I would say that in this case the stop itself was justified.
It is illegal to drive with improper plates, and since there is no way to check VIN numbers while a car is going down the road, it was reasonable to assume the plate didn’t match the wrong colored vehicle.
Had the car’s body been changed to make it appear to an entirely different vehicle it would be the same thing, a reasonable stop to make sure the plate wasn’t stolen.
Most people would never notice if their plate was stolen and replaced with a different plate, most don’t even know their plate number without checking. I don’t know mine.
You wouldn’t want some committing crimes while driving with your license plates would you? That could lead to far more problems and hassle than being stopped to check a plate match.
IMO it was a perfectly reasonable legal stop.
Running a plate without probable cause is unjustified in my opinion.
The plate was accurate, the color was not. He was stopped for the color, not the plate. The government’s interest in a vehicle’s registration is registrant, VIN, title and plate. The court’s decision reiterates that the color of a vehicle is not within the purview of the government. Listing the color in the registration is an aide to law enforcement, not a requirement.
Would you prefer to be arrested if the weight listed on your license was different from your actual weight? Or hair color?
” It is illegal to drive with improper plates,
and since there is no way to check VIN
numbers while a car is going down the
road, it was reasonable to assume the
plate didn’t match the wrong colored
vehicle.
Had the car’s body been changed to
make it appear to an entirely different
vehicle it would be the same thing, a
reasonable stop to make sure the plate
wasn’t stolen.”
Bad logic. If the car or tag were stolen long enough to repaint, it would be reported. A lot of people repaint and forget to update the registration. The cop knew this.
Well stated.
Agree.