Apr 23, 2016 2 min read

Before recommending sticker elimination as part of Act 89 of 2013, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) commissioned a Penn State University study on the matter. Their conclusions demonstrated, based on data from other states, that the elimination of the sticker that appears on state license plates had no statistically negative impact on the number of vehicle registrations, the ability of police to make drug arrests or the number of motor vehicle thefts.

While PennDOT is sensitive to law enforcement concerns, we also have an obligation to our customers to innovate, save money and improve efficiencies to enhance the customer’s experience.

Our counterparts in New Jersey and Connecticut are among the states that have already eliminated registration stickers. We, however, are unique in our proposal to help our law-enforcement partners. We propose to use the annual savings to fund a $12.5 million, multi-year grant program for law enforcement to purchase and maintain Automated License Plate Reader (LPR) technology. This technology allows local law-enforcement officers to check thousands of plates in a single shift to identify expired or suspended vehicle registrations, as well as stolen vehicles and Megan’s Law offenders.

The average license plate reader generates 27 expired registration alerts per day, giving law enforcement a true force multiplier.

There is no question that law enforcement participation in the proposed LPR grant program will help enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of officers in the field. Today’s visual detection of registration stickers is an outdated tool and does not account for, by itself, improperly used or counterfeit stickers. Based on our research, police departments that have already deployed LPRs do not need or intend to equip every vehicle in their fleet.

Moving to LPR technology is an innovative customer enhancement that will save money. Additionally, this program provides law enforcement across the commonwealth access to much-needed funding that would help them obtain technology to improve field efficiency and, ultimately, the safety of Pennsylvania’s citizens.

Kurt J. Myers

Harrisburg

Myers is the deputy secretary of driver and vehicle services for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.