Other Criminal Procedure License plate check - fictional scenario

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investigationWr

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I'm a writer, trying to understand laws regarding license plate checks... specifically I'm interested in the laws in texas.

Here's the scenario: my protagonist discovers she's being followed by a car (happens to be a private investigator, the protagonist doesn't know this yet)... she notes down the license plate number. She gives the license plate number to the police.

Now can the police release any information to the protagonist regarding the identity of the driver? can the police reveal to the protagonist that the driver is a private investigator?

Basically I'm trying to create a scenario in the story, where my protagonist, using the license plate number, is able to determine that the person following her is a private investigator...

Appreciate any help.
 
I'm a writer, trying to understand laws regarding license plate checks... specifically I'm interested in the laws in texas.

Here's the scenario: my protagonist discovers she's being followed by a car (happens to be a private investigator, the protagonist doesn't know this yet)... she notes down the license plate number. She gives the license plate number to the police.

Now can the police release any information to the protagonist regarding the identity of the driver? can the police reveal to the protagonist that the driver is a private investigator?

Basically I'm trying to create a scenario in the story, where my protagonist, using the license plate number, is able to determine that the person following her is a private investigator...

Appreciate any help.


My goodness, Mr Writer or Ms Writer, these days ANYONE can run their own license plate check.

There are many services that will provide you with the the details behind those license plate numbers.

With that minimal information, they'll even let you deep dive into who they reside with, who votes, when they last voted, and so much more.

Some service names are: www.publicdata.com or www.spokeo.com but there are dozens more.....

Even the DPS gets into the act in Texas, and anyone can subscribe to their data revelation service.

https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/DpsWebsite/index.aspx
 
I'm a writer, trying to understand laws regarding license plate checks... specifically I'm interested in the laws in texas.

Here's the scenario: my protagonist discovers she's being followed by a car (happens to be a private investigator, the protagonist doesn't know this yet)... she notes down the license plate number. She gives the license plate number to the police.

Now can the police release any information to the protagonist regarding the identity of the driver? can the police reveal to the protagonist that the driver is a private investigator?

Basically I'm trying to create a scenario in the story, where my protagonist, using the license plate number, is able to determine that the person following her is a private investigator...

Appreciate any help.


My goodness, Mr Writer or Ms Writer, these days ANYONE can run their own license plate check.

There are many services that will provide you with the the details behind those license plate numbers.

With that minimal information, they'll even let you deep dive into who they reside with, who votes, when they last voted, and so much more.

Some service names are: www.publicdata.com or www.spokeo.com but there are dozens more.....

Even the DPS gets into the act in Texas, and anyone can subscribe to their data revelation service.

https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/DpsWebsite/index.aspx

Your protagonist can use her smartphone to check out the person tailing her, or call her admin and ask him to run the license plate. LOL
 
Thanks for the reply army judge. But I'm confused.... What about the "Driver's Privacy Protection Act" ? Couldn't post wikipedia link.

I see a lot of license plate lookup services... but aren't they illegal?

Specifically I'm talking about finding out the identity of the person with the license plate... not vehicle information...

I don't see a way to reverse lookup license plates on the tx dps site.
 
A lot of information is public information.
 
Thanks for the reply army judge. But I'm confused.... What about the "Driver's Privacy Protection Act" ? Couldn't post wikipedia link.

I see a lot of license plate lookup services... but aren't they illegal?

Specifically I'm talking about finding out the identity of the person with the license plate... not vehicle information...

I don't see a way to reverse lookup license plates on the tx dps site.

There are many sites that offer you all sorts of information.

publicdata and spokeo, when used together, will tell you much, much more than who owns the car.
The DPS site will provide additional information, if one is so inclined.
Most people use them in tandem.
They just keep digging, and most car owners don't know to opt out.
In fact, it may no longer be possible to opt out.
There are exceptions to protect certain crime victims.

Not everyone drives a car they own.
Some people drive rental or leased cars, borrowed cars, stolen cars, so a car may be registered to Joe Jones, but Tim Townes might be driving it.
Many private investigators register cars to names or companies that can conceal their true identity.
That may be a plot flaw in your novel.
One size doesn't fit everyone these days.
 
Have her lock up the brakes into a tight 90 spin, with him barely stopping in time from hitting her, by which time she has opened her door, walks over, shoves a Glock in his face and says "Hey Baby, Hows Tricks?"
 
I'm a writer, trying to understand laws regarding license plate checks... specifically I'm interested in the laws in texas.

Here's the scenario: my protagonist discovers she's being followed by a car (happens to be a private investigator, the protagonist doesn't know this yet)... she notes down the license plate number. She gives the license plate number to the police.

Now can the police release any information to the protagonist regarding the identity of the driver? can the police reveal to the protagonist that the driver is a private investigator?

Basically I'm trying to create a scenario in the story, where my protagonist, using the license plate number, is able to determine that the person following her is a private investigator...

Appreciate any help.

Assuming that the TX DMV does not provide any means for you to pay for the information from a license plate provided to them, there may be little LEGAL avenue for your protagonist to discover the identity of the registered owner of the vehicle. Now, she can certainly call the police about a suspicious vehicle and provide them with the plate. Now, as a plot point, it might be that the officer follows up and asks her if she knows Sam Spade, the registered owner. Or, the protagonist might distract or otherwise have the opportunity to read the info off of the officer's MDT (mobile data terminal) in his car. Once she has his name and/or an address, she can probably search Google to find out that the name matches that of a PI.

Of course, she can always have a shady friend with the TX DMV or in law enforcement that is willing to do her a favor and get her the info for dinner, a drink, a date, a roll in the hay, or cold cash.

Unless your PI works for a larger firm or is really smooth and up on his stuff, the vehicle likely belongs to him or to his company. Most PIs are small potatoes that work for themselves or write off their personal vehicles for work. The few that work for larger firms might have company cars with a very few that come back to a DBA company that's not so easy to trace, but, they can be traced with a little work since most of that info would be public record.

And many small time PIs farm out boring surveillance work to cheap labor who lack the skills of a more seasoned investigator but are willing to receive $20/hr. to sit and watch a cheating wife or a worker's comp fraud suspect with a camera ... in their own car. One of these guys might be hard to trace back to the actual licensed PI ... but, for issue of the plot, the guy could be using the PIs car.

It has been my experience that most PIs use their own personal vehicles that come back to their company or themselves, personally. Since private entities cannot create a false persona when they register their vehicle, it has to be a real business or person.
 
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