get a plate and mount it properly, I guess.

..

[bayareasm]

yes and this being san mateo county, they called another officer for backup. i was like 2 blocks from my house. i guess they were just bored? either way, i am not going to get too twisted up about it. my bike doesnt look that new i guess b/c i ride it hard everyday and commute with it sometimes as well.

[fruge]

Yea, no one was really bothered about it, I just figured it was a nice day out and they didn't want to spend it sitting in the car. :-) Like I said, nice guys, it didn't hurt the day one bit.

[B-Cuz]

Register your bike, get a plate and mount it properly, I guess.

..

+1
:wtf

[T-1 Thunder]

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l219/teamdicky/bill.jpg

:)

[ex911]

I was pulled over for having paper plates on a brand new car once. It happened on a Sat night in a not-so-good part of Vallejo. The cop looked over that the paperwork that the dealer stuck on the lower right hand corner of the windshield, called it in to make sure it wasn't stolen, and let me go.

I took it as good policing, as I would've wanted him to catch a car thief. Didn't feel harassed at all.

I've been lucky enough to have had a number of brand new cars with paper plates, and this was the only time it happened to me. So I suspect the neighborhood I was in probably had something to do with it.

Was the OP in a bad part of town?

[mikhail]

I'd like to hear some of the LEO's chime in on this, if paper plates on a vehicle is probable cause for a stop or not. Is it legal for an officer to stop a vehicle just to examine the new vehicle registration?

[bayareasm]

I was pulled over for having paper plates on a brand new car once. It happened on a Sat night in a not-so-good part of Vallejo. The cop looked over that the paperwork that the dealer stuck on the lower right hand corner of the windshield, called it in to make sure it wasn't stolen, and let me go.

I took it as good policing, as I would've wanted him to catch a car thief. Didn't feel harassed at all.

I've been lucky enough to have had a number of brand new cars with paper plates, and this was the only time it happened to me. So I suspect the neighborhood I was in probably had something to do with it.

Was the OP in a bad part of town?

It was on alameda in redwood city.:Popcorn It was the San Mateo County Sherrifs that got me not the local cops.

[Rel]

Yeah, I stop bikes, and cars for that matter, for paper plates. I've found vehicles that have not been registered over several years, and I've made several DUI arrests all due to paper plates.

A great deal of bikes are stolen, and transported on the roads with paper plates. So, every stolen bike I recover is one more thief off the road.

15 minutes...... a little on the long side, but since the bike was being ran by vin (I'm guessing) rather then by plate it does take a little longer.

[}Dragon{]

I'd like to hear some of the LEO's chime in on this, if paper plates on a vehicle is probable cause for a stop or not. Is it legal for an officer to stop a vehicle just to examine the new vehicle registration?

Paper dealer plates are not license plates and the Officer has every right to pull someone over and figure out if they are legit or not.

[Psychochik]

Register your bike, get a plate and mount it properly, I guess.

..

Mike, logic is not tollerated on teh BARF !!! :x



:laughing


With that said, +2 !! DUH !!! :teeth

[BrassPremier]

i havent had it happen to me, but i can see the legality behind it. if your bike is legit, it shouldn't be a hassle

[jmillington]

I can see why also. You can run a plate without stopping a vehicle to see if it is legit since you can read it. Anyone can tape a piece of paper to the windshield, including thieves, and you can't read it without stopping the vehicle.

So I don't mind being stopped to check my paperwork since it does get some thieves caught!

[arnoha]

I understand the stop, but doesn't it seem the system is a little broken when the only way to check such a thing is with a stop? One stop is not a big deal, of course, but if every police officer stopped me when my car had paper plates, I'd have been stopped dozens of times...and I'd done nothing wrong. In fact, I'd done it the only way the state provides to do it.

Other states do it differently. Some issue plates right there at the dealer. Maybe there are other systems out there, too. But the current one we use seems a bit broken. As it stands right now, a paper plate is perhaps 90% chance of being legit? If we change the system, we can change that to 90% chance of being illegitimate, and that means that far more of the stops are productive.

I understand this is a little outside the purview of this forum, since this isn't anything a police officer or department has any say in. They have to work with the way it is, just like us. But I'd love to hear your comments on what would or would not work from your perspective.

[RolnCode3]

As it stands right now, a paper plate is perhaps 90% chance of being legit?
That's obviously a complete guess.

I bet if you poll the officers, you'd probably get a much different number. But the officers would probably also be taking other things into account. They'd probably be stopping the late-80's buicks with expired red stickers in the window and a broken windshield. Not grandma driving a 2008 Cadillac off the showroom floor. Even though both might have paper plates. One we would expect to be legit. The other we would suspect might not be.

And we're also looking for the DMV paperwork in the windows - not that that isn't forged or taken off of other vehicles either. No matter what system you have (and I don't agree this one is broken, necessarily) there will be those that will try to get around it. Unfortunately, that means that legitimate citizens will get stopped while we try to ferret out those that are breaking the law.

[stan23]

Let's put it this way..

Let's say your brand new bike (w/o plates) gets stolen.

Would you still be pissed about getting randomly checked for paper plates?

[FrigginChi]

Criminals like to ride where regular people ride too:)

[enki]

Freno moto officer told me that guys that like to ditch cops often put the paper plates on when they are going hot rodding. One guy on a Kawi has been evading officers for some time because he has a paper plate and they can't ID him.

[NorCalBusa]

15 minutes...... a little on the long side, but since the bike was being ran by vin (I'm guessing) rather then by plate it does take a little longer.

Alpha-Charlie-Seven-One-Six, no-eight, no-, huh?
Put a three between the four and the Q, ends in five not three?
Ah Fookit- 5M3 is: Ten eight! :ride

[NorCalBusa]

Methinks the annual crackdown on the hill has started early. F&G issued motorcycle hunting tags a month or two early...

