Do policemen have to run plates before a stop is made? 12 Answers as of May 10, 2012

He is not required to run your vehicle before making a stop and he can stop you if he reasonably believes you have committed a violation. Seeing unexpired tags is enough.

Do policemen have to run plates before a stop is made? No, but they are foolish if they don't. You got a ticket, go to court and fight it if you think you can convince the judge.

In CA, the police can stop you for having expired tags. But, they can only detain you for the length of time it takes to check on the registration status. They cannot stop you just to ask you questions like "what was your hurry", unless the have probable cause to believe you were committing an offense. If all this was was a harassing stop, I would not recommend pursuing additional action, even if the stop was not legal. Of course, if it was more than just harassment (e.g. they beat you up, caused property damage), I would consult a lawyer about filing a lawsuit. I suspect from the language of your question that you may be concerned about a search they conducted after the stop and/or something they found during the search. If the stop was not legal, the search was not legal and a good attorney should be able to get any evidence they found suppressed. However, it all depends on the circumstances and there's no guarantee. "Pretext stops" are among the most common sources of unconstitutional searches by law enforcement. If they seized something and then arrested or cited you or you are afraid they will, you should consult a criminal defense attorney in your area right away.

If the tag shows an expired date, the cop has a right to stop you.

Sure - he will make up a story about your speeding or something. But if he didn't write you a ticket for expired registration you can thank your lucky stars. Get that thing taken care of today.

No they are not required. If they do run it and it comes back as valid, they can still stop you if you break a traffic law.

It sounds like the officer claims to have pulled you over for speeding in a parking lot which is questionable as well. You my have a potential suppression motion here. You should speak to a DUI attorney in your area to discuss the case in more detail. If you case is in

An officer can stop you as long as he has a reasonable suspicion that you have committed a crime. Expired tags could be one reason of many.

There is no requirement that police check a license plate or registration before pulling a car over.

There is no requirement to "run tags" at any time. Cop can just drive up and down the street doing nothing but running the license tags. He can even get out of his car and go to the windoe of the car parked in the driveway and run the VIN, unless his access is blocked. You can be stopped whenever a cop believes you are or may be involved in crimina activity. (See generally Terry v. Ohio (1968) 392 U.S. 1a and the cases relying on it.)