NEWS

Agency error yields duplicate license plate numbers

Michael Anthony Adams

A gaffe by the secretary of state's office means up to about 1,400 recent car buyers share an identical license plate number with another driver.

An internal memo obtained by The Indianapolis Star instructed police officers on how to handle the situation during a traffic stop.

Valerie Kroeger, director of communications for the secretary of state, said an employee in the auto dealer services division made an error during a system data backup. Following the error, division computers had to be rebooted, and during this time the temporary license plate numbers were duplicated.

How many? Seven hundred and five, meaning 1,410 people are sharing a temporary license plate number with a fellow Hoosier.

If you bought a car before 1 p.m. on June 8 and your plate number is between E64900-E765605, Kroeger said your temporary paper license plate could be one of the duplicates.

All of the plates are valid, she said. The only people who will really notice the difference are police.

Kroeger said the department immediately reached out to state and local law enforcement to notify them of the issue. The concern raised in the internal police memo obtained by The Star is that when officers check a plate number, multiple names will appear belonging to that license number.

Officers have been advised to match the vehicle identification numbers, according to the memo.

By July 7 all of the temporary plates will be null and void and the problem will, in fact, "work itself out," Kroeger said.

Motorists aren't required to do anything on their end regarding the duplicated plates.

Officials are still trying to sort out which dealerships received the plates.

This misstep comes on the heels of another state agency's ongoing troubles involving motor vehicles. Bureau of Motor Vehicle officials overcharged Hoosier motorists more than $60 million for driver's licenses and registration fees over the course of several years.

Call Star reporter Michael Anthony Adams at (317) 444-6123. Follow him on Twitter: @MichaelAdams317.