[PorradaVFR]

I'd rather have LEOs stopping bikes that show known signs of potential theft than NOT doing so. Have your paperwork in order, be on your way.

[}Dragon{]

Freno moto officer told me that guys that like to ditch cops often put the paper plates on when they are going hot rodding. One guy on a Kawi has been evading officers for some time because he has a paper plate and they can't ID him.

They are not really discreet, when such folks impale themselves into the back of a big rig. :(

[}Dragon{]

Methinks the annual crackdown on the hill has started early. F&G issued motorcycle hunting tags a month or two early...

Are the catch and release restrictions still in effect or is it a 10 a day bag limit?:p

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/images/caltip.gif

[Happy Hornet]

Well, Saturday heading to Alice's 3 friends and I were pulled over heading to Half Moon Bay by police officers. One officer was at the light and radioing down to two other officers which bikes to stop. My two friends got fix it tickets for the plates. One had a paper plate and the other was bent upwards.

While we were there two other bikes were pulled over for the same reasons. They were nice officers but it was just annoying that they were after bikes for silly things as such. No other laws were being broken, no speeding, riding on the shoulder to avoid traffic, no stunting, just good ole plate issues.

Oh well, whatcha gonna do

Yo Girl and guess what-this beotch got ANOTHER one on Sunday!!! Didn't have the first fix it ticket available for show and tell and well gots me another. The Sunday CHP was far nicer said he'd put the plate on for me if I had the tool kit handy. Crap!:p

[Bikeless]

my bike is a k8 dr-z400sm and i just got pulled over because he said i had paper plates and that most people running paper plates are trying to run stop light cameras and bridge cameras. do you think he said he was pulling me over for paper plates and in reality was looking for something else? it was all good, only took 15 minutes to rectify the situation and I was on my way. I have respect for police but this seemed more like he was just fishing for something.


When I bought my F4i in 2002, I was pulled over a week after the purchase, for having paper plates on my new bike....this was in San Jose.

A few years later, the same thing happened when I bought my new car - Pulled over for having paper plates on a new car - this was in Newark.....guess driving while brown in a new machine was the reason, both times:laughing

[motorman4life]

I understand the stop, but doesn't it seem the system is a little broken when the only way to check such a thing is with a stop? One stop is not a big deal, of course, but if every police officer stopped me when my car had paper plates, I'd have been stopped dozens of times...and I'd done nothing wrong. In fact, I'd done it the only way the state provides to do it.

Other states do it differently. Some issue plates right there at the dealer. Maybe there are other systems out there, too. But the current one we use seems a bit broken. As it stands right now, a paper plate is perhaps 90% chance of being legit? If we change the system, we can change that to 90% chance of being illegitimate, and that means that far more of the stops are productive.

I understand this is a little outside the purview of this forum, since this isn't anything a police officer or department has any say in. They have to work with the way it is, just like us. But I'd love to hear your comments on what would or would not work from your perspective.
Call your local legislator. I think the system they use in most other states with a paper plate/temp tag issued by the salesman with the expiration date clearly maked in it would be an easy fix. I see the Nevada temp tags on cars all the time.

As it is now, too many people get their plates and roll around without putting them on.. because. It's stupid. If your car looks new, it will probably fly under the radar. If you are getting stopped, it is because your shit does not look new. :)

[SM610]

Register your bike, get a plate and mount it properly, I guess.

..

But people might look at my bike and not think I'm kewl anymore.

[USARMworker]

Who cares what they think?

Here at BARF we all know you're not kewl. :twofinger

Actually, I don't think anyone who's opinion matters would look at your bike and think anything but, 'I wish I was that guy.' regardless of how your plate is mounted. :thumbup

..

[arnoha]

That's obviously a complete guess.

I bet if you poll the officers, you'd probably get a much different number. But the officers would probably also be taking other things into account. They'd probably be stopping the late-80's buicks with expired red stickers in the window and a broken windshield. Not grandma driving a 2008 Cadillac off the showroom floor. Even though both might have paper plates. One we would expect to be legit. The other we would suspect might not be.

And we're also looking for the DMV paperwork in the windows - not that that isn't forged or taken off of other vehicles either. No matter what system you have (and I don't agree this one is broken, necessarily) there will be those that will try to get around it. Unfortunately, that means that legitimate citizens will get stopped while we try to ferret out those that are breaking the law.

Oh, without a doubt, it's a complete guess. I have no idea what the real number is. And I have no doubt that officers stop the more suspicious more frequently. But you can have paper plates from a used car dealer, too, so even an old car can have legit paper plates.

I'm not attacking current law enforcement practice. You have to live in the same world I do, and that world has paper plates. I just think the current registration system could be done better, and I know that LEOs have no say on what that is.

My question, instead, is: If you had the opportunity to change it, what would you do to make it better? I guess broken is a little strong a word. As with most things, it's not black and white. It could always be worse and it can usually be done better, too. I think we can do it better here in California.

Call your local legislator. I think the system they use in most other states with a paper plate/temp tag issued by the salesman with the expiration date clearly maked in it would be an easy fix. I see the Nevada temp tags on cars all the time.

As it is now, too many people get their plates and roll around without putting them on.. because. It's stupid. If your car looks new, it will probably fly under the radar. If you are getting stopped, it is because your shit does not look new. :)

Yep, that's the sort of system that I can see working better. It adds a layer that I'm sure the dealers don't like (extra time and expense to deal with the reg instead of just sending it off to the DMV) and it adds expense to the DMV for vetting the dealers who hand these things out. But I'm guessing it would drop policing expenses on the stops that lead to nothing, and it would be friendlier to the innocent civilian. Private party sales wouldn't be an issue, since the plate usually goes with the car.