Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

Hello :) I would like to first start off by thanking whoever responds to this post for helping me understand this issue. Here is a little bit about myself:
I am a first year Chicago Public Schools teacher and I just purchased a certified pre-owned vehicle in August this year.

Scenario:
I asked my sister to pick me up from a bar because I was intoxicated and needed a ride home. I left my apartment with a friend but the friend had to leave. The location was MILES away from my apartment and I had left my car keys at home (to avoid driving). My older sister was on her way to pick me up when she was pulled over. My vehicle had an expired temporary license plate on it (1 month expired). Although I did have the real plates in the trunk of the car, I did not post them because I was (and still am) waiting to receive my city sticker in the mail. My registration and proof of insurance were not in the car because I took those documents into my apartment when I ordered the city sticker online and forgot to put them back in the car.

Issue:
I thought the worse thing that could happen would be getting issued a ticket but it turns out that my car was impounded and my sister received three tickets. I have never been in any trouble with the law or with my car. I am confused as to why my car was taken instead of ticketed. When I asked to speak to an officer for clarity, they refused to converse. Another concern is the fact that the police searched my car but did not to acknowledge the plates in my trunk... I am very confused. In the glove compartment of my car, the title as well as all the other original documents from the purchase of the vehicle were shown to the officer but they didn't count for anything. If anyone can help me with this issue I would greatly appreciate it :)

Thanks in advance,

ldj1589

It would seem that your vehicle failed to display valid registration plates, the driver failed to have registration documents, and you were displaying an expired tag. Are those the three charges? If so your bill of sale would have nothing to do with the tickets, all of which seem to be valid. The wording in the law doesn't say "It is unlawful to display expired temporary tags unless the driver has a good excuse". Officers do not have ESP, which is part of the reason why these laws exist.

If you are wondering why the plates in your trunk didn't absolve one or more of the tickets/tow, I suspect it's for two reasons. One, plates in your trunk aren't "displayed". Two, the search was almost certainly conducted because of the tow, not to establish its validity. In other words, by the time your car was being searched, it was already in the process of being towed. We certainly tow for failing to display a valid plate here- there are plenty of good reasons why cars need ID plates, and those reasons get even more important when the driver doesn't have necessary documentation.

But the main point here is that you forgot to keep the registration in the car, didn't put the tags on, and kept an invalid tempt tag. You may have had 'reasons', but it's sorta like someone explaining speeding by saying "oh, I guess I wasn't paying attention." Doesn't mean you're a bad person, but it doesn't absolve you either. Feel free to contest the tickets and bring your valid documentation to court- maybe you're in an area where the judge will lessen charges if he sees that you have gotten your Ts crossed.

Alright. Thank you officer.

would it have been any better if I displayed the real plates (which were current) but did not have a city sticker?

would it have been any better if I displayed the real plates (which were current) but did not have a city sticker?

Definitely. The "city sticker," whatever it may be, has no bearing on the state issued registration plate nor the state law which requires it to be displayed and valid. That sticker is likely something required by city ordinance, which by no means trumps the state requirements.

We do inventory searches so people can't later claim that they had a million dollars in their trunk before it got towed and now the money is gone.

Having legit plates might have avoided the stop, and almost certainly the tow. I suspect the expired tag was the reason the car was towed, not the lack of registration papers.