How heavy is the enforcement for having a front license plate that is something other than a regular plate? In my case it is a plate with the Triton Boat advertisement.

DPS are looking for any reason to pull you over around here and that is a biggy. When I moved back from PA the truck I bought up there never had a bracket. I was pulled over 3 times in a matter of 2 weeks. Right after the first time I went and ordered the bracket from the Ford house. Back Ordered I even produced the paper work for the next 2 times I was pulled over.

Un related but not the 4th time same LEO it was for the widows being to dark. He could have told me that the first 3 times.

I would contact Triton , to see if the advertisement fee they pay you would cover the ticket for not properly displaying tag.???

I have been pulled over and asked the DPS about it he said it wasnt a biggie, that I should stop speeding and I wouldnt have any problems. Little while later got pulled over agian for not having the front plate on, I even had it in the winshield, but still got pulled over and a warning.

matt

Front or rear windshield is not sufficient. I forget what the specifics are on it but they can make a stink out of it being there if they want.

My best friend is a cop and we have discussed this stuff before. Things like the front license plate issue, tail light out, cracked windshield, crossing the double yellow line, letting your vehicle drift to the shoulder, etc.... All of those are things a cop can pull you over for but it is solely a judgment call. For example if they want to check you for drugs or DWI, then they can pull you over for any one of those items. They will pull you over and say you don't have a front license plate, or your windshield is cracked, or your inspection sticker is expired. They will run your plates and license, smell for drugs or alcohol, or just look you over - if your clean then they may just give you a warning or they may give you a ticket or they may just say get it fixed. I've ridden with my best friend numerous times and if someone is clean but being a jerk, he will give them a ticket tail light being out. But if the are clean and being polite, he will let them go or give them a warning.

Just like some cops will give you a ticket for doing 62 in a 55 and others won't. I know in the county out here, they get tired of herding loose cattle in the roads, or getting the cat out of the tree so they will give you a ticket for little things and it brings in income to these small towns. They don't have a lot of robberies, assaults, murders, shootings, fights, etc... Nothing juicy.

So the bottom line is it's like "Justwingem" said - you might pass 5 officers and nothing will happen. Then one that is bored or the county needs money - he will nail you. And they do have quotas by the way.

What they do in Grand Prairie where you are from is probably different than in Arlington or Ft. Worth, or Dallas. And it is still up to the cops discretion.

the law changed last year all tx cars and trucks must have a plate on the front of the vehichle , it wasnt enforced for a while , kind of a grace period after the law went into affect ,but its open season now, wheather a cop gives you a ticket or not , thats a [censored] shoot but sooner or latter your gonna roll snake eyes

Thanks for the info guys. Anybody need a Triton license plate?

It's actually been a law for a lot longer then a year, an windows don't count. If it's not clearly visible from a reasonable distance then you can be ticketed, it's the individual officers discretion to write the ticket or not, that's why we have courts.

And police departments CAN'T have quotas it's against the law

You might want to rephrase that, Rugby.

You are correct, legally they can not have quotas. But informally, they do. I've heard them in briefing rooms on more than one occasion. There is also competition on who can make the most arrests, most tickets, who can get to a scene faster, etc... In fact I gave a presentation at luncheon where there were 30 or so officers. As I mingled in the crowd, a number of them talked about reaching last week/month quotas or not meeting them. They have them, just not officially.

Same where I worked - legally we could not keep statistics on certain enforcement programs. Informally, we would have bets on who made the most of this and had the most of that, therefore you had to keep statistics and data. And the informal winners, they were usually the ones upper management noticed and they got promotions.

But every place is different so there are probably a lot of departments that don't do it. Hard to believe since humans are competitive by nature. And I don't believe quotas are a bad thing. They are goals and everyone needs to set goals - businesses and people.

Sorry if you disagree but that is what I know.