HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 029 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 22-029
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council February 15, 2022
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SUBJECT: FICTITIOUS LICENSE PLATES
The Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD) seeks to identify fictitious license plates as officers routinely investigate
on-view violations during traffic and preventative patrol enforcement, including traffic accidents and offenses
involving motor vehicles. During the past year, FWPD made eleven arrests involving fictitious license plates,
generated twenty reports for the offense of Display Fictitious License Plate, issued five citations for Display
Fictitious License Plate, investigated five cases with disposition of elements not being met, and impounded seven
vehicles associated with this offense. Staffing and other resource constraints, however, may present challenges in
the consistent enforcement and investigation of fictitious license plates.
FWPD has been working with the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and the Texas
Department of Motor Vehicles (Tx DMV)to address the prevalence of fictitious license plates. NCTCOG and Tx DMV
are taking the following actions:
NCTCOG
• Lobbying Texas legislature to get funding for law enforcement to help combat the illegal temporary paper
tag issue.
• Actively working to secure federal funding to form emissions task forces to address fraudulent vehicle
inspections and temporary registration tags.
• Task force conducting covert operations on vehicle emissions inspection stations to identify and prosecute
inspectors performing improper inspections.
• Identifying and prosecuting those who counterfeit or improperly issue temporary tags
Tx DMV
• IT staff to set limits on the number of eTAGs that a licensed dealer can create and issue in a calendar year.
• Enforcement Division initiated aggressive pre-licensing inspection requirement for applicants.
• Investigators when investigating any complaints will run an eTAG report to identify any irregularities in the
number of tags being issued.
• Actively working with local law enforcement to assist in joint investigations related to unlawfully offering
and issuing eTAGs.
• Enforcement Division working closely with investigative and compliance programs of social media platforms
to identify and remove advertisements, postings, and groups related to unlawful sale of Texas temporary
tags.
House Bill 3927, passed during the 871" Legislative Session (2021), removed the statutory prohibition and
authorized Tx DMV to deny a dealer's or converter's access to the temporary tag database if Tx DMV determines
that a dealer or converter fraudulently obtained temporary tags. The dealer or converter may appeal the
department's determination but, during the appeal process, the dealer or converter is no longer able to engage in
fraudulent activity.
Law enforcement faces various obstacles in dealing with fictitious license plates. The process to become a DMV
agent to issue temporary paper plates is easy for a violator to complete. License plates are researched in a
database by officers during traffic stops and the returns may inaccurately show the plates as valid, as state
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 22-029
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council February 15, 2022
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SUBJECT: FICTITIOUS LICENSE PLATES
databases have not been updated. Criminals can access and input false vehicle information into the database. The
State's delays in reviewing the database and confirming vehicle information is resulting in continued illegal activity.
Tx DMV acknowledges that flaws in the system allow criminals to infiltrate the system and distribute thousands of
dealer tags to vehicles illegally.
From a law enforcement perspective, this is a national criminal issue. Media reports detail such problems in states
throughout the country. FWPD will continue to work in partnership with NCTCOG and Tx DMV to remain up to date
on this issue. The issuance of fictitious paper plates is largely an administrative issue that Tx DMV is seeking to
address at the state level.
For further information about this topic, please contact Deputy Chief Pedro Criado at 817-392-3635 or
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS