Law officers are cracking down on Nebraska residents who register their cars in Iowa and South Dakota to save money. The anti-fraud division of the Nebraska State Patrol has compiled a list of 10,000 Nebraskans who may be skirting the law by acquiring titles and registration across the border where fees are lower.
Sergeant Al Theobald says Nebraskans have been reporting their neighbors. "We have gotten complaints on vehicles here in Nebraska with out-of-state plates on them. The complaints were that individuals knew that the other citizen lived actually here in Nebraska and may be in violation," he says.
The practice of going out of state to title a car is costing Nebraska an estimated 11-million dollars a year in revenue from lost taxes and fees. Theobald says they’re asking people to comply voluntarily — for now.
"At some point, we’ll initiate investigations on the individuals that we feel are not in compliance and if we can show that in fact they are in violation, then charges will be filed," he says. While it started out being an effort just in Nebraska, Theobald says it made sense to involve all three states in the probe.
They decided to work with the DMVs in all three states to determine how much of an impact this might be having. After a two-month investigation, letters are being sent out to the 10,000 suspected lawbreakers, giving them time to comply or face charges later.