Q: Does the police have the right?
Do the police have the right to run my car’s tags if it’s parked at a residence ? 1:30am me and my son seen 2 police cars parked and talking, witch neither one was facing the roadway nor had there lights on, they soon pulled out as I pulled into a driveway, the cop asked me about my license and that they were suspended , I told him I wasn’t sure if they were or not cause I haven’t ever received notice, well I ended up going to jail and after I bonded out and got his report he states that he had seen my car earlier in the day at a residence so he ran my tags , I don’t see how he can legally run them considering I’m not driving the car or making any driving violations at the time he ran the car, and the car was backed in and it was only at one residence, witch I find it hard for him to run them seeing how I was backed in and everything!
A:
In general, there is nothing illegal about running a tag. Whether the police had a right to enter on your property is another question.
Generally the front yard has a limited expectation of privacy.
For instance, if the police knew your name, nothing prohibits them from running your name at any time
Andrew L. Bennett agrees with this answer
A: You tags are open to the public to view so there is no search and seizure issue with an officer running your plates. However, if the officer had to intrude onto private property to view the plates that may create an issue.
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