More than 300 drivers cited during Denver license plate enforcement operation

DENVER — Denver Police officers cited more than 300 drivers for expired and/or fictitious license plates during a weeklong enforcement operation.

The Denver Police Department said its Traffic Operations Division worked with Colorado State Patrol, Aurora Police and Colorado Springs Police to crack down on expired vehicle registrations and expired temporary plate violations along the Interstate 25 and Interstate 70 corridors.

In Denver, officers cited 339 drivers for expired and/or fictitious license plates during the weeklong enforcement last month. Some of the oldest plates included May 2019, August 2021 and July and October 2022, according to a release.

DPD said they exercised a clause in their low-level traffic stops policy to allow for the targeted enforcement of expired registrations and plates. Vehicles with missing license plates are a high priority, according to police, and can prompt a traffic stop at any time. 

All vehicles in the public right of way must have a visible license plate, police said.

Any vehicle that is on the road without a license plate is considered suspicious. Also, driving with a more than 90-day expired plate does not fall within the low-level stop policy, so Denver Police officers are expected to stop the drivers of such vehicles to investigate lawful ownership.

“Often times, suspects remove the license plate from a vehicle in an attempt to avoid detection when committing crimes,” said Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas in a statement. “However, thanks to the capabilities of the Flock automated license plate reader network, we are still able to track vehicles associated with criminal activity. We will continue to treat vehicles with missing licenses plates with a high priority.”

In Denver, registration of newly purchased or acquired vehicles must be done in-person at DMV offices. Registration renewals must be done online or at a kiosk. 

Police remind vehicle owners that while vehicle registrations have a 30-day grace period after expiration, temporary license plates do not have a grace period after expiration. You can get more information at the Denver Motor Vehicle website.