Irene Jones was working at a Chicago Jewel store on Jan. 31 when she was murdered by a criminal who escaped in a vehicle with a temporary license.
Witnesses didn’t catch the license number, which is not surprising. They’re unreadable at a distance, and I’ve seen them hung vertically and/or behind tinted glass, which makes them unreadable close-up.
It’s real simple: Make the characters on the temporary plate just as big as on a regular plate, black characters on white sturdy cardboard the size of a regular plate, laminate two copies with plastic to weatherproof them and punch holes for screws. Presto–two temporary license plates just as readable as regular plates, to be affixed on vehicles front and back just like regular plates, made to last for as long as it takes to get the permanent plates.
License plates have one primary purpose: to easily identify the car. The temporary license system now in use flunks that test. With all the fancy plate options (some with reduced character size–which is bad) and all the silly trivia about vanity plate numbers, it’s important to focus in on readability as the No. 1 priority.
If the state bureaucrats are worried about cost, then let the inmates produce the temporary plates just like they used to produce the regular plates. How many more criminals will escape justice until the state acts? Why exactly is the state delaying fixing this obvious problem? Criminals love the current temporary licenses. Law enforcement hates them. Whose side is the state on?
