Q: When the police run your plate number in Minnesota, what information is it that they see on their computers?

Rodger,
Duluth, MN

Rodger,

I am not sure why someone would need to know this, but I guess it isn't a big national secret or anything. There is more than one way to "query" a license plate. 

The normal every day way that police do that, gives us the vehicle owner's name, address, date of birth, license plate tab/sticker numbers for that plate, expiration, vehicle make and model year, if the vehicle or plate or stickers is stolen, any "flag" from DVS that might be connected to that plate or vehicle or owner, and that's just about it, maybe a couple of other pieces of information. that I can't think of off the top of my head without stopping and running one quick.  Sometimes it tells us the vehicle has no insurance or other things, but not often. From that, we can get a lot more information and run other checks of course to find out if the driver is revoked, has a warrant, etc.  There you go, thanks for asking.

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol 

Q: Are there any types of neon lights legal for a vehicle? If there are, is there any specific colors you can and can't use? Thanks.

Trent,
Hugo, MN

Trent,

No, not that I am aware of.  They have to be approved by the Commisioner of Public Safety and I don't know of any neon lights that are.  Sorry.  Thanks for asking.

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol 

Q: When my son was 19, and who is 22 now, was picked up in 2006 in a private pasture with the owner of the pasture and charged with under age drinking and driving. His alchol content was .02. He was not at the pasture but his truck was and I brought him and his friends back when the officer called me. He now has a job to drive truck but the insurance company will not insure him as the DL record says underage drinking and driving and they are counting it as a DWI. The local sheriff, county attorney, etc., says it is not a DWI but every insurance company calls it that. The ticket actually came from I think DNR for shooting a rabbit out of season. Is there anyway we can get this removed or changed as it will be held against him for ever. He has never had any ticket ever except this one. What are our options? He will be losing this job he just started since the insurance company goes back five years. Please help or direct me to someone. Thanks.

Linda,
Pipestone, MN

Linda,

The only hope is to to contact the Department of Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) in St. Paul and see what they say can be done.  It is possible that the court might be able to do something but you would have to ask them.  In a lot of cases, someone under 18 would have alot better chance of getting help here because of their age at the time of the charges, but your son was an adult, and now he is feeling the wrath of his wrongdoing. I doubt anything can or will be done but try the court or DVS or both.  Good luck and thanks for asking.

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol 

Q: Hello,  I just recently bought a used Chevy truck and it came with a rear brake, turn signal and running light bar.  It's mounted in between the bottom of the tailgate and the bumper.  The only color is red, and works with your blinkers and brakes.  I see them on a lot of trucks, but just wondering if they are illegal?  Thank you.  

Luke,
St. Cloud, MN

Luke,

It is possible that those are legal.  I would need to see it and measure it, as there are specific placement requirements for tail lights and there are specific requirements of intensity, etc. 

Vehicle lights which are approved for use in Minnesota have to be on a list kept by the Commisioner of Public Safety.  The lights on that list have to meet all of the state requirements, too numerous to put here. You still need the upper third brake light even if what you now have is legal.  So, I would really have to see it to say for sure.  

For now, I will say it could be legal or not.  Sometimes officers get carried away with the exactness of the law when in fact some lights (though not legal) don't pose a problem and might actually be safer.  I have no idea where your new light bar fits in for sure.  Good luck, thanks for asking. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol 

Q: I was pulled over a few months ago and given a citation for speeding. On my ticket it said to call the courthouse and pay the fine by July 5th. I called 8 times to pay the ticket, but they kept saying they had no record of it. I called a day after July 5th and they again said they had no record and that if anything changed I would get a letter of payment due.  
   
Yesterday, a letter came from the county saying that they are doing a revenue recapture and also a letter stating that my license is in the process of being suspended. I called the county office to figure out what was going on and to pay the fine. They told me the ticket was turned in late and that the officer had changed the ticket due date/court date to August 3rd. I was never aware of this. I did pay the fine so that I wouldn't have my license suspended, but can state troopers do that? Can they change a ticket due date/court date and not tell you? Can I fight this or get my payment reversed?  
   
Any help would be great. Thanks.

Mollie,
Des Moines, IA

Mollie,

No, we are not suppose to do that. The officer in a situation like that should have brought it in to the court and told them it was late and the court would have sent you a letter asking for the fine payment along with a new court date.  You can't get your fine reversed, because what happened has nothing to do with your guiilt or innocence of the charge.  If you were fined more than the original amount, the court should not have done that once you explained what happened.  The only recourse against an officer in a case like this would be to tell their supervisor.  I don't know any more details about who that might be or whatever to help you more, but good luck.  If you really want to take it further, contact this site again and ask the editor for my personal contact information (work e-mail) and I might be able to tell you more.  Thanks for writing. Sorry that it happened.

