Las Vegas — You can’t miss them while driving around Las Vegas: automobiles with temporary, expired, or no plates at all. The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles police force is increasing efforts to crack down on these drivers.
This week, the DMV Compliance Enforcement Division searched the valley for these drivers, making over 400 stops by the time 8 News Now caught up with them on Thursday morning. They called in police from Reno to assist and offer them the opportunity to learn in a more populated section of the state.
“We’re conducting a targeted enforcement initiative in the streets of Las Vegas this week with more officers than we usually have to try to make a dent in the violators,” Chief JD Decker of the Nevada DMV’s Compliance Enforcement Division revealed. “We notice changed plates, stolen plates, and no plates. We even notice people that have genuine registrations but aren’t using them for some reason.”
A squad of 12 cops was crisscrossing the valley, taking hundreds of illegal vehicles off the road. The Las Vegas Strip is one of the busiest areas, with plates from all over the country.
They’ve seen everything, from expired plates to fabricated temporary plates. Over the last three days, each officer has collected approximately 25 illicit plates.
“A lot of people think letting their registration lapse isn’t a big deal but that is not what we are finding in the street we are finding people who really shouldn’t be on the road,” Decker told the audience.
Each of these DMV police officers conducts approximately 500 traffic stops each year in addition to their other duties.
Law enforcement officers throughout the valley are taught to recognize these plates and remove them off the road.