KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Law enforcement is cracking down on expired license plates and temporary tags.
The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department says this enforcement operation stemmed from complaints.
KCPD’s traffic department says the number one frustration it hears from people is related to expired license plates.
“Stickers, tags — we have a number of unexpired tags,” KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas said.
From expired plates and temp tags, some drivers in Kansas City proved they can outrun the clock.
In just a matter of hours, officers cited 270 people for expired license plates.
In a photo from KCPD, they cited someone who was still driving with a 2020 temp tag.
KCMO city officials says they'll continue to get serious about enforcement because it’s a message coming from state officials.
“This is something the state of Missouri has been asking us to do," Lucas said.
Officers handed out 80 warnings during the operation, and Lucas said this is a moment of warning, too.
“We’re being told to enforce the rules from some who are higher than all of us, so we want to make sure that they know this is something that needs to be addressed," he said.
Chloe Cooper knows it’s not just a snap of a finger to get back into compliance.
“They are not robbing banks or hurting people, they just don’t have the money," Cooper said. "If you talk to these people, they said, 'If I had the money, I would do it.'"
Cooper started Project Green Light.
“I remember looking for any kind of assistance program," she said.
She couldn’t find it, so she created this organization, which helps people drive legally by paying for fees associated with car registration, license plate renewals, insurance, and driver's license reinstatement fees.
Since March, more than 800 people have applied. Cooper says she’s helped 130 drivers get back to driving legally.
She also says the Missouri Department of Revenue has waived late title registration fees for Project Green Light clients.
But she knows a lot more help is needed; ifyou fall behind, it can be a pricey cycle.
To get your tags renewed, you need insurance and to pay your personal property tax, but if you’re late paying that, there’s late fees too.
But the effort to make sure people are in compliance continues, as a Missouri republican lawmaker filed a bill this year that would allow officers to stop or detain someone to see if their temporary permit is current.
In the pre-filed bill language, if the tag is expired, the officer could take the tag and hand out a $200 fine.
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