When a frustrated ºüÀêÊÓƵan ripped an expired temporary license tag off of a car last week, a story about the incident struck a chord with many readers — most bristling at the relatively nonchalant enforcement of such laws.
The most popular reader comment — out of almost 140, not counting a dozen or so emails — was this:
“I’ll bet many if not most of the cars with the expired temp tags are also uninsured. If the police don’t enforce the ‘little’ laws, don’t be surprised when those same folks disregard rules more important.â€
Another reader also alluded to the same scenario: “People drive with expired plates and don’t get penalized, which could lead them to see what else they could get away with, which contributes to the aggressive, selfish lawless driving that has become endemic.â€
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But if anyone has adopted a look-the-other-way policy about temporary tags, it’s certainly not Ferguson police Chief Troy Doyle, who has started a special enforcement program:
“Temp Tag Tuesday.â€
Doyle, sworn in as Ferguson’s chief in late March after a long stint with the ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Police Department, has been out front on social media about his program, which focuses one day a week on vehicle registration violations.
On June 7, Doyle noted on Twitter that his department “made 52 stops in just 24hrs, identifying 41 expired tags. 3 VEHICLES FAILED TO YIELD. Consider how many expired tags there might be in our larger region!â€
🚔 made 52 stops in just 24hrs, identifying 41 expired tags. 3 VEHICLES FAILED TO YIELD. Consider how many expired tags there might be in our larger region! Prioritize safety, renew tags, obey rules, and always yield. 🚔"
— Chief Troy Doyle (@Tmann69)
Keep in mind this is being enacted in Ferguson, where protests in 2014 after a police officer fatally shot Michael Brown spurred discussion about a number of problems, including predatory policing and fines.
In a recent interview, Doyle said he decided to start the program after meeting with Ferguson residents in his first weeks after becoming chief.
“I figured everyone would be telling me how there’s too many shootings or homicides or robberies,†Doyle said. “But they mainly talked about speeding and all the expired plates and tags around, all those quality-of-life aspects.â€
Doyle said he is well aware that some people contend that such programs could target the poor. But he is adamant that his new program is not predatory in nature.
“Sure, there is the single mom or single dad and money is a problem — and we know that,†he said, adding that often just a warning is issued.
But after saying that, Doyle also made it clear that he is not buying into the argument that every violator falls into that category.
“We also know there are just some egregious violations and that those people have no intention whatsoever to pay the taxes†to get valid plates, he said.
Further, he sees the program as being educational.
“People have to develop a mindset,†he said. “I mean if you want to buy a house, you also have to figure not just (the cost of the house) but how will I pay to fix things. Those are things you have to think about.â€
Another argument Doyle is not accepting is that police departments have to choose between solving major crimes or focusing on minor violations.
Said Doyle, “Why can’t we do both?â€
As to the current temp-tag situation in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, the city’s department offered several mitigating circumstances, including the fact that the department is about 270 officers short of its authorized strength.
The department also noted that officers are still writing citations for expired temporary tags and license plates.
But the official record on the number of citations issued makes one fact clear: They are not writing as many tickets as they used to issue.
In 2018, city police officers wrote 14,200 registration-related citations. The total increased to 17,023 in 2019.
Then came 2020, the year of COVID-19, and the number of citations dropped to 8,373.
But after the first wave of COVID isolation, the number of citations did not even come close to nearing the numbers written before 2020.
In 2021, the number of citations issued was 10,778. Then in 2022, the total fell to 6,453 — about 23% lower than even in the virus year of 2020.
Overall, in the four-year period of 2019 through 2022, the number of citations issued for registration violations decreased by about 62%.
Those citation numbers, to be clear, are not just for expired tags and plates. They also include other vehicle-registration violations.
Several readers blamed the lack of enforcement on ºüÀêÊÓƵ Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, who took office in 2021.
But several commenters jumped in to say that ºüÀêÊÓƵ was not the only place where temp-tag tardiness had been on the rise and then mentioned several suburban communities.
“Last I checked,†the reader wrote, “(Jones) is not mayor of St. Peters and we have the same rampant issues out here.â€