Tiverton Police Increasing Efforts to Target Unregistered Cars in 2012

Tiverton's chief reports that in 2011, patrols noticed a "substantial" increase in unregistered vehicles parked all over town, especially the side streets, and will be addressing the issue next year.

Chief Thomas Blakey cited Rhode Island General Law Section 31-3-2 pertaining to motor vehicle registration, which highlights that all residents' cars traveling the roads in the state must be registered within 30 days or face citations and fines.

"I'm going to be contacting the courts to make an effort to be up to date," Blakey said. "Please move along and get your car properly registered. This is not a revenue raiser. They have to adhere to the law."

Blakey said future patrols will be instructed to monitor the suspect areas in town with numerous unregistered vehicles for a period of time, and they will be cited if they don't comply with the law. He said some yards have two to three cars parked, unregistered, and he's noticed more vehicles coming over from out of state, which makes it different to monitor. However, if those residents live within the state for 30 days, they are required to change their license and registration.

"I know the delays at the DMV," Blakey added. "Some people are just waiting for their current registrations to expire."