Photo by AlephNull

Earlier this week, Fox News reported that D.C. police have recently gotten into the habit of arresting drivers with expired registrations:

To the frustration of forgetful drivers, Metropolitan Police Department officers are throwing people in jail for letting their tag renewals lapse. The practice provoked somewhat of a backlash last year after a local mother from Maryland was jailed for what in many places would be a routine traffic offense punishable by fine. But the department continues to reserve and exercise the right to throw drivers in the clink for missing the DMV deadline, no matter where they’re from.

The practice has drawn the attention of AAA, the nation’s largest motor club and travel organization, which is calling on the D.C. Council to review the policy.

The story only cites a few cases of where this has happened (one in which the person arrested was caught with a lapsed registration again a year later), but that seems to have been enough to provoke Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) into writing a letter to Mayor Vince Gray requesting that he look into the practice.

Officials from Mid-Atlantic AAA also asked that Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward) investigate the police actions, though according to a Cheh staffer they haven’t yet been able to establish whether the cases cited were isolated or part of broader trend. We asked a Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson how many of these sorts of arrests they’ve logged this year, but we have yet to hear back.

For now, maybe the best you can do is make sure you’re up to date.