NEWS

Parked vehicles wouldn't be cited for missing front plate

Jessie Balmert
jbalmert@enquirer.com

COLUMBUS - Those who want to eliminate Ohio's front license plate gained an inch Thursday.

A sample Ohio license plate. Lawmakers are debating whether to keep or enforce the state's requirement that drivers have plates on the front of their cars.

A proposed change would prevent police from ticketing people for missing a front license plate while their vehicle is parked legally. But police could still stop drivers for missing a front license plate and ticket them for the missing plate if their meter expires.

That was far from the outcome Rep. Alicia Reece, D-Roselawn, wanted, but it was a small step in her direction. Reece and others have tried for years to eliminate the front license plate. Nineteen other states, including Kentucky and Indiana, do not require front plates. She argues that pulling drivers over for missing license plates doesn't improve relationships between police and the community. Some drivers, especially in the Cincinnati area, don't realize it's illegal to be missing a front plate, she says.

The issue came to the fore in 2015. Then-University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing said he stopped Sam DuBose for a missing front license plate. The vehicle was also registered to a woman whose license was suspended. Shortly after, Tensing fatally shot DuBose, who was black.

Police have consistently opposed Reece's effort to ax the front plate. They say it's a key law enforcement tool to identify and stop offenders, such as drivers who are speeding past school buses or fleeing more serious crimes.

Reece tried Thursday to eliminate the front license plate entirely or prevent police from stopping drivers for the missing plate, but those ideas were rejected by GOP members of the House committee. Rep. Anthony DeVitis, R-Summit County, recently introduced a similar bill to make missing a front license plate a secondary offense, similar to an adult failing to wear a safety belt. Police can ticket for those offenses, but cannot pull someone over only for that reason.

Lawmakers: Don't stop drivers for missing front plate

The change was added to the state transportation budget that still needs approval from the GOP-controlled Ohio House and Senate.