Front Plate.....is it required by law in Texas?

We pull people over for front plate because it leads to us finding criminal offenses (DWI, Narcotics, kidnappings) and it helps us find people with warrants (parole violations, homicide suspects, etc.). If you guys think we are out there hounding to write tickets for front plates you’re wrong. In fact MOST minor violations are stopped for the reasons I’ve stated above and are issued warnings. If you get bored, look at the stats on how many Warnings vs Tickets are issued by DPS each year. I think you’ll come to find that we are out here to lock up bad guys and keep the public safe, not get our jollies off from front plate tickets.

 

Where are you guys located? Been driving without one ever since I started driving at 16. Never been pulled over once. I pass 2 of our local HP’s every night going home on I-20 never been pulled over. Circumstance?

 

We don’t see everything. You also might not be putting off suspicious driving behavior, or they could busy with something in their car. Front plate is more typically a stop done during peak DWI hours to help find drunk drivers are people with narcotics or warrants, not people trying to get home to their kids from work.

 

This is what I’ve always chalked it up to.

 

Cuff and stuff them a hollywood screen test!

 

After driving around TX for six years without a front plate, I kid you not, I got pulled over, TWICE ON THE SAME DAY, in uniform, on my freakin’ birthday, with my kids in their car seats and still got a ticket. I was totally cordial too. When I got pulled over the second time I thought it was actually kinda funny. I was like, “you can give me a ticket but I already got one for the same thing this morning hahaa!” The second cop gave me a warning.

Instead of drilling holes in the bumper I used double-sided tape. Worked great for a couple years until the car wash ripped it off recently. Back to square one

 

Makes total sense. I didn't get a ticket so i'm not mad in the slightest. I was just cruising at 70mph in a 75 and passed him in the left lane, he was going about 60 in the right. As soon as he looked at me I knew I was getting pulled over, just wasn't sure why at the time.

I'm not sure why he scoped the truck out so hard, though. He walked around it looking under it and stuff multiple times with a flashlight. No idea why. Oh well. I'd never drink and drive so hopefully I don't have any issues not running a front plate

 

Many people smuggle contraband underneath the vehicle.

 

My vehicle would be quite the odd one to smuggle drugs in makes sense though

 

I got pulled over in a small town in Wisconsin in a rental car for a crumpled front plate. It was still legible it just looked like somebody backed into it. I told him it’s not my car and I couldn’t give a shit about it in a polite way. Gave me a warning...

 

TODAY Lol I can vouch that you need both plates and the it has to be one the bumper not inside the windshield

 

Trust me these guys used to get me for this all the time when I had a Class 5-1600 Baja bug. No good place for a plate on that thing so they got a lot of my business. Mostly warnings. Always nice guys to me though.....

 

Warning! That’s a fresh Trooper as well.

 

Breakin the law!! Breakin the law!!

 

Just want to say thanks to the officers in this thread and on TW that are out there keeping us safe. When i was young and immature i didnt have the same respect i do now. Keep up the good work guys!

 

@TXTroop, has there ever been an instance where a trooper has pulled someone over for something small (tail light, license plate light, headlight out) and it led to discovering a kidnapping in progress?

 

You need to watch Live PD every Friday and Sat or record it and watch so you can skip the 5 minutes of commercials every 10 minutes.

And you will get a good Idea of how many felons are created with a burned out license plate bulb

 

APB has just been put out for your Truck.........

 

So true. Out in Vegas a few years back. There was one of those guys that have like 10 wife’s that was wanted for rape of one of his “wife’s” that was like 13 years old and a crap load of other stuff. He was wanted by FBI and some other groups. They stoped him for a broken tail light. Got him just out side of town.

 

Yes there has been. Also victims of human trafficking have been rescued during stops make for minor violations like tail lamps, window tint, or following too closely.

I reacued 2 children during a traffic stop for an air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror. On another stop for a slightly expired registration I made an arrest that resulted in the raid of a drug house where children were being bought and sold.