Section 6.7 License Plate Checks

• Library: DWI 2014

An officer may conduct a license plate check on a vehicle even in the absence of reasonable suspicion. State v. Loyd,338 S.W.3d 863 (Mo. App. W.D. 2011). In Loyd,an officer decided to run a license plate check on the defendant’s vehicle, even though there was nothing at the time that aroused the officer’s suspicion. Id. at 864. The return on the check indicated that the registered owner of the vehicle had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The officer initiated a traffic stop after confirming that the driver was the same person with the outstanding warrant and that his driver’s license was revoked. The officer then placed him under arrest. Id.

About a month later, the same officer encountered the same vehicle and again ran a check of the license...