License plate thefts on the rise in Tampa Bay Area
BRADENTON, Fla. - Law enforcement agencies say suspects aren’t just interested in what’s inside your car.
License plate thefts are an ongoing issue around Tampa Bay.
The Bradenton Police Department has seen a small uptick in license plate thefts in recent weeks, reporting several in the last week alone.
Police say there are two main reasons suspects steal license plates.
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"It's simply because people don't want to pay to have their car registered," Meredith Censullo, a spokesperson for the Bradenton Police Department said. "Or they moved from out of state and they don't want to register their vehicle in the state. So, it's because they don't have the means to do it, or they just don't want to do it."
Censullo says this is the main reason for stealing license plates. She says people will also steal plates to then commit another crime.
"They will put that license plate on the vehicle used in the crime, thinking that it will make it harder to solve that case," she said.
Bradenton police say there’s no particular reason for the uptick, but they’re putting out a warning to drivers as more people come to visit, and the area keeps growing.
"The criminals are actually looking for a car that looks like theirs," Censullo said.
Once someone steals a plate, they also have access to the registration decal.
One of the cases that Bradenton police investigated recently involved stolen plates from a person’s car and trailer.
"Check your vehicle regularly, especially if it's a vehicle that you don't drive that often," Censullo said.
Police encourage people to park in well-lit, high traffic areas and near security cameras if possible.
"You could invest in anti-theft screws for your license plate," Censullo said. "Those make it harder to steal your plate."
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Although police have to go through an extra step when investigating a different crime involving a stolen plate, Censullo says that’s typically the first thing investigators will identify on a car.
"If you're driving around with a license plate that's not yours, and you're pulled over, the first thing we're going to do is run that plate," she said. "That plate doesn't belong to your vehicle, you'll be charged with a crime."
If your license plate is stolen, police say it’s important to report it, because that information goes into a national database. The information can be used to link the plate to any possible future crime.