NYPD Launches Initiative To Crack Down on Fake Paper License Plates, Which are Often Connected to Violent Crimes

By Yehudit Garmaise

     As the NYPD arrives at the scenes of car crashes, hit and run accidents, drunk driving, gun violence, and other violent crimes that could include terrorist plots, the department has been noticing a growing trend: an increase in the number of cars that are involved in criminal activity that have counterfeit, paper license plates.   

      After noticing a proliferation of “thousands and thousands” of illegal license plates, which help criminals to evade police detection, Commissioner Dermot Shea announced this morning a new initiative in which the NYPD will be cracking down on New York drivers to ensure they have legal license plates, registration, and insurance, by better training officers to identify fake plates and also seizing cars with illegal identification.

     “There is also the sense of fairness: that people have to pay for insurance and registration, and some people illegally are getting around that,” Shea added.

    “We see a connection of cars with fake plates to a variety of crimes: including violent crimes,” said NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison, as he explained the department’s new citywide initiative. “Our Auto Crime Unit is training our officers to identify fraudulent plates while patrolling and serving the citizens of New York City. 

     “The goal of this initiative is to stop the purchase of fake and fraudulently obtained permits.”

     “We want to warn the public also,” said Commissioner Shea. “If you have a car: You need to have registration, inspection, and insurance.”

     The proliferation of paper, counterfeit license plates, Mayor Bill de Blasio explained this morning at his press conference, gained steam when the New York Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) could provide only limited services when it was shut down during COVID, and criminals saw the opportunity to produce fake, fraudulent, and illegal paper license plates to sell.

    “Mysterious individuals, some of them dealers, gain access to fraudulent plates and sell them on different social media platforms, such as Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and other platforms,” explained Chief Harrison.

        “We are always looking for new approaches to intensify public safety,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has headed up the NYPD for the last eight years as mayor. “The NYPD never gives up, keeps creating new strategies, new approaches. That is what we learned in 1994 with Compstat: NYPD’s incredible ability to innovate new approaches. 

       “As always, the NYPD looks at the facts and looks at the data, adjusts strategies, and makes an impact.”

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.