Colorado police warn public to display front license plate to avoid getting car impounded

Listen up, Colorado. That front license plate sitting in your glove box, your garage or that drawer where dreams go to die? It’s time to drill some holes and mount it, because police say they’re done asking nicely.

The Colorado Springs Police Department issued a blunt warning this week after noticing a spike in vehicles cruising around without front plates, which is illegal under Colorado law. The state requires both a front and rear plate along with current registration, and officers say they will pull you over and, in some cases, impound your car on the spot.

Sgt. Shawn Peterson, a CSPD traffic motor officer, says the excuses are always the same: drivers don’t want to mess up the look of their car. “The law doesn’t stipulate that,” Peterson said. “The law says you have to have it. So if you get pulled over, don’t get upset. Because the law requires you to have it regardless of how nice your car is or what it came equipped with.”

The crackdown isn’t just about aesthetics, though. Police say criminals are increasingly using stolen, fictitious or mismatched plates to dodge automated license plate readers. When someone’s front plate doesn’t match the back — or is missing entirely — it throws off the technology law enforcement relies on to track stolen vehicles and wanted suspects. “That could be a fictitious plate or misuse of plates. I can impound your ride or your car right then and there,” Peterson warned.

So whether you’re driving a brand-new sports car or a 2009 Subaru Outback held together by bumper stickers, the message is simple: two plates or a tow truck.