When 2016 ends, vehicle registration stickers will become a thing of the past in Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will no longer issue registration stickers beginning Jan. 1, 2017.
Instead, PennDOT officials say law enforcement officers will be able to use Automated License Plate Reader technology to identify expired vehicle registrations and insurance coverage.
If there is something wrong, the officer would be immediately alerted by the ALPR of a problem with the vehicle's registration.
News of the elimination of registration stickers was met with some concerns from drivers and police.
“Small departments that operate on shoestring budgets as it is simply can't afford this type of technology unless it is purchased for us,” Bridgeville Police Chief Chad King said.
King said he knows his department cannot afford the equipment and worries it won’t be compatible with older model computers.
“I would want to be assured these items will be provided by the state. There's a lot of police department officers and cars in the state of Pennsylvania,” King said.
In an effort to offset the costs for departments, PennDOT is proposing a grant program utilizing the savings from the elimination of the registration stickers. The program could provide grants to law enforcement officers for the purchase and maintenance of license plate readers.
Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania is worried about privacy issues, issuing the following statement to Channel 11 News:
"Where your car goes says a lot about you. It can reveal where you pray, what doctors you see, where you spend the night. Without any legal restrictions on when and how law enforcement can use this information, the potential for abuse is high. ALPRs can easily become a powerful toll for mass surveillance."
Beginning Jan. 1, customers who renew online will be able save a copy of and print a permanent registration card on demand.
“By further leveraging technology, we can make renewing your vehicle's registration and having an immediate, permanent registration credential in hand as easy as spending a few minutes online from your home computer," PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards said in a press release.
Future plans include allowing customers to upload their registration cards to their smart phones and eliminate the requirement to print a copy altogether.
The last registration sticker will be issued on Dec. 30.
Customers will still need to have their vehicles registered and inspected, but will not be required to display a registration sticker on their license plate after Dec. 31.
Cox Media Group
