Q: 1) If a car is parked legally and there is no indication of a crime, can a PO randomly run a tag?
...and then 2) If the car is found to not be currently insured, can the PO wait until the car is driven to issue a ticket, or does he have an obligation to prevent the crime? (Since I was standing and sitting near or in the car for a few hours prior to driving and saw the officer / made eye contact several times previous to driving the car.
That's not an answer. I knew the answer to the first part was yes. Does the officer have an obligation to prevent the crime/ticket-able offense? Or can he wait to trap a driver with a ticket?
...and "driving dirty"? I had no idea that there was no insurance on my car prior to the officer pulling me over. Then, I found the insurance company did not receive my mailed payment yet was able to recover insurance AT the stop.
A:
Yes, you have no right to privacy over your license plate. It's observable to the public so you have no expectation of privacy. Furthermore, some police now have technology in their vehicles that automatically scans all the license plates around the police car, runs them, and then alerts the police officer if it finds anything.
Don't drive dirty!
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