San Francisco Cracks Down on Illegal License Plate Covers

License plates are displayed in Foster City, Calif., on May 30, 2018. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

San Francisco is cracking down on the sale of illegal license plate covers used to hide plate numbers, the city attorney and police chief announced Nov. 1.

City Attorney David Chiu notified Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Walmart Wednesday demanding the online retailers stop selling the plate covers to residents in California, which is prohibited.

The covers obscure license plate numbers and impede law enforcement to investigate and apprehend criminals, Mr. Chiu said in the demand letters.

“The only reason someone would put a cover like this on their license plate is to get away with a crime,” Mr. Chiu said in a statement Wednesday. “We are bringing this to the attention of these large retailers, and we are hopeful they will do the right thing and stop selling illegal license plate covers to California residents.”

Police officers in the city have seen the plate covers on vehicles associated with thefts and robberies, according to Mr. Chiu’s office.

Then Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) speaks about a bill he introduced in California. Courtesy of the Office of Assemblymember David Chiu

The illegal plate covers come in several forms, including smoked or tinted varieties that make it hard for cameras or officers to read the license plate number.

Retailers also sell kits that allow drivers to wrap their license plates in a vinyl cover and change the plate number displayed.

Also, electronic plate covers that hide a license plate by dropping down or sliding over to cover the numbers can be operated from inside a vehicle by the driver.

The covers are also used to dodge pedestrian and traffic-safety measures, such as the city’s automated speed and red-light cameras that take photos of cars violating traffic laws, according to the city attorney.

A recently passed pilot program, Assembly Bill 645, allows San Francisco and five other cities to install speed cameras in “high-accident” corridors, school zones, or areas known for street racing.

“These license plate covers could impact the effectiveness of that crucial effort to reduce speeding and protect pedestrian safety,” the city attorney’s office said in Wednesday’s press release.

In a statement Wednesday, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott thanked Mr. Chiu for targeting the sale of such items.

“These illegal license plate covers serve no other purpose but to enable criminal activity and assist individuals in evading law enforcement,” he said.

Sellers and users of the illegal covers can face fines of up to $250 per violation, according to the city attorney.

Amazon recently announced it would no longer sell the products in New York City for reasons similar to those cited in San Francisco’s letters, according to the city attorney’s office.