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California Government Employees Get a Free Ride
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Approximately 30 years ago, the Confidential Records Program in California makes private license plates available to police officers and other state or government employees so certain workers can choose to keep their DMV info private, like their home address. The law is supposed to keep certain information private like the home address, to prevent say criminals from harassing, threatening, or stalking police officers, judges, etc. This law has been expanded over the years to include numerous other Government or State worker positions (like park rangers) not just police officers or judges and has even been extended to include spouses and children. Furthermore, employees can retain confidentiality for 3 years if they switch to a civilian job, and retired peace officers can remain in the confidential plate program indefinitely.
When someone in the privacy program is detected, the DMV will only release the person’s employing agency to non–police agencies and or to private companies that process citations for cities and counties. The DMV cannot release a home address and therefore a violator with a confidential plate who is caught on camera cannot get a ticket.
There is no question that camera enforcement of traffic violations generates revenue for the State. If the DMV has more than one million vehicles registered to motorists who are connected to a few thousand state and local government agencies that are allowed to opt for confidential plates, this could prevent the State from collecting on millions of dollars in fines from those State workers. These State works can also get out of traffic fines, tolls, or parking tickets. California assemblyman Jeff Miller has taken efforts in hopes to close the gap of this so-called loophole.
Contributed by ticketbust.com, helping drivers contest and dismiss their traffic tickets.