Martin Austermuhle
Photo by AlephNull
After a rash of incidents in which drivers were arrested by D.C. police for having lapsed registrations, pretty much everyone seems to think that a solution is necessary. The problem is that no one seems to be clear on where that solution will be coming from.
During an interview with WTOP today, Mayor Vince Gray basically echoed what he wrote to Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) earlier this week about the arrests — while drivers who let their registrations lapse should face some consequences, throwing them in jail for a few hours may well be excessive. While saying that he’s asked that D.C. police officers exercise “discretion and good judgement” in deciding whether or not to arrest a driver for such a violation — which they can do — Gray only hinted that a legislative fix may be in the offing.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier also seems to think a legislative solution is needed, but told WTOP that she thinks that the 30-day grace period could potentially be extended to up to 90 days.
As for the D.C. Council, neither Chair Kwame Brown nor Councilmember Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) has yet said they’ll be pushing legislation, though Mendelson was said to be working with the Metropolitan Police Department and Lanier to uncover how extensive the arrests have been and what the best solution could be. (MPD’s spokesperson has thus far refused to fess up to how many people have been arrested for having lapsed registrations; one reader contacted us to say that they had, but we’ve seen nothing more than isolated examples so far.)
Any legislation would likely be introduced at the council’s next legislative session on November 1, and could take effect immediately if passed as an emergency.
