Texas Police Automatically Scanning Plates And Stopping Those Who "Might" Not Have Insurance

Police in Texas have the right to stop motorists if a license plate recognition camera system suspects the vehicle's owner lacks automobile insurance. In an unpublished ruling last Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the Texas Court of Appeals refused the attempt by Kenneth Ray Short to have a March 2010 traffic stop declared illegal.

Officer Daniel McGrew's patrol car had been equipped with an automated license plate recognition system (ALPR, also known as ANPR in the UK) that photographed and recorded the identity of every passing vehicle. When Short drove past, an instantaneous computerized database search returned a result that Short's insurance coverage was "unconfirmed for 45 days or more and expired." Sometimes, when the system returns just that the plate is "unconfirmed" it means the Department of Insurance database is unable to say whether or not the vehicle is insured, and it is the police department's policy not to stop such vehicles. In this case, the system claimed Short's car had not been insured since December 6, 2009, so McGrew conducted a traffic stop.

2013 BMW 3-Series Spied In The Flesh For The First Time

BimmerFest East 2011 Photo Gallery

BMW i3 and i8 Concept Photo Gallery

2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series Photo Gallery

Full 2011 Comicon Photo Gallery

Waterfest 2011 Photo Gallery

SPIED! FIRST Look Next-Gen Ford Escape Photo Gallery

AutoSpies.com Photo Galleries

If you want to see your photos running on our homepage photo ticker, be sure to upload your photos on the go by sending them to Mobile@AutoSpies.com

Share on Facebook

Read Article

Shredmo - 8/16/2011 1:19:45 PM

+1 Boost

If the car turned out to be insured, I could see merit.

Mustang953 - 8/16/2011 10:26:25 PM

+3 Boost

I am assuming none of the responders live in Texas. You have not lived until you have been rear ended by a "distracted driver", with no insurance, let alone a driver's license. The uninsured and underinsured cost the rest of us everytime we PAY our premium. Kudos to the police...nail every one of them.

bluedart - 8/18/2011 3:01:29 AM

+1 Boost

you guys are against this? really? just wait until you got hit by someone who drives without insurance.