NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- Authorities on Tuesday announced the launch of a multi-agency city-state task force dedicated to identifying and removing so-called "ghost cars" from New York City streets.
The task force will primarily focus on removing "ghost cars" - which are virtually untraceable by traffic cameras and toll readers because of their fraudulent or modified license plates and those with no tags at all, from city streets.
"The ghostbusters have arrived. You can see what the ghostbusters can do," Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a presser on Tuesday.
Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
According to officials, the illegal practice of forging or altering license plates increased during the pandemic spiked, with drivers using counterfeit temporary paper plates that appeared as though they were issued by out-of-state dealerships in order to evade detection.
In some cases drivers in New York City used "temps tags" to hide their identities and commit more serious violent crimes, including hit-and-runs, robberies, and shootings, according to Mayor Eric Adams.
To combat this uptick during 2022 and 2023, the NYPD arrested nearly 11,200 drivers and impounded their vehicles, seized almost 12,900 additional vehicles, and issued motorists more than 21,200 moving violation summonses.
"Outlaws have been purchasing fake or paper license plates online to avoid tolls and tickets, as well as to evade accountability for serious crimes, but we're pumping the brakes on the use of 'ghost plates' with the help of this multi-agency task force," said Adams. "Working in tandem with our city and state law enforcement partners, we impounded 73 vehicles, issued 282 summonses, and made eight arrests, and sent an important message to everyone who drives on the streets of our city: No one is above the law. These cars might not have license plates, but we've got their number, and we're going after anyone who tries to make their car untraceable."
Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
Toll-dodging drivers have cost the MTA an estimated $50 million every year, according to the agency's Chair and CEO John Lieber and on Monday, an inter-agency operation involving the NYPD, the New York City Sheriff's Office, MTA bridge and tunnel officers, the New York State Police (NYSP), the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department (PAPD) impounded 73 cars, issued 282 summonses, and arrested eight people.
"By launching this city-state task force, we are sending a clear message: if you attempt to alter your license plate to avoid traffic cameras and toll readers, you will be caught," Gov. Hochul said. "The safety of New Yorkers is my top priority and in partnership with Mayor Adams and law enforcement, we will swiftly remove elusive vehicles from our roads. Now, I'm calling on the Legislature to join our efforts and work with us to pass additional protections for New Yorkers in the final budget."
In her executive budget, Governor Hochul proposed legislation that would improve toll collections throughout the state by increasing fines and penalties for driving with altered plates, prohibiting the sale or distribution of covers that obscure license plates, allowing police to seize illegal plate covers, and restricting DMV registration transactions for vehicles with suspended registrations for failure to pay tolls or failing to remove plate-obscuring materials.
The inter-agency task force will conduct eight-hour enforcement operations approximately once a month with times and locations around the city chosen after analyzing toll and motor vehicle data.
In its first outing on Monday, the task force performed traffic-safety actions at three river crossings that enter Manhattan: the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, the George Washington Bridge, and the Lincoln Tunnel. Law enforcement utilized marked police vehicles, including various-sized tow trucks, automated license plate reader technology, and officer observations.
"Over the years, our department has seen a clear connection between these illegal vehicles and violent crime. And we're here today, with our valued law enforcement partners, to assure New Yorkers that this lawlessness will never be tolerated," NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said. "This task force is a talented, diverse team, dedicated to keeping our roadways — and the neighborhoods they run through — safe. It is all part of our intelligence-driven approach to precision policing, and it is another example of how interagency cooperation makes our city better and makes us all safer."
