Governor Rell Moves to Curb Thefts
of Vehicle Registration Stickers
State Expects to Start Using New Stickers by Next
Summer
Governor M. Jodi Rell announced today that she has
accepted a task force report recommending that vehicle registration stickers be placed on the inside of a vehicle’s
front windshield in an effort to stop the growing theft of registration stickers. In July, Governor Rell
asked Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Commissioner Ralph Carpenter to convene the task force to find a long-term solution
to the theft problem.
“This is a problem that exists throughout Connecticut,”
Governor Rell said. “I have heard complaints from both motorists and law enforcement officials that
more needs to be done to prevent these thefts. The task force has come up with a solution that I believe
both customers and law enforcement will find useful in combating the issue. Our goal is to see significant
reductions in the theft of stickers, and moving the stickers will make it especially difficult for anyone to take them and
use them illegally.”
The task force has proposed placing the sticker in
the lower corner of the front windshield on the driver’s side. The sticker is now placed on the upper
right corner of the rear license plate. Vehicles without windshields, such as motorcycles and trailers, will still be issued
rear plate stickers.
The new stickers, which the state expects to start
using by next summer, also will be color-coded annually. Each will display the month and year it expires.
In the future, the DMV will modify the sticker to show both plate and vehicle identification numbers.
“Color coding and placing the sticker inside
gives police a better chance of spotting vehicles with illegal or improper registrations, especially when a crime has been
committed,” Governor Rell said.
The new stickers will be manufactured to prevent
re-use. If a sticker is peeled from the windshield or the windshield is broken, the sticker will come apart
into pieces.
Governor Rell said she was appreciated
of the time and effort put in by the task force, which was composed of representatives from local law enforcement agencies,
the State Police, the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association and the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities.
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