{"id":15308,"date":"2019-01-31T09:16:59","date_gmt":"2019-01-31T16:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/criminal-defense-law\/?page_id=15308"},"modified":"2022-07-07T12:17:57","modified_gmt":"2022-07-07T19:17:57","slug":"police-scan-name-arizona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jacksonwhitelaw.com\/criminal-defense-law\/blog\/police-scan-name-arizona\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do Police See When They Run Your Name in Arizona?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Police officers often scan license plates for red flags while they\u2019re cruising through town in between calls.<\/p>\n
Sometimes it\u2019s a quick glance to see if the registration tags are valid, or the officer may enter the license plate number and run a quick search through the police database.<\/p>\n
If any red flags show up, such as an expired registration or stolen vehicle report, the officer has sufficient cause to pull-over the vehicle and check the operator\u2019s<\/a> identity.<\/p>\n When a police officer runs your name and driver\u2019s license<\/a> through the police database, they\u2019ll have access to the following information:<\/p>\n When a police officer runs your license plate\u2014independently or in conjunction with a traffic stop\u2014the officer will typically see the vehicle\u2019s registration status (valid, expired, or stolen), the vehicle description (VIN, make, model, type, and color), and the owner\u2019s identity (name and description).<\/p>\n In Arizona, the report will also indicate whether the registered owner\u2019s driver\u2019s license is valid, expired, or suspended, and whether the vehicle is properly insured.<\/p>\n When the license plate report flags a potential issue, the police officer should attempt to identify the driver before pulling over the vehicle.<\/p>\n If the driver appears to match the registered owner\u2019s description (e.g. white woman age 65 with black hair), then the officer is free to flip on the lights and pull the vehicle over.<\/p>\n If the driver doesn\u2019t match the description in the report and there isn\u2019t a stolen vehicle report, it\u2019s up to the police officer\u2019s discretion to pull over the vehicle.<\/p>\n When law enforcement issues a BOLO (be on the lookout) for a person, the police database will trigger an alert for people with similar names.<\/p>\n For example, a BOLO for Sam Smith may flag the names Sam Smyth and Samantha Smith.<\/p>\n As such, it\u2019s possible to mistakenly have your name flagged when police run your driver\u2019s license if there\u2019s a BOLO for someone with a similar name.<\/p>\n When this happens, the officer should compare your physical appearance to the description of the person with the BOLO, and they may ask you some personal questions to eliminate any suspicion.<\/p>\n A BOLO for a vehicle often includes partial information, so it\u2019s also possible to get caught up in the net if your vehicle matches part of that description.<\/p>\n For example, if the police are looking for a late-model red Mercedes coupe and a police officer happens to run your license plate while stopped behind you at a traffic light, the BOLO may trigger a traffic stop if you drive a matching vehicle.<\/p>\n Similarly, if your vehicle\u2019s VIN includes enough matching digits to the vehicle the police are looking for (having 7 of the 17 digits may trigger a match), your vehicle may get flagged for a traffic stop.<\/p>\n If you find yourself in either of these cases of mistaken identity, understand that the police officer who pulled you over is likely in a heightened state of caution\u2014especially if the BOLO is for a stolen vehicle or in connection to a serious crime.<\/p>\n The officer will be able to clear up the mistaken identity as soon as they run your driver\u2019s license, but until then you should exercise extreme caution. Of course, this doesn\u2019t mean that the officer has the freedom to infringe on your rights, and you should consult with an attorney<\/a> if you are assaulted or wrongfully detained.<\/p>\n Citizens in the United States have the right to due process, fair representation, and a fair trial.<\/p>\n If you are detained or arrested, there are five important things that you need to remember to preserve these rights:<\/p>\n\n
What Do Police Officers See When They Run Your Vehicles Information?<\/h2>\n
Cases of Mistaken Identity<\/h2>\n
What To Do If You Get Arrested<\/h2>\n
\n