I didn’t mention this the other day because I didn’t think it would be a big deal. On the way home from the pharmacy Wednesday (the day I got laid off), I got pulled over by an unmarked Dallas cop for having no front license plate. I’ve been living in Dallas for almost six years now and I’ve never had a front plate on any of the three vehicles I’ve owned in that time. I’m perfectly aware that it’s illegal, but I refuse to comply because it’s a stupid law, and because I don’t want to put holes in my front bumper to mount an ugly Texas license plate. The cop indicated at the time that I could fix it, take a picture of it, and send it in within 5 days to get it dismissed. So I thought, no big deal. Wrong. After spending the better part of 45 minutes searching the City of Dallas website, I was unable to find the fine amount or the instructions for how to get it dismissed. Then after waiting on hold for 20 minutes, I’m told that I have to take the car in and have it looked at and then the judge will dismiss it. But you can only do this on Wednesday between 1pm and 4pm. It’s a good thing I don’t have a job or I’d have to take off for this bureaucratic nonsense. If I don’t do this, it’s a $154 fine. It’s a sad state of affairs when the police need money so badly that they have to go to these lengths to attempt generate revenue. Even if I did pay it they would probably only break even. When I go in a get it dismissed, they’ll get nothing and it will have cost all of us taxpayers for the time of 2 cops, the use of 1 cop car, and at least one judge. For a front license plate.
Instead of going to the dealer and buying a license plate and punching holes in my bumper, I’ll make some little brackets out of angle aluminum and zip tie them on. As soon as I get out of the parking lot of the city court the zip ties come off. If they want to enforce pointless laws using my tax dollars, I’m not going to let them fine me as well, and neither am I going to blindly comply.
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