NC Penguin

I don't know if my car's jinxed but some time on Friday, somebody stole the license plate off my car (only a rear plate is required in NC).

I don't think it was taken from the covered garage at my workplace (I put stuff into the trunk before I drove away so I think I would've noticed the license plate missing) but I did pop into a store in strip mall not far from where I work.

The theft is likely to have occured there.

My spouse noticed the license plate missing on Sat morning when he went out to pick up the newspaper that had been delivered. It's very unlikely that the license plate was stolen after I had parked my car outside my house.

Since Sat morning I've called the local police three times to try and report the theft. After the first call, an officer did call back but I was out at the time (not in my car but the other one of course) and he left a message. It was poor quality and I couldn't catch his full name.

Every time I call, I'm told someone (the officer who left the messsage I suppose) would call me back. I've given my home number and my cellphone number but still nothing.

So, there's probably some criminal out there with my license plate ready to use it in some illegal activity, if it hasn't already been used over the weekend.

I have a new plate now and attached with special screws making it more difficult to remove the plate (other than to yank it off the car).

I'm disappointed with the lack of response from Durham City Police. I plan to call for a fourth time and ask for the local office where I should go to file the incident. Then, I'll head over there after work today...

Anyone else had their license plate(s) taken from their vehicle in the US?




NC Penguin

tinaflorida

Never actually had one nicked, but a couple of years ago someone tried to steal my Union Jack plate from the front of my car.

The most bizarre theft I experienced happened years ago when I had parked my old Astra outside my flat in England, and one morning was driving to work when I discovered someone had nicked my windscreen wipers... arms and all! Good thing it wasn't raining that day.

Tone

I had my tax disc nicked in the UK, knew nothing about it until I had the Police knocking at my door saying they had recovered it off a vehicle in Torquay !!

Bob

Ring the DMV, let them know

Bob

Hehe...people knick the weirdest thing....had some weirdo knick my car badge name once...and it was a crappy Renault 11 *l*
Weirdest thing though, someone also knicked the wheel caps on all four wheels on the same car, but mysteriously, about 3 weeks later, they were propped up against my room door....

NC Penguin

Steps I've taken so far are:

gone to "tags & plates" office (part of DMV) first thing this morning to get new license plate and vehicle registration sticker (they're not open at the weekend). So, my vehicle is properly registered and tagged so it's legal to get back on the road in my vehicle.

The DMV are not the ones who're interested how I came to lose my license plate. The police are.

I called Durham City Police again, this morning (fourth time in total since Sat am) and I think they know they're acting tardy so someone's coming over to my workplace to take the details. Let's see if anyone turns up before the end of the day...

dbark

Had my whole car nicked once - it was an ageing Ford Cortina, who knows what they wanted it for! The children's car seats in the back were worth more than the car itself ...

Bob

DMV might not be interested in how, but would thought they would want to know, have to let dmv know in maine, though don't know why the police can't do it...
but good luck sorting it out

doctor scrumpy

And there went your romantic boudoir ?

Bob

Nice
Though I have seen a right rust bucket of a car that was falling apart, but it had these really nice alloys....then I saw it come by the other way and then I really pissed myself laughing, because there weren't any alloys on the other side

Chopper-Chris

this is more common than people realize, the police in the city (I know a couple personally) have put it down to mainly three things...

1) Students initiation ceremonies...one of those stupid beginning of year things that students do to make themselves fit into a new group and gain a certain level of credibility within their new found mates...apparently a cool thing to hang on dorm walls ... (whatever)

2) Foreign visitors (this type of petty crime is much more common during the summer and christmas holiday periods) People apparnetly think (especially Europeans and Japanese) that the US style license plates look cool and while they are in the country, try to aquire as many differnet plates as possible during their stay...this is especially common amongst the summer camp staff community.

3) Dumb criminals that are going to commit a crime using a car with your plate on...these really are the dumbest criminals oin the block...the police I know say that this use of false plates doesn't do anything but either (a) draw attention to the fact that they are using false plates before the crime or (b) increase their sentance (if caught) after the crime, because this shows a predetermined intention to commit crime, rather than the more understandable opportunist criminal...the police will go after these criminals to the full extent of the law rather than offering a plea bargain.

The good news? New plates are cheap
The bad news? You'll have to line up for hours to get them

NC Penguin

I'm confident that my license plate was taken for reason number 3) above and reasons 1) and 2) don't apply to Durham, NC.

The person who's now in possession of my plate probably used it for something criminal this past weekend. Now, that person would be really, really dumb if he/she used it a second time!!




NC Penguin

Duncan Roberts

About 6 months ago we had our back plate stolen. I said we should report it to the police and no one agreed, but I did in the end. Good thing as a week later my father in law (who the car is registered to) got a call saying that the plates were on a stolen car which was used in a robbery. We then got a call back a few months later from the police asking if there was any damage done, if so how much as they will put that in the court case and we could get some money. Haven' t heard anything since though!

Rockgurl

That sucks! I'd be worried that if the police don't get the message that they were stolen, that one day they'll come knocking on your door to question you about some armed robbery! That happened to me in London once, and I had to inform the police and get new plates. Of course in England you keep the same number, just get new plates. I presume over here you get a whole new number.

I just swapped my AZ licence for a CT licence, and it was such a palava. I find the whole thing such a waste of time and just an excuse to make money out of you. $120 just to get a new piece of plastic! Grrr! The damn thing is only valid for 4 years and then you have to pay a load of money to get another one. Same info, different picture. I still have to get my car registration swapped over but that's an even bigger pain in the ass because I have to get competely new insurance as my insurance from AZ is not valid in CT. It's enough to put you off moving out of state ever again! And I thought England had a lot of red tape.

Bob

True....though I at least used my own car's plates before it was scrapped