ARNOLD, Mo. — Law enforcement officers in Jefferson County, Missouri, are focused on pulling over drivers with expired license plate tags in February.
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol and police departments of Arnold, Pevely, Festus, Herculaneum, Crystal City, De Soto, Hillsboro, Eureka and Byrnes Mill announced a plan to stop vehicles with expired tags.
The enforcement plan started Friday and would last the remainder of February. The announcement was under embargo until 4 p.m. Friday. Members of the media were invited to ride along with sheriff's deputies during the first day of the enforcement.
Drivers who are pulled over by a Jefferson County Sheriff's deputy and have expired tags could be eligible for reduced citation fine with an amnesty voucher. The fine and court costs for an expired license plate tag, expired temporary tag or using a license plate not registered to the vehicle is normally $121. Drivers who live in Jefferson County and fix the issue before their court date could pay only $50. They need to bring the voucher, citation and proof of compliance to court.
Drivers who are pulled over by other participating law enforcement in Jefferson County are not eligible for the discount.
“With the false narrative of over-policing and the nonsense of decriminalizing everything in the rearview mirror, we know we must hold offenders accountable for compliance,” said Sheriff Dave Marshak in an emailed news release. “It’s time for action.”
The Governors Highway Safety Association issued recommendations in 2021 after noting that traffic safety programs historically had less equitable outcomes for Black, Indigenous and People of Color. The recommendations included focusing traffic enforcement on traffic safety, prioritizing traffic stops for dangerous behaviors.