If anybody who needs to check registration has a gizmo that quickly confirms registration, then why is there any fine for not having the sticker? At best, there should be a small fine (the $15) to provide incentive to put the stickers on for efficiency purposes. Towing a registered vehicle is absurd. If the city is looking for money, increase the fines for cars that are unregistered. Crack down on the people who didn't make an attempt to follow the rules.

I hope there's hell to pay. Good luck!

I live in a townhouse with four parking stalls. Every year all of our cars have had our lic. plates chopped up for the stickers. I have purposely left the sticker of my plate off because It will cost be a replacement fee to put another sticker on. I believe that the police department/DPW needs to update their policy ASAP. Theft of these stickers hurts law abiding citizens, and then the government penalizes us a second time. I personally have a 06 sticker on my plate (living dangerously) and have my 08 in my glove box. I have been lucky, but I will now put my 08 on and tempt fate. You are awesome to have shared this story and I hope the City gets with the program and stops parking harrassment.

Elogical1

So far no responses from various city official on this today. (We got an early start at 4am.)

Please contribute to the cause of putting pressure on the bureaucracy to make life more livable in the city!

At the minimum, it costs quite some time, travel, and nearly $200 to deal with a situation like this--more than what it has generally cost to deal with actual criminal-conducted auto larceny and break-ins. This can really screw a person badly if they have only one car, tenuous/inflexible employers, and little disposable income.

The stickers on all my vehicles have been finely sliced with a razor blade to make it unattractive to steal them. This was suggested by Officer Robakowski. It is also illegal to have your plates in the window as opposed to on your car. Generally you will be fined for this only if you get stopped for other violations. Kind of like the seat belt law. Hope this helps.

Dan, the razor blade method doesn't work. At worst it will increase the chance of your sticker gcoming off over time as moisure gets under it. At best it will result in part of your sticker being torn away by a thief, which is probably enough to get you a ticket--if not a towing. It does nothing for stickers that don't stick all year in the first place. Clearing away previous year stickers and degreasing the surface before adding a new decal (who does that?) still doesn't guarantee your sticker will be there all year.

Many thieves just clip the whole corner off your plate, presumably so they can work the sticker off carefully somewhere else. Then you need to buy a new plate! DPW still tickets and tows plates that have clearly been clipped. The frames the police will sell you for your plate as an anti-clipping device do not work either. Last year a friend had her stickers clipped repeatedly, she installed the anti-clipping frame, and she got clipped again. If I recall correctly, there was also some unnecessary towing involved for her too.

These decals should simply be eliminated and replaced by windshield stickers you put on the INSIDE of your car, just like the overnight parking permit.

And when it comes to towing, this needs to be done without violation or such egregious violation of due process rights, especially by unsworn non-law enforcement officers. Evidently state and local laws have codified unconstitutional powers allowing the city to deprive you of property and extort cash from you without any kind of hearing. This is bullshit.

At least if you lose a sticker, you can get another for free by phone or email. From the DMV:

You can obtain duplicate or replacement license plate sticker(s) by sending an e-mail message to the Bureau of Vehicle Services at: bur-veh-services.dmv@dot.state.wi.us. Include the following information:

* The vehicle year, make and identification number (VIN #)
* The license plate number and type of sticker needed
* Your full name, including your middle initial, (if any)
* Your complete mailing address, including city, state and zip code
* An e-mail address and/or telephone number, including area code, where you can be reached between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, in case we need to contact you for additional information.

To apply by telephone call [608] 266-1466, 24 hours every day including holidays, to leave a recorded message. You will be asked for your license plate number and the type of sticker needed.

The sticker requested will be mailed to you the next business day.

I've heard that painting clear nail polish over the sticker makes it very difficult to peal off. I don't know if I'd want my plates in the window or a sticker on the windshield, then thieves would just have another reason to break into my car. In any case, I hope your letter makes something happen, Sonja. I feel for your family- if our van was gone we'd be totally screwed.

According to Ald. Donovan’s office, there is no towing of vehicles now for sticker violations. There’s a $15 fine for having no sticker, but if
it can be proven that the sticker was stolen, (i.e. you have filed a police report), then they’ll reduce that to $0.