NH "COPSLIE" License Plate Goes Viral

At first glance, David Montenegro seems to be one of those rugged individualists for which New Hampshire is so famous. Montenegro has sought to acquire from the DMV a license plate that reads "COPSLIE." However, he has been rebuffed at every turn, first by a DMV employee, then the division director, and finally by the State Commissioner of Safety. At this point Montenegro took his case to the Strafford County Supreme Court, where a judge also ruled against the license plate.

Along the way, Montenegro's case has attracted nationwide attention, the story being carried by the Los Angeles Times, the Houston Chronicle,  the Associated Press, CBS, the Concord Monitor, and even the Onalaska-Holmen (Wisconsin) Courier-Life.

The state's regulations say a vanity plate must "not be capable of obscene interpretation" and "Not be ethnically, racially, or which a reasonable person would find offensive to good taste." (Los Angeles Times, 11/08/2013).

Montengro's attorney, Gilles Bissonette argued "What's offensive to your good taste will not necessarily be offensive to my good taste, and that's the fundamental problem  with the regulation and why it's unconstitutional." (LA Times, 11/08/13)." So far so good. But upon closer examination, Montenegro's argument starts to fall apart.

For lack of a better standard to judge the license plate, sometimes the best thing we have to go on is other people's opinions. As Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once said about pornography, "I know it when I see it."

NH Supreme Court Justice Robert Lynn said to Montenegro's attorney, "Under your view on the regulation, as it now exists, not only would COPSLIE be okay, but I can think of several other four-letter things that go before 'lie,' For example, 'WHTS' -whites lie - or 'BLKS' -blacks lie - or 'JEWS' - Jews lie. Would that be okay for anyone to come along and say I want to put that on (my car)?" (Concord Monitor, 11/7/2013).

Apart from Montenegro's legal argument, questions arise with regard to Montenegro himself. Why did he choose his license plate for his assertion that COPSLIE? Why didn't he have it printed on a tee shirt or plant a sign with those words in his front lawn? On the highway, which is generally a risky place to be,  the declaration that COPSLIE encourages other drivers to defy law enforcement. Hey, folks, the police are just trying to keep us alive. Is that so bad?

And then, Montenegro's license plate will likely bring him under closer scrutiny by passing police cruisers and increase the likelihood that his car will be pulled over for a legitimate traffic violation. Is that what Montenegro wants - to be harassed by those in authority so he can play the victim? I'm beginning to believe so.

Montenegro's license plate is not his first dalliance with unorthodox behavior that will bring him attention. He had his name legally changed from David Montenegro to "human." Yes, human - all in lower case letters. That is likely to bring him a great deal of attention if he applies for credit cards, jobs (he is presently unemployed), loans, and official documents. And Mr. human has been arrested twice - once for jaywalking and again for protesting police misconduct.

There is a fine line between being a rugged individualist and a crackpot. In Mr. human's case, I'm leaning toward crackpot.

If you would like to read more about the rugged individualists, eccentrics, and, yes, crackpots who populate New Hampshire, may I suggest my new book Outtastatahs: Newcomers' Adventures in New  Hampshire.

Outtastatahs (as in out-of-staters) was recently selected on the NPR radio program The Exchange as a "best holiday read by a local author."

Outtastatahs can be purchased for $13.99 at River Run Books in Portsmouth; at The Water Street Bookstore in Exeter; at Gibson's Bookstore in Concord; or on-line at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.