"This weeklong operation is similar to the one the DPD conducted in July of this year, which resulted in at least 430 citations and a significant increase of vehicle owners registering their vehicles," according to the announcement. "Drivers are strongly encouraged to register their vehicles to avoid the $95 fine."
Drivers outside of Denver's boundaries shouldn't rest too easily, either: Denver police are stepping up enforcement in partnership with police departments in Aurora and Colorado Springs and alongside the Colorado State Patrol.
Denver motorists might recall the last time police ramped up enforcement for expired vehicles during a one-month span in July and August. In addition to the hundreds of citations issued during that time, the number of people who registered their vehicles in Denver County jumped by more than 30 percent, hitting over 42,000 people.
Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas says he was happy with the results of summer's increase in enforcement, and that DPD "applauds these efforts but recognizes the problem remains," according to a September 23 statement.
In May, the DPD stopped enforcing expired plates and other low-level traffic violations because "there was a better use of our time," Thomas told Westword in August.
According to the DPD, the policy "emphasizes officers focus their time and efforts on addressing serious, crash-causing violations. For example, speeding, reckless/careless driving, disobedience to traffic signals, etc." However, DPD officers will still pull people over if they're suspects in more serious crimes like car theft, hit-and-run accidents and driving while intoxicated or under the influence. Vehicles that have no signs of registration or registration that has been expired for years can still be pulled over, as well.
Thomas said in August that the policy was also created to stop citations that disproportionately affect low-income, Black and Hispanic residents.
"We need to be mindful of disparate impact on some communities when we enforce those kinds of low-level violations," Thomas said. "That was a primary concern for why I established the policy that we did."
Thomas said that the decision in July to temporarily ticket expired plates came after residents kept complaining about it at community meetings, and he said he would rev enforcement back up if people continued complaining. According to DPD, this second step up in enforcement will only last a week.
DPD's announcement came the same day that the Colorado State Patrol increased its statewide enforcement of speed limits to honor the agency's 89th anniversary.
Thomas said that the decision in July to temporarily ticket expired plates came after residents kept complaining about it at community meetings, and he said he would rev enforcement back up if people continued complaining. According to DPD, this second step up in enforcement will only last a week.
DPD's announcement came the same day that the Colorado State Patrol increased its statewide enforcement of speed limits to honor the agency's 89th anniversary.
According to the Denver Motor Vehicle division, residents have to register their newly purchased vehicles in person at DMV offices but can renew their registration online or at a kiosk. Denver car owners have a thirty-day grace period to renew their plates after they expire, but temporary license plates do not have a grace period after expiration.
