Can Police Run Your Plates Whenever They Want?

Every time a police officer is behind you, do you assume the cop is running your license plate, especially at a stop light where they have a few minutes to type in the info and see what pops up on their screen?

I totally do.

Basically, I figure it's just due diligence while they're out patrolling the streets. I mean, with that power at their fingertips, why not? It's their job, and who knows what will show up with a random scan.

Are they even allowed to randomly run license plates or do they need a specific reason?

According to the J.D. Power website, law enforcement officials across the country don't need probable cause to run your tags. They can do it whenever they want to. Those letters and numbers are in public view with public information. However, they do need probable cause to pull you over.

So, how often do they really run our plates? Does it usually only happen after we've been pulled over? According to a Reddit thread of law enforcement officials, it's more common than not to randomly run plates while on duty.

Some agencies have license plate readers in their cars that run every plate it can see. If not, it’s up to that officer if they want to run a plate. We run plates all the time just to run them. You don’t need probable cause or even reasonable suspicion to do it. If I pull up to you at a stop light and it’s a slow day, I’ll run your plate.

 

Truthfully it's random, we tend to run a few when we are stopped at a light and don't have anything else going on.

 

I only run tags when I have observed a traffic violation and will be doing a traffic stop, however, we can run any tag we see.

Being in the media, I've actually asked various police officers this question, and nearly all of them said it's very common at a stop light; they always do it if they notice something off about a car or driver, including a minor infraction like changing lanes without signaling, and even casually driving through a parking lot.

READ ON: Why Police Ask These Four Questions When They Pull You Over

Meanwhile, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation website, squad cars around the country are increasingly having automatic camera scanners installed so the officers don't have to lift a finger.

Mobile ALPRs are often attached to police patrol cars, allowing law enforcement officers to capture data from license plates as they drive around the city throughout their shifts. In most cases, these cameras are turned on at the beginning of a shift and not turned off again until the end of the shift.

Those patrol cars can literally capture information from hundreds of cars in minutes by simply driving through a parking lot or parked cars on a street.