Police license plates in Minneapolis (2016) [video]
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The car numbering should definitely be more prominent, though, and I don't see the harm with putting it one the plates, as well.
A) it’s “cool” in the same way hot wheels police cars four year olds play with have POLICE as the license plate,
B) they want to make it harder to identify the cars by obscuring the default place to look,
C) it is cheaper and makes logistics easier, and they don’t care that they are obscuring identification and considering themselves above the law (because there’s no way they didn’t consider this, and the old police cruisers had proper license plates to boot so far as I can see).
I think the actual answer is
D) The law judged civilian-style license plates to be unnecessarily redundant given other methods of official vehicle identification.
I found this fact check that mentioned this, which pointed to the actual statute in question: https://www.factcheck.org/2020/05/minneapolis-police-license...
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/168.012:
> (b) Provided the general appearance of the vehicle is unmistakable, the following vehicles are not required to register or display number plates:
> (1) vehicles owned by the federal government;
> (2) fire apparatuses, including fire-suppression support vehicles, owned or leased by the state or a political subdivision;
> (3) police patrols owned or leased by the state or a political subdivision; and
> (4) ambulances owned or leased by the state or a political subdivision.
Language like that has been present in Minnesota law since at least 1949, and the language in that version makes it clear their concern was making sure public vehicles had their ownership clearly marked.
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/1949/0/Session+Law/Chapter/6...:
> Sec. 2. Vehicles owned and used solely in the transaction of official business by representatives of foreign powers, by the federal government, the state, or any political subdivision thereof, or vehicles owned and used exclusively by educational institutions and used solely in the transportation of pupils to and from such institutions, shall be exempt from the provision of this chapter requiring payment of tax or registration fees, but all such vehicles except those owned by the federal government, municipal fire apparatus, police patrols and ambulances, the general appearance of which is unmistakable,shall be registered as herein required and display tax exempt number plates furnished by the registrar at cost. In the case of vehicles used in general police work the passenger vehicle classification license number plates shall be displayed and furnished by the registrar at cost; but the exemption herein provided shall not apply to any vehicles, except such vehicles used in general police work, unless the name of the state department or political subdivision owning such vehicle shall be plainly printed on both sides thereof in letters not less than 2 1/2 inches high, one inch wide and of a 3/8 inch stroke. Such printing shall be in a color giving a marked contrast with that of the part of the vehicle on which it is placed and shall be done with a good quality of paint that will endure throughout the term of registration. The printing must be on a part of the vehicle itself and not on a removable plate or placard of any kind and shall be kept clean and visible at all times. The owner of any such vehicle desiring to come under the foregoing exemption provisions shall first notify the chief of the state trunk highway patrol who shall provide suitable seals and cause the same to be affixed to any such vehicle.