Photo by AlephNull

The D.C. Council stepped up this morning and did away with the controversial D.C. police practice of arresting drivers whose registration has lapsed.

As part of legislation that was briefly debated and unanimously passed, lapsed registrations will no longer be a criminal offense, but rather a civil one punishable by fines. From this point on, any car caught with a registration that has lapsed for fewer than 30 days get slapped with a $100 fine, while anything more than that could merit a $200 fine or the car being impounded. The measure was passed on an emergency basis, though, so the council has 90 days to debate and vote on a permanent change to the existing law.

What still remains unclear is how many drivers in the District have actually been arrested for driving with lapsed registrations. Councilmember Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) said he planned on asking D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier that very question at a future hearing on the issue.

Additionally, little explanation was given for the Council’s sudden move on the arrests. Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) wanted the record to reflect that the Council’s actions had nothing to do with an irate letter sent by Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) to Mayor Vince Gray earlier this month, but no alternative explanation has yet been offered. A number of councilmembers have admitted that they knew of the practice before the recent spate of news articles on it.

Either way, rest assured that your procrastination is no longer an arrestable offense.