Border Crime
by Michael Robinson |Uvalde Hesperian, Main picture credit: Lott Whitwell from a recent bailout near LaPryor
On Friday, December 1st, a Uvalde Police officer was dispatched to a local car dealership where an employee called to report a former employee was selling copies of temporary tags in Eagle Pass.
The Uvalde Hesperian consulted with a friend who works at another dealership asking if the theft of temporary tags was an issue. The person stated that vehicle dealerships have to be vigilant to secure temporary tags and even regular license plates on traded in vehicles and these items are a target for theft to be used on stolen cars and vehicles used by human traffickers especially in the border areas.
According to a report by KHOU News in Houston stated in November of 2022 the problem is a multi-million dollar criminal enterprise.
In 2022, the State of Texas redesigned the paper tag adding security features to the paper tags.
“Temporary tags in Texas are getting a new look. The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles revealed its redesigned version on Thursday, with new security features aimed at fighting fake paper license plates on vehicles involved in crimes and drivers trying to avoid tolls and registration fees. “In auto theft, the paper tags hit us hard. Those are guys breaking into cars. Those are the guys following people from the banks and robbing them,” Houston Police Sgt. Tracy Hicks said.
According to NBCDFW 5 , In June of 2023, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law HB718 into law Monday bringing an end to the state’s troubled temporary paper license tag system.
The new law will replace all paper tags with metal ones starting July 1, 2025. However, according to the report, criminals are still still stealing the tags and some are evening getting dealer licenses to access the temporary license plates as the redesigned tags may be causing confusion.
” Over the last year, the Texas DMV has implemented new security measures and suspended dozens of licensed car dealers suspected of using the state’s own system to sell fraudulent tags on the black market.
But as the DMV cracked down, counterfeiters stepped in making and selling entirely fake tags and capitalizing on the widespread confusion created by the proliferation of fraudulent tags printed out of the DMV’s system,” the NBCDFW report said.