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol 

Q: I have a hypothetical question. If I am stopped for suspicion of DWI and I refuse to take the roadside test and the preliminary breath test (which I am legally allowed to do), I assume that I will be arrested and taken to jail, where I will be give the official test. I assume that my car will be towed and impounded. If I am found to be under the legal limit, who pays for the tow and impoundment?
   
Thanks in advance for your answer.

Bob,
Coon Rapids, MN

Bob,

One big misnomer about DWI is that a driver needs to be at or over 0.08 b.a.c. to be arrested and charged with DWI.  That is false.  You can be arrested for DWI for an amount even down to 0.04, which is relevant evidence of being under the influence of alcohol.  We would need driving conduct with a lower amount.  In your example, the second you refuse the preliminary breath test and an officer really believes you are under the influence of alcohol, you are correct that you will be placed under arrest for DWI. 

If an officer acts in good faith and impounds and tows the vehicle and the test comes back later as being under 0.08, it would depend on what driving conduct you had and the totality of circumstances as to what the charges might be (like careless driving or DWI, or whatver.  At any rate, you would pay the tow etc., not the department or the officer.  Not to say that an officer that really screws up would not have his/her department end up paying for the tow/impoundment under some circumstances, but that would be extremely rare.  

Being a full-time officer since October of 1981, I only brought one person in who tested under, and I still charged them (they were 0.09 and the limit was 0.10) because of their aggravated driving conduct and it stuck.  Officers are pretty sharp and don't want that (your scenerio) to happen so when they bring someone in for DWI, it's a great bet that the person had it coming, but I acknowledge that it could happen.  I just don't think it is very common at all.  Thanks for asking.

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol 

Q: Do police need a reason to run someone's license plates, or can they do it for any reason?

Heather,
St. Paul, MN

Heather,

Basically, yes.  We should have a reason though and we can't just run them for someone else or the owner at random.  Many officers sit and run license plates while observing traffic.  If the owner is suspended for example,  and the owner is a female but the driver of the vehicle is a male, that is not enough reasonable suspicion to stop the vehicle though.  If an officer runs a plate and the owner is a male and is suspended or has a warrant and it looks like that person driving it, then that could be enough to stop the vehicle.  Anyway, yes, there are times we can and we do, mostly to see if the tabs are current or not if we can't see the tab or whatever.

Thanks for asking.

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol 

Q: Would it be alright to strap my 54" muskie to my hood and fender? 

Red Devil,
Fairmont, MN

Red Devil,

I don't know if you are kidding or not, but be my guest. When it starts stinking you might get some funny looks.  Move it over and make room for the tirdy point buck you might get this fall.  I bet Red Green already did that show. Don't let any wildlife block your view though, or off it comes and dere goes da pride of it all!  If it ain't attached good enough den my good friends at da DOT might be concerned too with da load securement issues or lack thereof and take away your lefse making license! Thanks for writing.  :>)    (If you were not kidding, then I apologize and I say go for it until something happens........).

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol 

Q: I was wondering if law enforcement can run your plates and tell if you have insurance in Duluth, MN? I have been hearing rumors that they can do it now, and others say that they can not do it but I want to know if its true because you cannot believe everything you hear.

Julie,
Duluth, MN

Julie,

Yes, if an officer runs a plate and the person has no insurance and the State got notified and flagged the plate as such, an officer will see that when they "run the plate" on computer.  Not everyone who does not have insurance gets their vehicle flagged, and not everyone whose vehicle is flagged is still having no insurance.  It takes time for that to get on and off a plate record, and I rarely see it anymore.  It has been available to us for many years actually and is not new, even in Duluth! 

Thanks for asking.

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol 

Q: I would like to know what the penalty is for having a police scanner in your car is. Is it a federal offense?

Joe,
St. Cloud, MN

Joe,

We have a Minnesota Law covering both.  The truth is that the fine and penalty will vary from county to county within Minnesota, depending on the amount of fees etc. that are attached to the base fine. The statute is 299C.37, and my local court told me that the first offense is a $380 fine, and the second offense is automatic court. 

Either way, it is a misdemeanor, and punishable up to 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 or both.  Thanks for asking, and good luck.

Sgt. Curt S. Mowers
Public Information Office
MN State Patrol