UNDATED (KTHV) - There are 2,680,000 registered vehicles in Arkansas. Rusty Redd owns one of them, a Ford F-150 to be exact. And, like all drivers, he's required to renew the car's registration once a year.
The registration costs anywhere from $17 to $30. New license plate stickers indicate you've paid; however, if they're outdated, police can write you a ticket.
"I had noticed something different about my plates, and I got a little closer, and it looked like both of my tags on both sides of my plate were peeled off." Reed told THV11.
Roger Duren in the Office of Motor Vehicles said the state doesn't keep track of why someone gets their sticker replaced, but since 2011, nearly 108,000 replacement stickers have been issued:
2011 - 21,045
2012 - 21,421
2013 - 25,149
2014 - 30,183
2015 - 10,154
"We don't really receive that many complaints," explained Duren. Besides being stolen, Duren said reprints may happen because a sticker fell off or got lost.
Reed, though, believes thieves are mostly to blame.
"You wonder how many people have to go through this every day," he stated.
Sure enough, dozens of THV11 viewers spoke up on Facebook to say they too have had their stickers stolen. Police believe most often it's because thieves want to avoid paying renewal costs.
"I was very fortunate that I didn't get stopped because really I didn't know when they were stolen," added Reed.
A replacement sticker will cost you $1.25. Over the last five years the state has generated $134,943. Officials use the money for bond repayments.
"To keep you from becoming a victim, the state says the stickers are purposefully made with a thin material. So if it's removed, it will hopefully tear, making it difficult for the thief to use," described Duren. "The more you put on the previous one, the easier it is to get off the license plate. It might be a good idea to scrape that old one off."
Many auto parts stores sell plastic license plate covers which make it harder for criminals to steal stickers, but they're illegal in Arkansas if it makes the plate difficult to read.
"Just take a small look back there and make sure they are on," suggested Reed. "I definitely make sure I check my tags."
THV 11 found most people don't file a police report for stolen stickers, but the Department of Motor Vehicles says you should. Also, if your entire plate is stolen, immediately call police because officers said thieves could be using it on a stolen vehicle.
